Meet Our Staff
Happy Avery – Executive Director
Happy has served as the Forum’s Executive Director since 2024. She came to the role with previous nonprofit experience and an extensive background in K12 and higher education. Happy earned her BA in Spanish from Duke University and completed her MA and doctoral work in US History at the University of Montana, where she specialized in native-newcomer relations and the environment of the American West. Born and raised on a chain of lakes in central Florida, spending college summers on the Merced and Tuolumne Rivers of Yosemite, and adulting at the nexus of the Blackfoot and the Clark Fork in Montana, Happy has always been deeply connected to water. Upon moving to Spokane in 2013 with her four children and husband Greg, Happy was immediately drawn to the Spokane River and its tributaries.
Cami Haveman – Managing Director
Cami Haveman is a familiar face at the Spokane River Forum. As program support and office manager since the Forum began, Cami has seen the Forum’s initiatives develop from a single idea to full programs through collaboration and creative thinking. Focused on office administration and program details, she strives to keep things operating smoothly. Cami is from the Seattle area but has called Spokane home since 1990. She and her husband Brad love the area, often camping around the Northwest.
Lauri Bowen – Program Manager
Lauri joined the Forum in 2025 as Program Manager. Having grown up on an island on the west side, her care and concern for the environment started early. She has a BS in Biology and Master’s in Teaching, making her involvement in outreach and education for the River Forum a perfect fit. She enjoys fly fishing, kayaking, skiing,and spending time at the beach or on the water.
Elouise Hollenkamp – Fellow
Elouise is a senior at Gonzaga University majoring in Environmental Studies and French with a minor in Sustainable Business. Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, she considers water an important part of who she is and is committed to doing her part to protect it. She helps the Forum with social media, initiative development, communications, writing, and wherever else is useful. Outside of the office and school, she loves to be anywhere near water, friends, and the outdoors.
Maddox Reimer – Fellow
Maddox is a senior at Gonzaga University, originally from Missoula, Montana. He is primarily interested in the complex environmental history of the Spokane River and how it connects to the river system of today. He joined the Forum this summer and works in all things related to writing, editing, and news. In his free time, he enjoys long bike rides along the Centennial Trail and exploring new areas of the river.