Board

Officers

President: Jim Gawel
President Elect: Chris Knutson
Past President: BiJay Adams
Secretary: Ellen Preece
Treasurer: Josh Wozniak

Committees

BY-LAWS

Committee Members:
Josh Wozniak, Jonathan Frodge, Isabel Ragland

PUBLIC POLICY AND LEGISLATIVE

Committee Members:
BiJay Adams, Jonathan Frodge, Chris Knutson, Susanne Marten

ELECTIONS

Committee Members:
Elizabeth Johnson, Aaron Nix, Randy Hadland

PUBLICATIONS

Committee Members:
BiJay Adams, Jim Gawel, Josh Wozniak, Aaron Nix

MEMBERSHIP

Committee Members:
Karl Bruun, Tom Woolf, Randy Hadland, Shannon Brattebo

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Committee Members:
Jim Gawel, BiJay Adams, Randy Hadland, Susanne Marten, Chris Knutson

SCHOLARSHIP

Committee Members:
Frank Wilhelm, Ellen Preece, Isabel Ragland, Shannon Brattebo

WEBSITE

Committee Members:
BiJay Adams, Karl Bruun, Susanne Marten

Officer Biographies

Jim Gawel, President (2012-2013)

Jim Gawel is Associate Professor of Environmental Chemistry and Engineering and Environmental Program Coordinator at the University of Washington Tacoma. He teaches courses in environmental chemistry, pollutant fate and transport, and limnology, as well as other classes that examine environmental contamination and resource management in the larger social and political context. His research interests are broad and include: (1) the fate and transport of metal contaminants in terrestrial and aquatic systems; (2) using bioindicator proteins in plants and animals to monitor physiological metal stress in the environment; (3) urban water management issues related to anthropogenic influences; (4) nutrient cycling in lakes; and (5) environmental science education. He believes strongly in undergraduate research as an important learning experience and a valid means of conducting scientific research.

Chris Knutson, President Elect (2011-2013)

Chris Knutson is a Water Quality Planner for King County’s Department of Natural Resources and Parks in the Water and Land Resources Division. He was born and raised in Las Vegas but has lived in Western Washington for about 12 years. He is a graduate of Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Policy and Planning and a minor in Environmental Science. In his spare time he enjoys spending time outside hiking, fishing and camping, snowboarding and boating.  When not outside he and his wife can be found enjoying a good meal, sometimes even whipped up themselves! Chris’s favorite part of the job is getting to work with other individuals who share his same passions and are interested in protecting our tremendous natural resources. He looks forward to the opportunity to work with all of you.

 BiJay Adams, Past President (2012-2013)

BiJay Adams is the Lake Protection Manager for the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District where he is responsible for the management of Liberty Lake and its watershed. BiJay’s duties include implementing lake protection measures to reduce sources of water quality impairment, while providing evaluation and inspection of stormwater runoff systems, shoreline requirements, aquatic invasives, and water quality. He also enforces district policies and regulations, promotes public stewardship through educational programs, and serves as the local liaison to the Watershed Advisory Committee, the public, and lake groups throughout Washington and Idaho. BiJay has a BS in Geology/Hydrogeology from Lewis and Clark State College, and has nearly 15 years of work experience with lakes and streams in Idaho and Washington. When not working, BiJay enjoys to hunt, fish, rock climb, and mountaineer.

Ellen Preece, Secretary (2011-2013)

Josh Wozniak, Treasurer (2012-2014)

Josh Wozniak, a senior scientist at Herrera Environmental Consultants, brings 15 years professional experience in aquatic plant management, wetland biology, botany, and lake studies. He has conducted work throughout Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska. He is a professional wetland scientist and a trained diver, soil scientist, and botanist. He specializes in the characterization and analysis of aquatic systems from fresh headwaters to the sea. Winters are spent conducting detailed inspections of montane snowpacks. Josh leads several components of lake management, including conducting diving surveys, plant and algae sampling, underwater video and photography, as well as aquatic plant monitoring and invasive species control. Newly equipped with underwater scooters, Josh and his dive team have stepped up the ferocity of their assault on aquatic invasive species.

Director Biographies

Shannon Brattebo, Director (2011-2013)

Shannon is an environmental engineer that has over 10 years of experience working on multiple water quality, limnological, water resources, environmental restoration, and watershed planning studies for local, state, and federal agencies.  Shannon is currently employed with Tetra Tech, Inc. in their Spokane, WA office.  Her areas of expertise include lake and watershed management, lake restoration, nutrient modeling, water quality monitoring, stormwater water quality management, integrated aquatic plant management, river restoration, stormwater BMP design, and flood damage assessments.  Shannon received her BS in civil/environmental engineering at Seattle University and her MS in civil/environmental engineering at the University of Washington.  When she is not working, Shannon enjoys running, hiking, cycling, reading, and spending time with her family, Ben and daughter Ava.

Karl Bruun, Director (2011-2013)

Karl has been an Environmental Scientist with the Microbiology section at the King County Environmental Laboratory, Department of Natural Resources since 1990.  He has served as the technical coordinator for Quantitative Phytoplankton Analysis, DOE Algae Control Project, Water Reuse, Marine Ambient and Beaches, Lakes, Streams, Trouble Call, Shellfish, CSO, and Freshwater Swim Beaches.  In 2008 he started an independent contractor algae analysis laboratory and has conducted work involving Nevada, Wyoming, Montana, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, New York, the Columbia River, Manitoba, Alberta, Panama and the Philippines.  His interests include freshwater and marine algal taxonomy and establishing digital photomicroscopy libraries of the algae present in lakes, streams, ponds and ditches of western Washington along with marine locals in Puget Sound.  He holds AAS degrees in Medical Laboratory Technology and Environmental Technology.  When not working he enjoys relaxing on the golf course.

Jonathan Frodge, Director (2012-2014)

If you know Jonathan you know he needs no introduction.

Randy Hadland, Director (2011-2013)

Randy Hadland is currently the Northwest Regional Manager for YSI.  He graduated from the University of Nevada Las Vegas with a degree in ecological and environmental biology and a minor in chemistry.  Prior to UNLV Randy attended the University of San Francisco in their marine biology program.   The first position that Randy held was a biologist at the Mirage Dolphin Habitat.  His focus for the 5 years he spent working with the Mirage was water quality and animal husbandry.  The next 6 years of his career was spent as the Aquatic Biologist for the City of Las Vegas.  This position was water quality focused and Randy lead the Lake Mead monitoring program.  This included studies in the reservoir along with all of it’s tributaries.  The size of Lake Mead along with it being an end point for treated wastewater effluent, a drinking water supply for millions of people in Nevada, California and Arizona and a large recreational destination made it very high profile and amplified any water quality concerns.  The position allowed Randy to be involved in a large total maximum daily loading (TMDL) program for phosphorous and ammonia and is one of the few reservoirs to have a direct water quality standard for chlorophyll.  Modeling projects, harmful algal bloom studies, and aquatic invasive identification were all the norms for this position.  In the summer of 2006 Randy and his family moved from the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas to the glorious Pacific Northwest and Randy joined YSI.  He now has over 16 years of experience working as an aquatic biologist.  His position at YSI has him involved in all facets of the water quality and quantity world, including training on the use of multiparameter instruments and acoustic Doppler devices for hydrologic studies, customer sales and support, and conducting water quality and flow measurement studies to support customers.

Elizabeth Johnson, Director (2011-2013)

Elizabeth Cruise-Johnson is a Water Quality Analyst in Limnology with Seattle Public Utilities. She has been working at the SPU Water Quality Laboratory for 19 years. She has a BS in Biology from Seattle University and spends her work time delving into all limnological aspects of Seattle’s drinking water sources with particular emphasis on the aesthetic aspects of water quality. In her spare time she enjoys kids, dogs, sports, and cooking specialty desserts.

 

Susanne Marten, Director (2012-2014)

Completed analytical assignments concerning the development of healthcare facilities and affordable housing projects for several governmental and non-profit organizations to include the City of Boston, King County, Department of Health State of Washington, multiple east Pierce County rural townships and Multicare Health Systems. More recently, Susanne completed classes in Urban Studies and Environmental Science earning a GIS certificate with hopes to attain a degree in Environmental/Urban Studies. Her GIS mapping projects have included an analysis of Pierce County well water susceptibility due to ground water contamination by aged underground storage tanks. She also analyzed and mapped the probable impact to the W.I.R.A. #10 watershed if several urban annexation requests by east Pierce County cities and townships are processed. At present, Susanne volunteers with the Pierce Conservation District and has been working with the Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington on a water quality project involving a cultural exchange with Northwest and Brazilian First Nations. She enjoys working in the out-of-doors and is accomplished at communicating with a wide array of public and private organizations, municipal officials, and community groups.

Aaron Nix, Director (2011-2013)

Aaron Nix currently serves as the Parks/Natural Resources Director for the City of Black Diamond, WA.  He did his undergraduate work at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA were he focused his studies on water chemistry and environmental science.  He’s worked on water related issues at the various jurisdictions with specific experience working on issues as they pertain to Lake Sammamish, Steele Lake, Lake Sawyer and Mill Creek in Auburn.  His graduate work focused on land management issues as they pertained to obtaining his degree in Public Administration from Seattle University in 2001.  Aaron lives in Gig Harbor with his wife Michele and his two sons Austin and Payton.  He enjoys helping coach his kids in sports and scuba diving, especially here in the Puget Sound region.

Isabel Ragland, Director (2011-2013)

Isabel Ragland is the Water Quality Coordinator for the Stream Team Program with Pierce Conservation District. She has worked for Pierce Conservation District since 1999 coordinating the stream and lake volunteer monitoring program and other special projects, assisting with habitat restoration projects, macroinvertebrate sampling, and storm water education activities and outreach. Isabel has a MS degree in Zoology from Auburn University.

 

 

Jeff Tepper, Director (2013)

Jeff Tepper is a Professor and Chair of the Geology Department at the University of Puget Sound.  He received his A.B. from Dartmouth, his M.S. and PhD from the University of Washington, and then taught on the East Coast for ten years before coming to Puget Sound in 2001.  Courses he teaches include Mineralogy, Igneous Petrology and Volcanology, Environmental Geochemistry, and GeoMythology.  Jeff’s research involves geochemistry, particularly as applied to lake sediment and igneous rocks.  For the past several years he and his students have been analyzing water and sediment cores from lakes in the Tacoma area in order to better understand their water sources and reconstruct their environmental histories over the past ~13,000 years.  Away from school Jeff enjoys building things in his woodshop, Mediterranean cuisine, and visiting beaches with his wife, Carol.

Frank Wilhelm, Director (2011-2013)

Frank Wilhelm is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources in the College of Natural Resources at the University of Idaho, in beautiful Moscow. Frank has been interested in the outdoors and biology since being a kid when he played near and in streams and ponds in his neighborhood. Frank combined that love for the watery outdoors with a rigorous science education that now sees him teaching limnology and undertaking research on aquatic ecosystems. Frank joined the University of Idaho in 2007 after six years at Southern Illinois University where he also taught limnology and undertook lake restoration research. That was preceded by a two-year post doctoral fellowship in New Zealand, and a PhD at the University of Alberta focused on high alpine lake research in the Canadian Rocky Mountain National Parks. Frank’s interests include the restoration of water quality in lakes for future generations, food web dynamics, cyanobacteria, and cave ecosystems. Personal interests include being outside near, on, or in water, fishing, building and using small watercraft, biking, hiking and snowshoeing.

Tom Woolf, Director (2012-2014)

Holding a Bachelors in biology from Adams State College in Colorado and a MS in Environmental Science from Minnesota State University. Master’s work focused on invasive plant impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Began work for the Idaho State Department of Agriculture as the Aquatic Plant Program Manager in 2007. Projects include aquatic plant education and survey as well as Eurasian watermilfoil and hydrilla treatment projects. Other projects include working as part of the Idaho Invasive Species Program to develop and implement invasive aquatic species survey and prevention throughout Idaho.