Our team
Staff
Our staff are a talented, strategic, lively and passionate bunch - adept at multitasking and seizing good opportunities.
Board of directors
Our very active board members contribute their energy, skills, wisdom and strategic guidance to our work and are a major part of the PBI team.
Advisory council
An extraordinary group of skilled specialists gives us inputs on technical scientific, policy and legal matters.
Our staff
Dr. Phoebe Barnard
Executive director
Phoebe is a US-born and raised, internationally known climate change ecologist, conservation biologist, sustainability strategist, and environmental planner. She assumed responsibility for directing PBI from January 2017. Phoebe was earlier lead scientist for climate change and biodiversity futures at the South African National Biodiversity Institute, and before that, national biodiversity coordinator and national climate change coordinator for the Namibian Government. She speaks and writes widely on conservation biology, climate change, citizen science, sustainability tipping points in society, the global economy, women’s leadership, and African development. She is affiliate professor at University of Washington, Bothell, and research associate at the African Climate and Development Initiative and the Center of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, both at University of Cape Town. She hopes to build upon Peter Morrison’s deep legacy to take PBI to the next level of visibility, strategy, and impact.
Peter Morrison
Senior ecologist
Peter served as Executive Director of PBI from 1998 to 2017. Now, he has transitioned into a research position to allow more time for research and writing. He has a multifaceted career in conservation science with expertise in ecology, conservation biology, botany, conservation planning and GIS. Previously, he worked for Sierra Biodiversity Institute, the Wilderness Society, the US Forest Service, Oregon State University, the Sierra Club and as a consultant. Peter's work has been instrumental in the protection of several million acres and numerous imperiled species in North and South America.
Lucila Castro
Conservation biologist
Lucila is a conservation biologist based in Argentina who works on our South America Wildlands and Biodiversity Project. Lucila has studied the flamingos of Argentina and conservation issues related to Mar Chiquita, a salty lake in northeastern Córdoba Province. She joined PBI's staff in 2013 and has gained expertise in biodiversity studies of wildlands, evaluation of conservation priorities and establishment of protected areas. She is currently working on a PhD in conservation biology at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Lucila is PBI's representative in Argentina and manages our PBI Córdoba office.
Kim Romain-Bondi
Senior wildlife biologist
Kim has a MS degree in wildlife ecology and worked for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife as the manager of the Methow Wildlife Area. Kim’s career has focused on threatened and endangered species, including red wolves, grizzly bears, pygmy rabbits and western gray squirrels. Kim led PBI's pilot Conservation Science and Leadership Course in 2016, and is planning future courses for our new, expanded leadership training program. She has been extensively involved in PBI's studies of the effect of wildfires and climate on local ecosystems and wildlife.
Sarah Knudsen
Outreach and office manager
Sarah holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in geography and French from Western Washington University. With the geography program at Huxley College of the Environment, her degree included extensive environmental science study. Her professional experience includes an internship with the Whatcom Land Trust, and several years in the insurance and risk management realm.
Kristina Bartowitz
Conservation biologist
Kristina has a MS in Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development and a BS in Zoology and Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She studied and worked abroad on conservation science projects in Panama and Costa Rica for over a year. Kristina completed a six-month internship at PBI in 2015-2016 and joined our staff in 2016. She has diverse expertise in conservation biology, botany, wildlife biology, ecology, statistics and GIS analysis.
George Wooten
Botanist & web developer
George is a multi-faceted botanist and website developer with expertise in many areas of conservation science. George has worked for PBI since 2000 on projects including botanical surveys, ecological assessments and wildfire behavior analysis. He also works with Conservation Northwest and is an adjunct instructor for Wenatchee Valley College, where he teaches botany and ethnobotany.
María Laura Steffolani
Conservation biologist
Laura is a biologist and conservation biologist with degrees from the National University of Córdoba (BS) and the University of Salamanca, Spain (MS). She completed an internship with PBI in early 2016 and later joined our staff in our Córdoba office. Laura’s interests are conservation and biological behavior.
Our board of directors
Craig Olson, PhD
President
Craig has worked extensively in natural resource inventory and monitoring design and implementation, for state and federal agencies in Alaska, Washington, Oregon and California. Craig received his PhD in wildland resource science/ biometrics from UC Berkeley and his MS in Forest Fire Management from the University of Washington. He recently shared his expertise as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mexico, helping with forest and fire management in a program focused on climate change and biodiversity.
Marnee Chua
Vice president
Marnee Chua is the cofounder of Works Progress, a co-working space in North Seattle, and executive director of the Clarion West Writers Workshop. She has worked with non-profit organizations, educational institutions and start-up boards for over 15 years. As development director for the University of California, Merced, Marnee was the lead fundraiser for student affairs. While serving in the Philippines as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1999, Marnee co-founded the Palawan Conservation Corps, a non-profit focused on livelihood training for out-of-school youth.
Hans Smith
Treasurer
Hans first joined PBI as an intern in early 2003 and worked with us on our Sonoran Desert ecological assessment. Then he joined our staff, where he worked as a conservation scientist and project manager for nearly six years. Hans is a Habitat Biologist with the Yakama Nation managing salmon recovery projects in the Methow Valley. He has a Bachelor's degree from the College of Forest Resources, University of Washington, and is an excellent botanist and biologist, with advanced skills in GIS, web map programming, and project management.
Jan Hersey
Secretary
Jan is a citizen scientist and volunteer with PBI's work in the Salish Sea. A student of our world's interconnected web, she has studied native plants and completed the NC Master Gardeners and Washington State University Beach Watchers programs. Jan holds a BA in English from Skidmore College and has spent her career as a writer of everything from newspaper feature stories to books, videos, corporate marketing and branding materials, and natural resource and environmental education guides and signage.
Dave Stokes, PhD
Past president
Dave is an associate professor in environmental science at the University of Washington, Bothell. David received his PhD in zoology from the University of Washington and is an expert in conservation planning, conservation biology, wildlife movement, invasive species and human preferences in conservation. Dave is an excellent teacher and is highly respected by his numerous conservation science and planning students. Dave ensures that Pacific Biodiversity Institute uses the best available science and conservation approaches in our projects.
Aileen Jeffries
Board member at large
Aileen has been using acoustics to study harbor porpoises in the Salish Sea, especially at Burrows Pass and nearby waters around Fidalgo Island, for the past 8 years. She has a Master’s degree in physics and enjoyed a 40 year career as a research scientist with specialties in computer modeling and analysis. She has also taught at several colleges and universities. She is on the Puget Sound Partnership, Puget Sound Ecological Monitoring Program, Marine Mammal sub-committee. Currently, she is exploring ways to use acoustic monitoring to help establish population baselines for marine mammals.
Paul Brookshire
Board member at large
Paul is a sales and marketing manager for Latin America for the Brunswick Corporation. He has a BA in Economics from Univ. Texas at Austin and Masters in International Business from the American Graduate School of International Management.
D. Eric Harlow
Board member at large
Eric joined a two-week PBI expedition to Argentina in 2013, and in 2015 he returned as a PBI volunteer for three months, where he joined several biodiversity expeditions and an international Flamingo Census with PBI’s senior Argentinian biologist, Lucila Castro. Although Eric’s background is in geology and hydrology, he has worked extensively on Spotted Owl conservation, and is a Master Birder. He now works as a consultant on environmental impact assessments, and recently traveled to Timor Leste to work on the environmental compliance, climate change adaptation, and risk reduction aspects of a USAID project.
Peter Morrison
Founding director
Peter has worked for over 30 years in conservation science, and has received numerous awards for his work. He has conducted ecological assessments, vegetation mapping, botanical surveys, landscape analysis and conservation planning. Peter has a Masters of Forest Ecology from the University of Washington and worked for Sierra Biodiversity Institute, the Wilderness Society, the US Forest Service, Oregon State University, the Sierra Club and as a consultant to government agencies and conservation organizations. His efforts have aided the protection of several million acres of critical habitat in the western hemisphere.
Our advisory council
Fernando Barri, PhD
Fernando is a researcher and professor at the National University of Córdoba, in Argentina. He was the director of the nature reserve, Vaquerias, that belongs to the university. He has a Master's degree in Wildlife Management and a PhD in Biological Science. He is now in charge of the project "Actions for the Conservation of the Southern portion of the Great American Chaco" in partnership with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Gerardo Ceballos, PhD
Dr. Ceballos is a distinguished researcher in Ecology at the University Autonomous of Mexico (UNAM) and member of the Mexican Academy of Science. Dr. Ceballos's research program is the conservation of species and ecosystems. Throughout his research at the UNAM he has made great effort to link the advances made in basic research with solutions to environmental problems. He is an ecologist and conservationist with numerous books published in Mexico and articles published in the best scientific journals. His work has been honored with multiple awards in different parts of the world.
Enrique J. Derlindati, PhD
Enrique has extensive experience studying high Andes flamingos and wetlands, and also researches the responses of forest birds to human activities. He received his PhD from the National University of Tucumán, Argentina, and is a professor and researcher at the National University of Salta.
Stephen Ralph
Stephen has extensive experience in natural resource management in the Pacific Northwest, focused primarily on the impact of industrial scale forest practices and hydropower development on fish and wildlife habitats. He spent 10 years as the lead salmon ecologist for EPA Region 10, served as an environmental analyst for Seattle City Light's hydropower facilities, was a researcher at the University of Washington, and was the principal habitat biologist for Olympic Peninsula Tribes.
Paula Rivera, PhD
Paula is a researcher at the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) and professor at the National University of Chilecito, in Argentina. She has extensive experience in the study of reptiles and mammals of the center of Argentina, focusing on biodiversity and conservation.
Melanie Rowland, Esq.
Melanie served as a senior attorney for NOAA's Office of General Counsel , concentrating on Endangered Species Act protection for marine mammals and marine fish. She is co-author of the current edition of the nation's leading wildlife law treatise.