Elizabeth loves helping people recognize and build their connection with nature. She has found her heart’s home here in the Salish Sea after decades of working as a science educator and environmental manager in cities across the country.

Whether describing the biology of local elephant seals or observing the water hugging surfaces of mosses, Elizabeth finds joy in exploring and sharing the wonders and complexities of our local ecosystems. She also loves participating in stewardship opportunities ranging from water quality monitoring to salmon spawning surveys to habitat restoration.

Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, a Master of Environmental Management Degree from Duke University, Professional Teaching Licenses, and is a Wilderness First Responder.

My name is Paige Kirby, I will be in 12th grade next year. The Salish Sea School has given me an amazing opportunity that I couldn't find anywhere else. My love for animals and the water started when I was very young. My family and I love to travel, which allows me to see creatures from all over the world. Alongside traveling, I love to be in nature, sing in choir, and hang out with my dog and little brother. 

I moved to Anacortes 8 years ago from the Seattle area. It has been amazing to explore this new place. In Anacortes, it feels very quiet and a lot slower than in Seattle.  I also used to live in Bozeman, Montana. There I did all things recreational and loved visiting Yellowstone National Park. 

After high school, I plan to go somewhere with a vet teaching hospital. I hope to continue my exploration of animals. Then I plan to go to Africa and work with elephants but don't worry, I won't forget my love for the sea and all it has to offer. 

Olivia grew up in Boulder, CO and spent her childhood days getting outside and exploring the natural world around her! She has years of experience as an outdoor educator at Thorne Nature Experience in Colorado and just graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a degree in Biology with an emphasis on seabirds.

Olivia has spent years researching Tufted Puffins and other seabirds in the Salish Sea and recently spent a summer as a Whale Watching naturalist in Anacortes. Her enthusiasm for the natural world is contagious and she is committed to fostering Earth stewardship through wildlife research and environmental education.

Patricia is happiest in nature: hiking in forests, exploring tide pools or studying marine mammals. She shares her passion for the Salish Sea as a sea kayak guide for Whidbey Island Kayaking and loves connecting people of all ages to the Pacific Northwest.

Prior to the pandemic, Patricia professionally produced videos about our beautiful region including stories about local culture, history and of course, nature. Over the years, she has incorporated all that she has learned into the volunteer work she has done with kids. From preschool to high school, Patricia has created outdoor projects, led Scouts, taught elementary art and more, all with the intention of fostering a sense of curiosity and wonder that raises a deeper appreciation and respect for our world.

Patricia continues to volunteer with the Orca Network Whale Center and the American Red Cross and happily steps up each December as the Event Director for the Langley holiday parade.

When not at camp or in a kayak, Patricia can be found on adventures with her husband and dog, playing marimbas or chasing chickens around the garden.

Jared grew up in the Midwest, where he learned to write in third person and get lost in fields of monoculture. But his compass always pointed West. Toward big nature. Toward mountains. Toward sea.
 
This bias for adventure took him around the world, where he learned simple rules to putt along on Planet Earth. Like: Monkey-watching is superior to people-watching. And: Paddling in the bioluminescence is best done under the Northern Lights.
 
He's an educator, speaker, and mentor who works primarily with teens. He's also a tour boat captain, freelance writer, and wannabe Buddhist. But, he sometimes talks too loud in the library (so take the good with the bad).

When he's not bugging Amy with grandiose visions and long-winded emails on helping the youth, you can find him looking quizzically at a lichen, or trying to learn the word for "sneeze" in every human language. 

Emily McQ just finished her Masters of Science in Organic Geochemical Oceanography at Western Washington University this past Spring, where she studied the geology, oceanography and chemistry of the Salish Sea. She discovered her love of education and outreach during her Masters’ program and has taught college level chemistry and geology, and assisted in the implementation of science programs and field trips for K-12. Emily grew up in Bellingham and has the deepest appreciation for the Salish Sea. She loves teaching the next generation all about the area, and how to take care of and appreciate everything about this region!

Justin moved to Anacortes with his wife, Tasha, and their two children, Paige and Nash, nine years ago. Shortly after arriving, their whole family fell in love with The Salish Sea School—attending camps, lectures, fundraisers, and many community events. Their connection to the organization became even more personal when his daughter, Paige, worked for The Salish Sea School for two summers.

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Justin began his career in Marketing Communications, holding roles with Young & Rubicam Advertising, AT&T, Microsoft, and other Fortune 500 companies. Later, he transitioned into education, working with special needs students at Anacortes Middle School, where his wife is a science teacher. He currently works part-time for the Fidalgo Nature School at Deception Pass State Park, where he helps teach young children about the beauty of the natural world and how to care for it.

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When Justin isn’t having big adventures with not-so-big people (the Nature School serves 4- to 6-year-olds), he enjoys hiking in the Cascades, kayaking in the San Juan Islands, and traveling with his family.

Maia Hansen has spent her career making complex information accessible and useful. From leading engineering teams at startups to serving as a Presidential Innovation Fellow with NOAA, her passion has always been using technology to help people experience and understand the world around them.

Maia’s professional journey has taken her from the front lines of genomic research at the Broad Institute to executive roles leading teams in spatial audio, analytics, and machine learning. She brings a unique background in data analysis and strategic vision to the Salish Sea School, where she is excited to support hands-on education that inspires the next generation of ocean stewards.

An enthusiast of all things aquatic, Maia feels most at home near (or in) the water. She lives in Anacortes, where she enjoys exploring the local coastline and tending to her own tiny saltwater ecosystems at home. She is thrilled to combine her love for the Salish Sea and its residents with her passion for community-centered work to support the school’s long-term vision and mission.

Growing up in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California Rick developed a passion early for nature and the environment specifically, the ocean. He later earned a BS in Chemistry and Geology with an emphasis in Oceanography from C.S.U. San Jose. His graduate work at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories focused on seafloor geology and submarine canyons. An expert scuba diver Rick was a contributing editor on several publications including Pacific Diver Magazine and Wahine Magazine and is the author of several dive books such as, The California Dive Boat Book and Divers Almanac –Guide to the Hawaiian Islands. Before retiring in 2013 and moving to Whidbey Island, Rick was the Vice President and Director of Education at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, CA. where he worked for 22 years. Ocean Institute is an informal education center focusing on Marine Science and Maritime History serving over 130,000 K – college students and 60,000 public visitors. He also was a teacher workshop presenter/curriculum developer for the California Science Implementation Network, K-12 Alliance, the California Earth Science Academy, CSU San Bernardino, NASA, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In addition, he worked as an Adjunct Professor at Palomar College, San Marcus, CA for 14 years, where he taught an undergraduate course in Oceanography. Upon his arrival on Whidbey Island, he took a part-time job as Executive Director of the environmental/educational group Whidbey Watershed Stewards. After 8 years he retired (again) in 2021.

Peter Hodum’s research is in the areas of avian ecology and conservation biology. He is particularly interested in conservation-based research, including the impacts of anthropogenic threats such as marine plastic debris, habitat alteration and loss, introduced species, and fisheries interactions on bird populations and island ecosystems. In the Pacific Northwest, he is studying the ecology, population dynamics, and conservation status of burrowing seabirds, principally Rhinoceros Auklets and Tufted Puffins.

He collaborates with the Slater Museum of Natural History to study the effects of marine plastic debris on marine food webs by using seabirds, forage and bottom-dwelling fish, and filter-feeding species, such as mussels, as biological indicators. Hodum co-founded and leads a long-term community-based conservation program in Chile, with a particular focus on the Juan Fernández Islands and Isla Mocha. The work aims to conserve threatened land- and seabird communities using applied research, active community engagement and participation, and ecological restoration to improve the conservation status of priority species, mitigate the impacts of introduced species, restore critical habitat, and increase community support for and capacity to participate in conservation.

Hodum is director of Chile Programs for Oikonos, a nonprofit that leads conservation projects in Chile, California, the north Pacific, New Zealand, Mexico, and Antarctica. Hodum has co-authored the book chapter, “The social dimension—public involvement in seabird island restoration,” in Seabird Islands: Ecology, Invasion, and Restoration (2011), multiple endangered species conservation strategies in both Chile and Canada, research papers on a variety of topics related to avian conservation and marine plastics, and government technical reports for Chilean agencies . On a 2011 Fulbright grant to Chile, he taught at Universidad de Concepción and continued his research on Determining the States of and Threats to Endangered Seabird Communities. Hodum teaches a variety of courses in both the Biology and Environmental Policy and Decision Making programs, including Conservation Biology, Ornithology, Introduction to Biological Research, Senior Seminar in Environmental Studies, and Biodiversity.

coming soon