Position: President

Pend Oreille Conservation District 

Mike grew up in Southwestern Michigan on a sixty plus acre hobby farm (though if pressed, he’ll admit it was more work than hobby).  The farm had a small commercial asparagus operation and for a while his dad ran a sixty head pig business.  There were always two to three Holstein steers hanging around; all of the corn and alfalfa used to feed the steers was grown on the farm.  Besides picking asparagus he earned spending money picking raspberries, grapes and helping bale hay for local dairy farmers.  Mike graduated from Michigan Technological University with a bachelor of science degree in forestry.  He worked for almost thirty years for the U.S. Forest Service as a small sales/salvage sales forester, a presale forester/logging systems specialist as well as in various positions within the Fire and Aviation Management division ending his career doing resource protection work.  When he was stationed on the Paisley Ranger District of the Fremont National Forest he gained experience with large scale beef cattle operations including how to navigate a rig through a 1,000 head of cattle being driven down a state highway!  Because of his forestry knowledge Mike was asked in October 2015 to join the Pend Oreille Conservation District’s Board of Supervisors, and in June of 2019 joined the Washington Association of Conservation Districts as an Area Director; he currently serves as the Association’s President.  Mike’s interests are small farm operations (including farmer’s markets), small woodlot management, wildfire prevention/protection especially in the wildland urban interface and wildfire smoke intrusion into populated areas.

Position: Vice President

Whitman Conservation District

Conservation issues are hugely important to Amy, considering her and her family’s farming and ranching livelihood depend on sustainable conservation practices to keep the ground healthy for crops and animals to prosper. Amy furthered her interests in agricultural conservation by joining the Whitman Conservation District in 2017 as a supervisor. In 2018, she was chosen to serve on the WACD State Board of Directors as one of two SE Area Directors. Then, at the 2019 Annual WACD Meeting, she was selected to be Secretary of the Association and in 2021 she was elected as the Vice President. She believes that for animals and people to coexist harmoniously, conservation practices need to be approached in a unique way. This individuality will permit people to be successful in earning a living and allow flora and fauna the habitat they need to thrive.  Informing landowners about conservation practices will improve their land and enhance the surrounding ecosystem. Amy earned a B.S. in biology from Eastern Washington University.  When she is not volunteering her time for the conservation district, she can be found assisting her husband with their farm and ranch responsibilities, working in a salon as a colorist/stylist and doting on her horses, dogs, cats and chickens.

Position: Secretary 

Underwood Conservation District

Barbara retired from a career in finance and human resources management to move to her partner's dry cabin in the Alaska Interior. When they decided to move to the lower 48, they purchased a farm property above White Salmon. Barbara first learned about conservation districts when a neighbor put her in touch with the good folks of Underwood Conservation District.

She participated in a cost share program to keep manure out of the watershed and implemented best practices from a Farm Plan UCD staff prepared for her. Barbara undertook a couple of large restoration projects on the property with native trees and shrubs, and as a grower of specialty crops she developed a keen interest in soil health. When an opening for a Supervisor arose, Barbara ran for the position….and lost. Instead, she was appointed as Associate Supervisor in 2016. The following year, she was appointed Supervisor, and her peers elected her Chair in 2021.  In 2019 Barbara joined WACD’s board as SC Area Director; in 2021 she was elected and in 2023 re-elected to her current position as Secretary.

Position: Treasurer 

Snohomish Conservation District

Mark farms on his grandparents' farm where he started a pumpkin patch which has grown to take over the whole farm along with additional ground to support the growing operation.  Mark grew up on a dairy farm; when his family worked with the local conservation district, he was impressed with how they helped and what they did. So, he joined the board to help support conservation district staff and districts across the state. Mark enjoys being part of the conservation family working to protect our natural resources and supporting the staff that get the work done.

Position: National Director

Thurston Conservation District

Doug loves the locally-lead, incentive-based, voluntary approach of CDs. He started at the Thurston district as an associate in 1994 and has held all the board positions, chairing from 1999 to 2014. (He is proud of the fact during that time, the Thurston CD was district of the year twice.) He has served on numerous WACD committees, chairing the operations committee and the former forestry committee. He currently serves as the WACD national director (i.e. representative to NACD) sitting on the NACD Natural Resources Policy Committee and the NACD Board. He is currently the vice chair of the NACD Pacific Region and has sat on the NACD Forestry Group since 2006, again representing the Pacific Region. Even though he is a forester by training, he has farmed in both Ferry and Whatcom counties. He spent most of his career working water issues for Ecology, but has also been a Forest Service forester, a fish biologist for the National Marine Fisheries Service, a wildlife agent for the Department of Fish and Wildlife, among other adventures.

Position: Past President

Pierce Conservation District

Jeanette’s first experience with conservation districts is when she was a community volunteer starting in 1996, working with the Pierce Conservation District and her neighbors to take care of the rural creek she grew up on. In 2009 Jeanette was elected to Pierce’s Board of Supervisors and in 2010 she was elected by her fellow board members to be Chair. Jeanette continues to serve as Chair of Pierce CD’s Board. She was elected to the WACD board first as Area Director for the Northwest Area and then soon after the Vice President of the Association in 2016. She completed two years as Vice President before being elected President in 2018.  She has since been re-elected twice to continue as President.  When she’s not volunteering to support the work of conservation districts she splits her time between her work as the Executive Director of the Nisqually Land Trust, and as a mom of a 17 year old son and a 11 year old daughter. Jeanette has degrees in Earth Science, Environmental Studies, and Restoration Ecology. 

Northwest Area Directors

Alan Chapman
Whatcom Conservation District 
6975 Hannegan Rd.
Lynden, WA 98246

David Vliet
Kitsap Conservation District 
10332 Central Valley Rd.
Poulsbo, WA 98370

Lisa Zaborac  
Grays Harbor Conservation District
81 Tower Boulevard
Elma, WA 98541
 

Jerry Kolke 
Clark Conservation District
11018 NE 51st Cir.
Vancouver, WA 98682      

John McLean
Foster Creek Conservation District
203 S Rainier
Waterville, WA 98858

John Preston 
Columbia Basin Conservation District
903 W. 3rd Ave.
Moses Lake, WA, 98837  

Jack Clark
Benton Conservation District
418 N Kellogg St Suite B
Kennewick, WA 99336
 

Cindy Reed
North Yakima Conservation District
1606 Perry St UNIT C
Yakima, WA 98902

Jeff Schibel
Lincoln County CD
1310 Morgan Street
Davenport, WA 99122
 

John W. Floyd
Pend Oreille CD
121 N. Washington Ave.
Newport, WA 99156

Mary Collins
Palouse Conservation District
1615 NE Eastgate Blvd, Suite H
Pullman, WA 99163
 

Vacant