Our Board

Board President: Paul M. Kennard, M.S.

Retired - Geomorphologist, Mount Rainier National Park, National Park Service, Ashford, Washington

Board Vice-President: Gino Lucchetti, M.S.

Retired - Senior Ecologist and Environmental Scientist, King County Water and Land Resources Division

Board Treasurer: Jennifer (Sampson) White, M.S.

  • Aquatic Resources Strategic Advisor, Seattle Public Utilities

  • American Fisheries Society, Certified Fisheries Professional

  • Ecological Society of America, Certified Senior Ecologist

Board Secretary: Jill Silver, B.A.S.

Executive Director, 10,000 Years Institute

At Large: Steve Hinton, M.S.

Conservation Scientist, Tulalip Tribes Office of Treaty Rights and Government Affairs

Board President: Paul Kennard, M.S., Geophysics, University of Washington, B.S., Applied Physics, Tufts University

Mr. Kennard has been an earth scientist for over 25 years and specializes in hillslope and fluvial geomorphology, and river restoration. He recently retired from being the Regional Geomorphologist, stationed at Mount Rainier National Park, where he provided specialized technical analyses of (1) river flooding and debris flow hazards; (2) erosion and landslide potential; (3) river channel movement and stream bank erosion; (4) glacier influences; (5) riparian and in-stream large wood interactions; and (6) degraded habitats.

Previously, he was Senior Staff Scientist at the Washington Forest Law Center (a public service non-profit organization), assessing forested watersheds and forest aquatic resources (fisheries, water quality and quantity). Previous to that, he was a geomorphologist for 11 years for the Tulalip Indian Tribes of Washington State, where he evaluated the effects of forest management on fish habitat in the Tulalip Tribes Treaty Areas in western Washington.

Paul’s recent and on-going scientific research includes the effect of climate change at Mount Rainier on: (1) glacier response; (2) river filling and proliferating flooding hazards; and (3) increased debris flows and the effect on park infrastructure.

These days, he spends much of his time skiing and mountaineering.

Board Vice-President: Gino Lucchetti, M.S. Fisheries and Wildlife Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Mr. Lucchetti (semi-retired) has been a fisheries scientist/aquatic ecologist for some 40 years. Most recently, for twenty-five years he worked as a senior staff scientist for King County (Seattle, WA) Department of Natural Resources providing resource assessment, research and policy support for the County’s diverse watershed planning, salmon recovery, river and land use management activities. He has been involved in many of the County’s and Puget Sound Region’s salmon recovery, watershed planning and habitat protection and restoration efforts. He was a member of the County’s federally-recognized Endangered Species Act Biological Review Panel, Tri-County Salmon Recovery Planning team, and served on Puget Sound Steelhead and Coastal Bull Trout technical recovery teams for NOAA and the USFWS, respectively. Other major activities include lead scientist for the Cedar and Hylebos Basin Plans, and project manager/lead scientist for projects that assessed floodplain and rural land use effects and regulatory effectiveness and compliance with the ESA.

Prior to King County, Gino worked for a) the Tulalip Tribes (Marysville, WA) where he developed and managed Tribal programs for assessing and monitoring fish, habitat and water quality, b) the USFWS, conducting research on Columbia River salmon and their predators, c) Virginia Tech Cooperative Fisheries Unit, conducting research on trout and stream ecology and teaching Itchthyology labs, d) University of Washington Cooperative Fisheries Research Unit assisting in research on fish food habitats, effects of lake draw-down and logging, and e) US Forest Service (Forks, WA) conducting the Soleduck Ranger District’s first stream surveys. www.k2benvironmental.com/my-cv

Board Treasurer: Jennifer (Sampson) White, M.S., University of Washington

Jennifer White (she/her) holds a B.A in Environment, Technology and Society with a Chemistry focus from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts; and an M.S. from the School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences at the University of Washington, Seattle. Jennifer’s career has included ecological research in support of natural resource management and contaminated site investigation, working in both public and private sectors. Jennifer currently leads and supports others in multidisciplinary ecological and environmental studies, and assists partners navigate state and federal environmental regulations to maintain clean water and functional aquatic habitats. Jennifer has conducted ecological research with various resource management agencies and Native American Tribes. She has worked internationally on research, fisheries management and monitoring programs. In her free time, Jennifer studies classical piano or heads to the wilderness to kayak, ski and mountain bike.

Board Secretary: Jill Silver, B.A.S., The Evergreen State College

Jill is a watershed ecologist with twenty years of experience developing and coordinating regulatory compliance and adaptive management programs, applied research in forested and riverine ecosystems, watershed monitoring, habitat conservation and enhancement projects, invasive species projects and programs, and community education platforms to increase ecological literacy. Jill’s expertise includes integrating field observations with science to address gaps in regulations intended to provide protection to watershed functions and services. Applying science and field observations to the prevention of invasions by aggressive Eurasian plant species, Jill develops watershed-scale Early Detection and Rapid Response (ED/RR) programs, protocols, and training programs to address species which fundamentally impair native successional and geomorphological processes. She maintains working relationships with tribes, county governments, non-profits, resource community professionals, and local community activists and citizens.

At Large: Steve Hinton, M.S., Georgia Tech

Born and raised in the Salish Sea region, Steve has logged an extensive career as a restoration ecologist for area tribes. After graduating from Georgia Tech with a Master's in Science & Technology Policy, Steve invested 20 years directing salmon recovery efforts in the Skagit. Steve has recently pivoted his career to work on climate adaptation strategies for Pacific Northwest communities. Steve is working as a Conservation Scientist with the Tulalip Tribes Office of Treaty Rights and Government Affairs to implement the Tribes' climate adaptation plans & policies. His current projects include providing policy analysis regarding the Climate Commitment Act, modeling ecosystem services, and developing food and energy security policy recommendations.