Presenter Bios
Tuesday April 22, 2025
Keynote Speaker: Willie Frank III, Nisqually Tribe
Willie Frank III, also known as Qua-Lash-Qud, is a respected leader from the Nisqually Tribe, with deep roots in Native American history.
He is the son of Billy Frank Jr., a legendary advocate for tribal rights and environmental protection, and Susan Crystal, a trailblazer in legal advocacy for Native communities. Willie grew up in Frank’s Landing, a key site in the “Fishing Wars” and has dedicated his life to continuing his father’s legacy in defending treaty rights and salmon preservation.
A graduate of Evergreen State College with a degree in Native American Studies, Willie is a former member of the Nisqually Tribal Council, where he worked to protect the tribe’s cultural and natural resources.
Willie served for 15 years on the Nisqually Indian Tribal Council. He served as 7th Council, Vice-Chairman, and Chairman. He shares his journey and is passionate about encouraging youth and educating others about Native American history. Willie now works with his wife, Peggen, to promote education on salmon and Native culture in schools across the region.
With a message of resilience, Willie inspires others to pursue their goals, learn from past mistakes and stay connected to their roots.
Habitat Protection & Restoration in Hangman Creek
Moderator: Chad Atkins, Washington State Department of Ecology
Jim Tuck, Trout Unlimited
Jim is a retired teacher who has been involved with restoration work in the Spokane River watershed for the past two decades. His role with Trout Unlimited is to manage restoration projects ranging from Spokane County to Okanogan County. Jim loves to spend time recreating along rivers and streams in the Inland Northwest.
Michael Crabtree, Inland Northwest Land Conservancy
Michael Crabtree has over 20 years of experience in natural resource conservation across the Northwest. As Conservation Director at the Inland Northwest Land Conservancy (INLC), Michael takes a strategic, mission-driven approach to project selection—working to ensure that future generations can enjoy wide-open spaces, have access to outdoor recreation, and benefit from the rich ecosystem services the Inland Northwest provides.
Dan Ross, Spokane Conservation District
Dan has worked in the Water Resources Department at the Spokane Conservation District (SCD) since 2000. Dan has 25 years of field and project construction experience working for the SCD, from managing fish barrier correction projects in Spokane County since 2005 for the State of Washington funded Family Forest Fish Passage Program, to numerous livestock improvement, stream re-alignment/restoration and bank stabilization projects for the SCD.
Bruce Kinkead, Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Bruce Kinkead is a Fisheries Biologist and Restoration Coordinator with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. He has collected fish and habitat data, prioritized restoration, and oversaw restoration efforts to restore redband trout in the Hangman watershed since 2002. Previously he worked with Idaho DEQ, BLM and the US Forest Service
Sustainability in Action
Moderator: Meghan Lunney, Avista
Aiyana James, Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Aiyana James is the Climate Resilience Coordinator for the Coeur d’Alene Tribe Natural Resources Department. She is a member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, and helps guide the Tribe towards climate mitigation and adaptation efforts through community involvement, outreach, and education.
Calvin Fisher, Spokane Tribe of Indians
Calvin Fisher is the climate adaptation specialist for the Spokane Tribe. He helped to develop a climate vulnerability assessment and Climate Action Plan for The Tribe. He currently works to implement projects to adapt to adverse Climate conditions on the Spokane Reservation and surrounding areas.
Tirrell Black, City of Spokane
Tirrell Black, AICP is a city planner for the City of Spokane. She is the lead for PlanSpokane 2046 the City’s update to its Comprehensive Plan, which includes integrating climate into the plan. Outside of work, Tirrell enjoys urban walks, remote hiking, and fly fishing.
Justyce Brant, The Lands Council
Justyce Brant is an environmental sociologist and Urban Forestry Program Director at The Lands Council. She focuses on increasing tree canopy in historically excluded neighborhoods, advancing environmental equity, and fostering meaningful connections between people and the environment.
Cleaning Up the Spokane River
Moderator: Jule Schultz, Spokane Riverkeeper
Jill Reeves, Spokane County Regional Solid Waste System
Jill Reeves serves as the Waste Reduction Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Spokane County Regional Solid Waste System. Jill has strong ties to Spokane. As a community program specialist, she is passionate about work that supports a thriving, cleaner and greener Spokane.
Jason Ruffing, City of Spokane Code Enforcement
Jason Ruffing is an Enforcement Supervisor for the Code Enforcement and Parking Services Department with the City of Spokane. In addition to extensive efforts focused on private property regulation, he has been involved with directing and coordinating Code Enforcement’s cleanup efforts as a part of the City of Spokane’s Homeless Outreach Team since 2019.
Gary Schmidt, Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners
Former US Army and former homeless. Raised in Spokane and currently serving my 5th year in homeless outreach. Graduated Lewis and Clark high school in 2009. Strong commitment to working with the unsheltered population and going back to school with a focus in social work and mental health.
Liv Kindl, Spokane Riverkeeper
Liv Kindl manages the Spokane Riverkeeper’s River cleanup and outreach programs. She is a former recreation guide with a passion for protecting and maintaining outdoor spaces. Her work includes the removal of thousands of pounds of trash from the River annually, community outreach and education.
Levi Keesecker, Washington State Conservation Commission
Levi Keesecker is a natural resource scientist with the Washington State Conservation Commission where he leads the “Science Hub”. He collaborates with community members, scientists, and conservation practitioners in watersheds across the state to advance food security, ecosystem health, and climate resiliency within the voluntary conservation framework.
Next Generation Fishery Showcase
Moderator: Casey Flanagan, Spokane Tribe of Indians
Danny Garrett, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Danny Garrett is a fish biologist in the Warmwater Program at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, stationed in Spokane. He conducts standardized warmwater sampling and stock assessment in lakes and reservoirs statewide, fish stocking, lake rehabilitations, and outreach.
Sam Owens, Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Sam Owens is a fisheries biologist with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. Currently, he is responsible for leading researching and monitoring efforts in the upper Hangman Creek watershed. This work consists of evaluating the abundance, distribution and movement of redband trout.
Rick Raymondi, Spokane Tribe of Indians
Rick has a broad range of fisheries monitoring and management experience within the Intermountain and Pacific regions. In 2021, Rick joined the Spokane Tribe of Indians to assist with the implementation of anadromous reintroduction into the blocked area of the upper Columbia River basin.
Toxics in the Watershed
Moderator: Rob Lindsay, Spokane River Forum Board Member
Tanya Williams, Washington State Department of Ecology
Tanya Williams is an environmental planner with the Washington State Department of Ecology. She currently serves as the Columbia River Restoration Lead and manages the new toxics reduction strategic planning project for the Columbia River Basin. Tanya has spent over 20 years of her environmental career in salmon recovery, habitat restoration, and toxic chemical analysis and reduction strategies.
Annie Simpson, Washington State Department of Ecology
Annie Simpson is an environmental planner with the Washington State Department of Ecology. She is currently serving as the Eastern Washington Watershed Planner for the Water Quality program and her duties include toxics reduction efforts in the Spokane River Watershed. Annie has 20+ years of experience in the environmental field working for environmental laboratories, private consulting firms, and now in a regulatory capacity in an effort to work towards decreasing pollutants in the environment.
Joshua Villa, Spokane County
Joshua Villa is an environmental scientist with Spokane County’s Public Works Department. Currently, he serves as the Pretreatment Coordinator for the County’s Industrial Pretreatment Program and the FOG Control program. He has 15+ years of experience in environmental programs and regulatory enforcement.
Angie Tagnani, City of Spokane
Angela Tagnani is a biologist at the City of Spokane’s Riverside Park Water Reclamation Facility. She currently serves as the Supervisor for the City’s Industrial Pretreatment Program, regulating industrial discharges flowing to the sanitary sewer. Angela has over 18 years of experience in wastewater management.
Rob Lindsay
Rob Lindsay is a hydrogeologist residing in Spokane and is a founding member of the Spokane River Forum Board. He recently served Spokane County Public Works as Water Programs Manager. His previous work includes 20 years in the engineering/consultant sector.
Stormwater and Wastewater Management
Moderator: Dan Maguire, TC Energy
Jonathan Adams, City of Spokane
Jonathan Adams is the Principal Engineer for the City of Spokane, in the design team. His team is responsible for all capital improvement projects including transportation, water, sewer and stormwater.
Chris Bosley, City of Coeur d’Alene
Chris is the City Engineer for Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, dealing with a wide variety of projects ranging from sign requests to traffic calming to street construction to floodplain management. However, his greatest enjoyment comes from stormwater improvement projects. No one complains about clean water.
Pete Stayton, South Fork Coeur d’Alene River Sewer District
Pete Stayton is the District Manager of the South Fork Coeur d’Alene River Sewer District and is a licensed Engineer and Class IV Wastewater Treatment Operator. Pete brings over 18 years of experience in water resources engineering and management.
Keri St John, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality
Keri St John is a remediation project coordinator with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. Keri is involved in a number of projects on the Bunker Hill Superfund Site, including recreational sites, box mine and mill sites, BEMP water monitoring and operations of the Central Treatment Plant.
Addressing “Forever” Chemicals: PFAs in Drinking Water
Moderator: Marlene Feist, City of Spokane
John Hancock, West Plains Water Coalition
John Hancock is the volunteer Founder and President of the West Plains Water Coalition. He lives on Deep Creek in the rural West Plains, with well water contaminated by firefighting foam from Fairchild Air Force Base. His career was non-profit management and organizational development.
Chad Pritchard, Eastern Washington University
Chad is a Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Eastern Washington University. He has focused on geology and hydrology of eastern Washington since 2011, including groundwater studies, geologic mapping, basalt stratigraphy and geochemistry, structural geology, and U/Pb ages of basement rocks.
Bri Brinkman, WA Department of Ecology
Dr. Bri Brinkman is a site manager and environmental engineer with WA Department of Ecology Toxics Cleanup Program, primarily working with PFAS contaminated sites in eastern Washington.
Marlene Feist, City of Spokane
Marlene Feist is the Public Works Director for the City of Spokane. She has been instrumental in the City’s Integrated Clean Water Plan over the last 15 years, providing significant investment, long-term planning, infrastructure, and leading-edge technology to protect the health of the Spokane River.
Water Quality & Emerging Contaminants
Moderator: Caroline Keever, Upper Columbia United Tribes
Dr. Mary Engels, University of Idaho
Dr. Engels is an Environmental Scientist in the College of Natural Resources at the University of Idaho. She is broadly interested in ecological resilience and studies inherent resilience and human stressors in ecosystems. She is currently researching the environmental impacts of microplastics and associated chemicals.
Raylene Gennett, City of Spokane
Raylene Gennett is the Wastewater Director for the City of Spokane with 33 years of experience. She oversees the staff in the wastewater treatment and collections regarding the Wastewater NPDES permit and the staff in the stormwater systems regarding the Washington phase 2 stormwater permit.
Katelyn Scott, Spokane Riverkeeper
Katelyn Scott serves as the Water Protector at Spokane Riverkeeper, leading the organization’s legal and policy efforts. Raised on the Spokane Indian Reservation, she has a deep connection to the Spokane River. She holds a J.D., has spent time interning with the EPA and Earth Law Center, and spent many summers as a whitewater rafting and kayak guide.
Science on the River
Moderator: Camille McNeely, Eastern Washington University
Madeleine Mathews, Gonzaga University
Madeleine Mathews is an assistant professor at Gonzaga University since 2023, in the Environmental Studies & Sciences and Chemistry & Biochemistry departments. Her research includes studying long-term water quality trends in the Spokane River watershed; in particular, her group examines phosphorus-sediment association and transport.
Ian Townley, Saint George’s School
Ian Townley is a professional educator who is currently the science department chair and a teacher of IB Biology and IB Chemistry at Saint George’s School. His current focus outside the classroom is to engage more student in the process of doing real science research.
Tucker Holmes, Gonzaga University
Tucker Holmes is a sophomore environmental science student at Gonzaga University. He has been working with Dr. Mathews as a student researcher for now over a year. Their research focuses on long term water quality monitoring, and the relation of phosphorus in the sediment of the water systems.
Cynthia Reck, Gonzaga University
Cynthia Reck is a research lab assistant with the Dr. Mathews Lab at Gonzaga University. She works closely with Dr. Mathews, whose research project aims to monitor the local Spokane River watershed. This involves collecting water samples weekly from two sites and measuring the samples for biological and chemical parameters.
Katy Abell, Eastern Washington University
Katy Abell is a 1st year graduate student at Eastern Washington University. Her research is working with the Spokane Tribe of Indians to assess stream invertebrate communities throughout the Spokane River watershed
Susan Stiger, Citizen Scientist & Professional Engineer
Susan is a Civil Engineer and a Bechtel Sr Project Manager. She volunteers with Bay Watchers to collect water quality data and assess motorized boating impacts on the upper Spokane River. A particular focus is the safety, environmental, erosion, and aquatic health issues from very large boat wakes, considered a top issue for those recreating and living along the river.
Lindsey Beacham, Idaho Water Resources Research Institute
Lindsey Beacham is the Communications Coordinator for the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI). She is passionate about the role of effective communication in advancing IWRRI’s mission: to address state, regional, and national water issues through research, information sharing, and the development of a multidisciplinary water workforce.
Wednesday April 23, 2025
Featured Speaker: Dr. Hannah Hämmerli. Washington State University
Dr. Hannah Hämmerli is an Assistant Professor in the School of the Environment at Washington State University (WSU). Dr Hämmerli earned her BA degree at Carleton College, followed by a PhD in the Earth Sciences at James Cook University (Australia), before specializing in water governance at the University of Geneva, where she earned a MSc degree in Innovation, Human Development, and Sustainability. Dr. Hämmerli’s research is focused on environmental governance and policy, with a particular emphasis on water-related challenges. She explores a range of topics including national and transboundary hydropolitics, sustainable water governance, political ecology, political economy, institutional change, and the science-policy-practice interface.
Dr. Hämmerli is especially interested in the intersection of water governance and sustainable development and how policy and governance evolve in response to complex environmental and social dynamics. Before joining WSU, she served as a Science and Technology Policy Fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington, D.C., where she worked with a federal executive branch agency to address development challenges through global cooperation.
Robin Fox, National Weather Service
Robin Fox is the Service Hydrologist at the National Weather Service in Spokane and assesses the risks of floods to drought across the Inland Northwest. She’s a meteorologist and assists with weather forecasting. She’s active in educational outreach and briefing weather and water hazards.
Kristen Zimmer, City of Spokane Water Wise Program
Kristen Zimmer has a bachelor’s degree in Natural Science Education from Eastern Washington University and is a Certified Irrigation Auditor. She has worked for the City of Spokane for 11 years studying the SVRP aquifer and the impacts of human behavior on water resources while building and managing the water conservation program. Her work includes public relations, program design, program management, community engagement, water quality reporting, marketing and creative asset design.
Aquifer Modeling for Water Quality and Quantity
Moderator: John Porcello, GSI Water Solutions
John Porcello, GSI Water Solutions
John Porcello is a principal groundwater hydrologist at GSI Water Solutions in Portland. He has 30 years of experience working in the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer and is the developer of the numerical groundwater flow model that is being used for a variety of groundwater resource and wellfield planning needs. John’s work in this region has included wellfield design work, water system planning, climate-change analyses, and other water system planning studies conducted on behalf of the City of Spokane, the Spokane Aquifer Joint Board, and the Idaho Washington Aquifer Collaborative.
Marcia Davis, City of Spokane
Marcia Davis is a civil engineer and has worked for the City of Spokane since 2006. She currently oversees capital programs for sewer, stormwater, transportation, and water. Marcia is leading the 20-year capital facility planning for water, stormwater, and sewer.
Jeremy Jenkins, Liberty Lake Sewer & Water District; Spokane Aquifer Joint Board
Jeremy is the Environmental Manager for LLSWD, a Special Purpose Water & Sewer District, in Liberty Lake. He is responsible for lake and watershed management, coordinating monitoring efforts, invasive species control, and administering stormwater permitting within the Liberty Lake watershed. He also is responsible for special projects applying to the drinking water and sewer utilities LLSWD has operated for over 50 years!
Suzanne Scheidt, Idaho Washington Aquifer Collaborative
Suzanne is the President of the Idaho Washington Aquifer Collaborative and also represents water districts on the Kootenai County Aquifer Protection District. She is the Chief Operating Officer of North Kootenai Water District. Prior to working at the district, she worked with North Idaho Water purveyors as a Senior Analyst with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.
Coeur d’Alene Watershed Projects
Moderator: Jamie Brunner, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality
Dr. Craig Cooper, Idaho Dept. of Environmental Quality
Dr. Craig Cooper is a senior limnologist with the Idaho Dept. of Environmental Quality where he leads limnological studies in the Coeur d’Alene Basin. Their research works to improve our ability to manage metals dynamics and lake productivity to protect the lake from toxic metals contamination.
Angelo Vitale, Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Angelo Vitale is a fisheries biologist working for the Coeur d’Alene Tribe Fish and Wildlife Program for the past 30 years. He serves as the Habitat Division Manager and specializes in stream and wetland restoration with a focus on tributaries to Coeur d’Alene Lake.
Cathy Gidley, Trout Unlimited
Cathy is the North Idaho Program Manager for Trout Unlimited. She has a background in fisheries and ecosystem restoration. She works throughout North Idaho (and recently into Eastern Washington), overseeing stream restoration projects, culvert replacements, education, collaboration, and outreach.
Doug Evans, Bureau of Land Management
Doug Evans is a Natural Resource Specialist with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), where he has dedicated 25 years to restoration work. His expertise focuses on managing and restoring natural habitats, including wetlands and riparian areas.
Nonpoint Source Pollution Reduction & Restoration Efforts
Moderator: Marnie Keas-Miller, Washington State Department of Ecology
Tighe Stuart, Washington Department of Ecology
Tighe Stuart is a water quality modeler with the Washington Department of Ecology’s Environmental Assessment Program. He serves as a technical project lead for Total Maximum Daily Load and other water quality improvement studies, mainly relating to dissolved oxygen, pH, sediment, nutrients, temperature, and bacteria.
Mitch Redfern, Washington State Department of Ecology
Mitch Redfern is a Watershed Implementation Lead for the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Water Quality Program. His job duties include grant management, project development, project management, technical assistance, complaint response, water quality plan development, partner collaboration, and regulatory enforcement within the Hangman watershed.
Randy Baker, Spokane Conservation District
Randy Baker is the Riparian Program Leader for the Spokane Conservation District’s Water Resources Department. His work focuses on, but isn’t limited to, implementing riparian buffers within the Hangman Creek Watershed. Randy is also a WSU Spokane County Master Gardener and WA State Naturalist, using these platforms to encourage sustainable practices in all settings and reconnect people with our natural systems.
Brian Muegge, Salmon Safe
Brian Muegge is the Farm Program Manager for Salmon-Safe, and leads outreach efforts to farmers across the PNW to assist them in their transitions to watershed-friendly stewardship practices. As a Biologist by trade and based in Spokane, Brian is deeply passionate about conserving local watershed and endemic wildlife species health.
David Brooks, Trout Unlimited Montana
David Brooks most recently served Montana TU as Conservation Director and became Executive Director in May 2017. He is a trained environmental historian who studied Superfund sites and watershed issues. As part of earning his PhD in history at the University of Montana, David wrote the book on Superfund cleanup of the Milltown Dam site on the Clark Fork. Since moving to Missoula in 2000, he has walked, jogged, pedaled, paddled, rowed, hunted, skied and ogled as many wild places and open spaces in the state as possible, most enjoyably when he’s in the company of his wife, daughter, dog, and friends.
Habitat Protection and Restoration in the Spokane River Watershed
Moderator: Lindsay Chutas, Haley & Aldrich
Derek Vilar, Spokane County
Derek Vilar is a Project Manager for Spokane County Public Works. His main responsibility is the manager of the Newman Lake Flood Control Zone District. This entails leading all water quality improvement activities, aquatic invasive species management, and flood control efforts.
Jade McKeen, Spokane Conservation District
Jade McKeen is the Community Stewardship Specialist for the Spokane Conservation District’s Water Resources Department. Her work includes Newman Lake’s Environmentally Responsible Septic Program, riparian restoration in the Hangman Creek Watershed, and assisting with the coordination of the County’s Voluntary Stewardship Program.
Lindsay Chutas, Haley & Aldrich
Lindsay Chutas is an environmental scientist at Haley & Aldrich with expertise in riparian restoration, environmental function and value assessments and monitoring, watershed scale planning, and environmental permitting. She has managed shoreline water quality and water quantity improvement projects for private, non-profit and public entities.
Kat Hall, The Lands Council
Kat is the Restoration Program Director at The Lands Council. She coordinates all riparian restoration activities—including tree planting, beaver dam analog installation, management of invasive weeds, and seeding of native grasses/forbs—and runs TLC’s outdoor STEM-based youth environmental education program.
Emma Greenwood, Spokane Tribe of Indians
Emma Greenwood is a Forest Ecologist with the Spokane Tribe of Indians. She has worked for the tribe since 2020 implementing riparian restoration projects both on and off the reservation. Emma also provides science-based recommendations and technical expertise for the Washington State Forest Practices Adaptive Management Program.
New Developments in Spokane River Access, Restoration and Promotion
Moderator: Juliet Sinisterra, University District Development Association
Rick Romero, Spokane Urban River Experience
Rick retired in 2019 after 40 years of public service as an administrator at Eastern Washington University and as the Utilities Director and Director of Strategic Planning for the City of Spokane. He is now leading collaborative efforts to further activate and promote the Spokane River.
Mike Terrell, MT-LA
Mike Terrell is a landscape architect with MT-LA. He has served on the board of the Friends of the Falls and was actively engaged in the development of the Great Spokane River Gorge Strategic Master Plan. His design and planning work include Kendall Yards’ Centennial Trail, Olmsted Brothers Green and The Nest Plaza. He is currently working on the Spokane Urban River Experience project.
Ken Van Voorhis, SPVV Landscape Architects
Ken Van Voorhis is President and Landscape Architect with SPVV Landscape Architects. Ken has provided Landscape Architectural services locally, regionally, and internationally. In his 30 plus year career he has provided services in most areas associated with Landscape Architecture. He has served on local boards and commissions and is currently serving as a board member of the Spokane River Forum.