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Board Members

OWEB is led by an 18-member citizen board drawn from the public, tribes, and federal and state natural resource agency boards and commissions. The Board meets 4 times a year to act on applications for funds to accomplish watershed restoration activities, and is responsible for establishing Oregon’s long-term strategy for achieving sustainable watershed health.

Board Meetings

Public Voting Members

City
Astoria
Member Since
2018
Profile
Bruce Buckmaster is the retired owner and CEO of Bio-Oregon, Inc. Bio-Oregon introduced low phosphorus (less polluting) hatchery feeds to ensure compliance with clean water statutes and initiated fish-based nutrient supplementation to aid wild salmon recovery in Oregon rivers and streams. Bio-Oregon was one of Oregon’s largest secondary recyclers reclaiming value from 35-40 million pounds of on-shore fish processing waste annually. Now active as a community advocate and avid fly fisher, Bruce spends much of his time working on issues of stewardship and equitable use of natural resources.

City
Terrebonne
Member Since
2019
Profile
Jamie McLeod-Skinner’s rural upbringing instilled in her a great love for nature. She is committed to helping maintain the natural resources that support our health, economy, and identity as Oregonians. Jamie has served on numerous boards and in elected office. She began her public service career designing water and sanitation systems in post-war Bosnia and Kosovo. She has managed regulatory review processes, developed stewardship plans, mediated disputes, and provided capacity building for nonprofit organizations. Jamie has degrees in civil engineering from Rensselaer, regional planning from Cornell, and law from the University of Oregon with a focus in natural resources. She clerked for the US Army Corps of Engineers, assisted on the Klamath Basin Adjudication, and served as co-Director for UO’s Native American Law Student Association. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and the Oregon State Bar. She graduated high school in southern Oregon, lives in central Oregon, and her wife’s family has ranched in eastern Oregon for generations. While in school, Jamie helped make ends meet by mucking horse stalls and bucking hay.

City
Talent
Member Since
2021
Profile
Kelly Coates is a member of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians and is the Water and Environmental Resources Program Manager and Natural Resources Team Lead for the Tribe. Kelly works on natural resources issues including stream and riparian restoration, fisheries monitoring, project management, implementation and tracking, grant writing, collaborative partnership based projects and government to government consultation within the Tribe’s Ancestral Territory. She has over 15 years of experience in the field of natural resources and has worked for the Tribe since November of 2011. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Aquatic Wildlife Biology and a Master’s Degree in Organismal Biology and Ecology, both from the University of Montana. She has previously worked for the University of Montana as a research specialist in an environmental chemistry lab, and for Pacific Rivers, where she worked on aquatic conservation issues in the Umpqua Basin. She has been an author and co-author on multiple peer reviewed scientific publications and reports and has presented her work at regional, national and international venues.

City
Grand Ronde
Member Since
2022
Profile
Lindsay McClary grew up in Michigan’s upper peninsula on the shores of the Great Lakes with deep roots in the outdoors and a foundational connection to nature. She is a Tribal Member from the Sault Ste. Marie Band of Chippewa Indians. Lindsay earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts from Central Michigan University (CMU) in Recreation, Parks, and Leisure Services (RPL) Administration with a focus on Outdoor and Environmental Recreation and a minor in Natural Resources Management. Her career in natural resources management began by working seasonally for the US Forest Service as a Biological Technician. In 2009, she moved to Oregon and in 2010 she began working for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde as a Biological Technician in the Fish & Wildlife Program. In 2015, she became the Tribe’s first Wildlife Biologist and then moved into the newly created Restoration Ecologist/Fish & Wildlife Policy Analyst position in 2018. The majority of her work focuses on habitat conservation, restoration, and protection of 2,000 acres the Tribe has re-acquired through the Willamette Wildlife Mitigation Program. Professional accomplishments include developing two brand new positions for the Tribe; developing and implementing management plans; building new partnerships and strengthening existing relationships; implementing complex restoration projects; managing large scale and complex budgets; and bringing in restoration funds from multiple sources. One of the most rewarding aspects of her position is the relationships made with other professionals, practitioners, and partners.

City
Enterprise
Member Since
2018
Profile
Liza Jane McAlister is the owner of the 6 Ranch, a Wallowa County Century Ranch established in 1884 by her great-grandparents. Currently the business includes a registered herd of Corriente cattle, custom/retail grass-fed beef, Farm Stand retail outlet and guided fly-fishing. Liza Jane works with her two adult children; her son is fishing and hunting guide, and her daughter is a professional chef and cowboy. Liza Jane worked with her community to build a domestic violence shelter and program, serving as its director for 14 years. She was honored with a National Peace Award for her work in this field. She brought the Start Making a Reader Today (SMART) program to schools in Wallowa County and became the East Region Manager for SMART, expanding their program to 13 Eastern Oregon counties. This was followed by five years as Land Steward for The Nature Conservancy Zumwalt Prairie and Clear Lake Ridge Preserves. Liza Jane is passionate about her family, taking care of the land, and preserving Western heritage and traditions.

City
Portland
Member Since
2024
Profile
Russ Hoeflich has shown a lifelong commitment to conservation through public service and nonprofit leadership. He has served as the National Vice President and Oregon Director of the Nature Conservancy where he worked to support the establishment of OWEB through the passage of measures 66 and 76. Russ has also served as the Executive Director of 1,000 friends of Oregon as well as on various boards and commissions including the Oregon Global Warming Commission, the World Forestry Center Board of Directors and the Governor’s Wildfire Response Council.

Natural Resource Board/Commission Representatives, Voting Members

City
McMinnville
Representing
Board of Agriculture
Member Since
2019
Profile
Barbara Boyer is chair of Oregon's Soil and Water Conservation Commission and thus a member of the State Board of Agriculture. Her interests and experiences go far beyond conservation issues. She's involved in a small business, community-supported agriculture, nutrition issues, and the local farmers' market. She is an organic producer but has grown conventionally, and is a passionate supporter of farmland preservation through land use efforts. Born and raised on the east coast, Boyer graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in plant science. She was a scholarship athlete as part of the women's gymnastics team. After graduation, Boyer set her sights on Oregon's nursery industry. Barbara and her husband Tom took over the family farm's operations in 1999 and created 2 businesses from their farm: a company called Gourmet Hay and a small community-supported agriculture operation.

City
Medford
Representing
Oregon Board of Forestry
Member Since
2022
Profile
Liz Agpaoa has enjoyed a 36-year career in the diverse field of natural resources. She began as a wildlife biologist, and retired as Regional Forester for the National Forests in the South. Liz began her career in Oregon, working for 20 years with the communities in the Southern Cascades, Siskiyou Mountains, and the Rogue River Valley. Her work experience then took her to the landscapes of the Southwest, where she actively implemented watershed restoration with tribes and hispanic communities. During her last career assignment, she focused on building resilient watersheds across the southern Coastal Plains and southern Appalachian Mountains, that continue to be changed by wildfire, hurricane and tornadoes. Liz resides in Medford, Oregon and serves as one of seven Board members, with the Oregon Board of Forestry.

City
Sisters
Representing
Fish and Wildlife Commission
Member Since
2019
Profile
Mark Labhart served as Tillamook County Commissioner for 12 years. Prior to that he worked for the Oregon Department of Forestry for 34 years, including 20 years managing a large portion of the Tillamook State Forest. He was an Incident Commander on an Oregon Fire Team for 11 years. He has served terms on the Fish Restoration & Enhancement Board, the STEP Advisory Committee, the Oregon Hatchery Research Center, and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's External Budget Advisory Committee. He chaired a Legislative Task force to find alternate funding sources for ODFW. Mark sits on the OSU Sea Grant Advisory Committee as well as the OSU Extension Statewide Advisory Committee. He was a founding member of the Salmon Super Highway Project, the goal of which was to restore salmon access to tributaries in Tillamook County. He has enjoyed the distinction of being named Tillamook County’s Citizen of the Year and Volunteer of the Year, and Society of American Foresters' Oregon Forester of the Year. Mark's passion is fly fishing in the central Oregon lakes and deer and elk hunting. He and his wife moved to Sisters to be closer to children and grandchildren.

City
Mt. Vernon
Representing
Environmental Quality Commission
Member Since
2024
Profile
Mark Webb is the Executive Director for Blue Mountains Forest Partners (BMFP), a diverse group of stakeholders who utilize best available science and work collaboratively to increase the pace and scale of restoration on the Malheur National Forest. Prior to this he served as Grant County Judge, taught at Eastern Oregon University, and worked in natural resource related jobs across eastern Oregon. He received his BA in Philosophy from Reed College, and PhD in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. Mark believes that strong, vibrant communities and healthy landscapes are inseparably linked.

City
Representing
Water Resources Commission
Member Since
Profile

Advisory, Non-Voting Members

City
Portland
Member Since
2022
Profile
Aaron is currently the acting Branch Chief for Planning, Monitoring, and Social Sciences at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Oregon/Washington State Office. Aaron began his career with the BLM in 2003 as a youth conservation corps intern and has public land management experience in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Aaron has been responsible for implementing and overseeing the BLM's Recreation, Travel Management, Wild and Scenic Rivers, Wilderness, National Monuments, Cultural and Paleontological Resources, Youth, Volunteer, and Socioeconomic Programs from the field, district, state, and headquarter office-levels of the agency. He holds a B.A. in Botany and Environmental Studies from Ohio Wesleyan University and served in the U.S. Peace Corps as a forestry volunteer in Guinea, West Africa.

City
Portland
Member Since
2024
Profile
Brian Staab is Regional Hydrologist for the US Forest Service-Pacific Northwest Region (PNW), which comprises 17 national forests in Oregon and Washington. Since 2006, he's been developing and overseeing implementation of programs and strategies to protect and restore the Region’s water resources and aquatic ecosystems, acquire the information needed to achieve those objectives, and educate the public about forests and water. He previously served in a similar capacity in the Pacific Southwest Region, which includes 18 national forests in California. Brian works at the interface of science, policy and management, co-developing regional watershed strategies that bridge research and application. His contributions have earned him national awards from three Forest Service Chiefs. Staab holds an M.S. in Hydrology from Stanford University and B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Penn State University.

City
Portland
Member Since
2022
Profile
Chris grew up in Southern Oregon (Roseburg) and has worked in aquatic conservation for 30 years, the last 23 with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Portland. Professionally, much of his career has been spent promoting resident native fish recovery in Oregon, particularly bull trout, though his primary interest is building relationships and working collaboratively with others to promote ecosystem restoration and processes that benefit all native aquatic and floodplain-dependent species. At the Service's Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office, Chris manages the Aquatic Resources Division, a team of biologists working statewide on aquatic conservation with a focus on several species of native trout, beavers, Pacific lamprey, freshwater mussels, and monitoring of several fish species recently recovered and removed from the Endangered Species Act. Chris has two children, a boy in high school and a daughter who just graduated high school this year. Chris lives in St. John's in north Portland and his hobbies include many forms of boating, angling, woodworking, and trail running.

City
Portland
Member Since
2024
Profile
Claire is the Assistant State Conservationist for Partnerships for the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Oregon. In this position Claire is responsible for promoting and fostering conservation partnerships and cooperative relationships with environmental groups with natural resource interests to advance the NRCS’s mission. Claire has been with NRCS since 2015 working in New Mexico, Washington, and Oregon as a Rangeland Management Specialist, Soil Conservationist, Resource Conservationist, and Program Manager. She holds an M.S. degree in Rangeland Ecology and Management from Oregon State University, and a B.S. degree in Environmental Science and Geography from the University of Oregon.

City
Portland
Member Since
2021
Profile
Dan Brown is the Forest Sector Lead for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Pacific Northwest Region which includes Oregon, Alaska, Idaho and Washington. In this role he works with tribes, federal and state agencies, and other stakeholders to encourage the establishment of forest practices that protect water quality and restore impaired waters to meeting water quality standards. Dan has been with the EPA since 1992 working on regulatory and non-regulatory programs in both Regional and National Offices. He holds an MS in Environmental Science and Engineering from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

City
Portland
Member Since
2019
Profile
Eric is the Endangered Species Act Section 7 Coordinator for the Oregon-Washington Coastal Area Office of the West Coast Region of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service. He has been with the agency since 2001. He currently oversees the area office’s Section 7 program, reviewing biological opinions, providing ESA training, and serving as a policy advisor to the Assistant Regional Administrator. In previous positions, Eric served as the project lead for the 2011 salmon and steelhead five-year review, the listing of rockfish in Puget Sound, and the listing of eulachon. Prior to his work with NOAA, Eric worked for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Eric graduated with B.S. degree in Environmental and Forest Biology from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and holds a master’s degree from the Great Lakes Research Center at Buffalo State College.

City
Corvallis
Member Since
2024
Profile
Jessi is the Associate Director for Extension & Engagement at Oregon Sea Grant. In this role, she provides leadership for Sea Grant’s Extension and community engagement program areas and works in close collaboration with OSU’s Extension and Engagement division. Oregon Sea Grant’s Extension and engagement work is broad, including areas such as aquaculture, coastal hazards, commercial fisheries, tourism, invasive species, human dimensions, marine renewable energy, and water resources. Jessi has more than 15 years of experience working at the intersection of science and policy to improve the conservation and management of natural resources, with a specific focus on climate adaptation and mitigation. Jessi earned a master’s degree in marine science and policy from the University of Washington and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
 





Contact

Please direct questions or comments to Nicole.Bettinardi@OWEB.oregon.gov, Executive and Board Liaison, 503-428-1804.