Board & Staff

Barb Morson

President

Barb has a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Management from the University of Maine and has called the Pacific Northwest her home now for more than 40 years. She retired after a long career in consulting, working to clean up contaminated sites. She previously served two terms on the Capitol Land Trust board, and when asked to serve again, she could not turn it down. Barb is passionate about connecting people and nature. When not out on the land, she can usually be found planning, going on, or returning from a trip somewhere in this amazing world.

Teague Powell

Vice President

Teague is a long time Olympia resident. He earned a Physics degree from the University of Washington. Shortly after, Teague began working as an analyst for Department of Ecology’s Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction Program. Teague is passionate about protecting and preserving our environment for future generations. Outside of work, he can usually be found exploring the great outdoors with his wife, two children, and canine companions.

Robert Bradley

Treasurer

Prior to his retirement in 2020, Mr. Bradley spent 30 years handling the tax, investment and financial matters for wealthy families. Most recently, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Ekahi Aloha LLC, a single-family office headquartered in the San Francisco Bay area. Mr. Bradley is also a Board Member of the George Lucas Educational Foundation and the Community Foundation of South Puget Sound. He also serves on the Advisory Boards for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from University of California, Irvine and a Master of Business Administration from University of California, Davis.

Julie Sandberg

Secretary

Julie spent over 40 years in a public service career with three natural resource agencies including 13 years managing real estate programs. She values the role of land trusts as collaborators to ensure critical landscape conservation. Julie is a certified Master Gardener and enjoys hiking, biking and gardening with her five grandchildren and agility training her Rough Collie, Archie! Julie earned a Master of Public Administration from TESC and a B.S. in Animal Science from Washington State University.

Lola Flores

Lola earned her Biology and Natural Resource Management degree in Guadalajara, Mexico where she was born. In Olympia, she received her Master of Environmental Studies from The Evergreen State College. Lola worked at the nonprofit Earth Economics for five years where she gained expertise in ecosystem service valuations, among other ecological economics methodologies. She currently works at the Department of Ecology where she focuses on Puget Sound recovery.

Sandra Kaiser

Sandra Kaiser is a third-generation Washingtonian, former communications director for the state Department of Natural Resources, and former vice president for college relations at The Evergreen State College. She served presidents Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama for 28 years as an American diplomat and now lives on Totten Inlet in rural Thurston County.

Craig Hansen

Craig graduated from the University of Washington with a Master’s Degree in Wildlife Management. He worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and as an environmental consultant for most of his career. Craig has over 35 years of experience in fish and wildlife management, applied aquatic and terrestrial ecology, and resolving species conservation technical and policy issues at local, regional and national scales. During this time, Craig developed a keen appreciation for natural resources in the Pacific Northwest, as well as an understanding of the need to conserve and restore ever-dwindling fish and wildlife habitat that so many of us enjoy. Craig currently serves as a Senior Advisor to companies developing habitat conservation plans for forestry and aquaculture management activities in Oregon and Washington.

Edie Harding

Edie is a hiker, biker, skier, and world traveler. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from The Colorado College and MPA from The University of Washington. She has been a board member at Hands On Children’s Museum, the Olympia School Board, Community Youth Services, Seattle Repertory Theater, and Thrive Washington. Throughout her career, she worked for The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The State Board of Education, The Evergreen State College, The Washington State Institute for Public Policy, The Washington Legislature, and The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Edie is currently thriving as an author, artist, and activist, and has been a voter for 40 years in beautiful Thurston County.

Joseph Peters

Joseph is a member of the Squaxin Island Tribe where he works as a Natural Resources Policy Representative. His focus is salmon and wildlife harvest management, with some shellfish policy work. He has also represented Western WA Tribes on the Southern Panel of the Pacific Salmon Commission for 10+ years and is a commissioner for the NW Indian Fisheries Commission. Joseph grew up on the shores of Mud Bay and currently lives on the Steamboat Island Peninsula near Olympia, WA, with his wife Amy; they have three adult kids. In his time off he enjoys being a Grandpa, spending time with family and on the water participating in his Treaty fisheries, being active in the tribal community and rooting on the Seahawks and OSU Beavers.

Luke Bowerman

Luke has a been a member of the senior technical staff at a variety of software companies and is currently a founding engineer at a business intelligence start-up. An Olympia native, he resides in the Eastside neighborhood with his wife, two daughters and a cacophony of pets. Luke spent his much of free-time in his formative years enjoying greater Thurston County’s natural beauty by bike. He is passionate about conserving open spaces to provide habitat for diverse indigenous wildlife and creating a connection to those natural spaces for the area’s growing population.

Helle Burlingame

Helle is a native Dane, who has lived in Washington State for 27 years and worked in all sectors: public, private, and nonprofit. Her focus has been on education, outreach, marketing, and charitable giving. She’s an organizational developmental psychologist, Cand. Psych with a Masters degree from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Helle also has a Masters in Public Administration from The Evergreen State College, as well as being a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy.

In her role as a Director of the Kompan Play Institute for North America, Helle collaborated with many environmental organizations advocating for outdoor play and its physical and mental health benefits for children. Currently, she is the major and planned giving manager at TVW. In this role she helps philanthropists and people who care make a meaningful impact on civic engagement and education about government. Helle enjoys nature, hikes and spending time with family and friends outside.

Craig Partridge

Craig served on CLT’s Board from 2014-2021, including four years as President. Craig is excited to return to Board service in 2024, helping CLT achieve its vision for land conservation to benefit our local communities. Craig retired in 2013 after a 31-year career as a senior appointee of four successive elected Washington Commissioners of Public Lands at the Department of Natural Resources. He is a fourth generation western Washington native, and grew up in Seattle, receiving BS and MS degrees from the University of Washington.

Gary Wilburn

Gary joined the board in April 2024. He is recently retired from the staff of the Washington State Senate, where for over thirty years he assisted senators in developing policies on natural resource, environmental quality, energy, and climate mitigation and resilience. He has a human biology degree from Stanford University and obtained a law degree from the University of Oregon. He has a daughter Kate in the public health field, and a son Eric working in the climate and natural resources sustainability fields. Gary and wife Jane Beyer love to travel, hike and bike, particularly in some of the great places in the Northwest.

Dave Winter

Executive Director

Dave was born and raised in Olympia, WA where his childhood was filled with outdoor experiences. He majored in outdoor recreation at Western Washington University, and built his career focused on conserving outdoor places—to pave the way for future generations to share those same experiences. Most recently, David was Puget Sound Outdoor Programs & Outreach Manager for Seattle-based REI (Recreation Equipment, Inc).

Laurence Reeves

Senior Land Projects Manager

Laurence grew up in New Hampshire, bounced around the US and abroad, and has been calling Olympia home since 1998. He is passionate about land conservation and enjoys spending time outdoors on foot, skis and mountain bikes. Prior to joining CLT in 2008, he worked in state government, academia and spent time on the Army ski patrol in Berchtesgaden, Germany. He studied environmental science and forestry at Utah State University and has a PhD in forest economics from the University of Minnesota.

Alex James

Conservation Director

Alex first joined Capitol Land Trust in 2018 as the organization’s first student board fellow while attending The Evergreen State College. Her experience volunteering with CLT inspired a career in conservation. After graduating from the Master of Environmental Studies program, Alex joined the team at Blue Mountain Land Trust where she led the organization’s education programming and Washington-based farm and ranchland conservation projects. Alex most recently served as Washington’s first statewide conservation easement liaison, assisting partnerships supported by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington State Conservation Commission, and the Washington Association of Land Trusts in achieving land protection goals through federal programs. She is ecstatic to be a part of the CLT team and community. Aside from conservation, Alex enjoys time spent outdoors with her furry companion, friends, and family.

Alison Beglin

Development Director

Alison has lived in Olympia since 2008. She has a B.S. in Planning, Public Policy and Management with a concentration in Nonprofit Management from the University of Oregon. When not at work, Alison spends time with her husband Hugh. They enjoy a vast array of activities: hiking, kayaking, biking, skiing, snowshoeing, recreational sports and hanging out with friends and family.

Mary Kniestedt

Community Engagement Manager

Mary spent most of her life in the Midwest just outside of St. Louis, Missouri but moved to Washington in 2013 to complete her undergraduate degree in Environmental Science from the University of Washington. Since then, she has done environmental restoration and education work around the Puget Sound with various organizations. Mary loves connecting with the community and telling stories of positive change. You can catch Mary slopeside as she hikes, skis, and takes endless wildflower photos.

Kristen Kellar

Operations Director

Although new to Olympia, Kristen has a lifelong commitment to conserving the natural world and a deep love for the Salish Sea. She holds a M.A. in Environmental Leadership from Naropa University and a B.S. in Conservation Ecology and Animal Behavior from the University of Colorado. Kristen joined the CLT team with over 15 years of business and non-profit administration work, as well as experience in ecological research, and environmental education. When not working, you can often find her playing harp in nature, nature journaling in a local forest, or kayaking with her husband Mark and their border collie named Fish.

Matt Faller

Stewardship Coordinator

Matt grew up in the Midwest and after completing an undergraduate degree in English, spent several years pursuing conservation field work with trail crews and as a backcountry steward. After completing UW’s MPA program in 2020, Matt worked out of Forks, WA conserving riparian wilderness areas throughout the West side of the Olympic Peninsula. Matt is excited to work with the community and collaborate towards sustainability for the protection of the landscape and all that depends on it.

Sarah Croston

Outreach & Education Coordinator

Growing up on the coast of Maine, Sarah has a lifelong love of the natural world. She holds an undergraduate degree in environmental science from the University of New England and a master’s in environmental studies from The Evergreen State College. Sarah has worked in the environmental field as an outdoor educator, middle and high school science teacher, and most recently as a habitat connectivity biologist. When she is not at work you can find her hiking in the Olympics with her husband, Lucas, and spending time with their cats, Hoot and Flicker, and dogs, Nootka Rose and Spruce.

Jake Hanson

Data & Administrative Assistant

Jake grew up in Washington, but has worked on forest conservation projects in West Africa, Central America, as well as in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest of the US. A 15-year resident of Olympia, he earned a PhD in Forest Ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and after working in the business world for the past few years, is thrilled to be back working in the conservation sector. In his free time, you can find Jake with his wife, Kym, cheering on his three teenaged kids at their various sporting events.

Mark Kennedy

Communications Director

Mark grew up in the Columbia River Gorge where he was drawn to the area’s many scenic mountain and river trails—a landscape he returns to frequently to this day. While working for the Educational Service District #113 in Olympia, he earned a degree in Literature and English Composition from The Evergreen State College. Mark took a position with a global corporate based in the Middle East where he spent 16 years developing communications strategies, messaging, and content and leading stakeholder research, data, insight and measurement. Mark’s home in Olympia is now the base from which he and his wife explore the natural wonders of the PNW and their favorite international destinations.