Mission & Board of Directors

Our Mission: To inspire a global conservation ethic, by connecting people to nature through outdoor education. New board positions are now available. See below and apply!

Gabriella Ashford, 2021-23 President
Kim Chisholm, 2021-23 Interim Secretary
Chris Chisholm, 2021-23 Interim Treasurer
Open Position, 2022-23 Scholarship Fund Chair
Open Position, 2022-23 Luminary Programs Chair
Open Position, 2022-23 Field Projects Chair
Open Position, 2022-23 Degree Programs Chair

Nessa Rothstein (2019-20 President)
Ellen Blanchard, Esq. (2018-19 President)
Kartik Kanakasabesan, MBA (2018-19 Vice President)
Jamie Jamerson (2018-20 Secretary)
Diana Wadley (2018-20 Treasurer)
Ken Fellows, M.S. (2018-20 transition committee chair)
Rikki McGee, Ph.D. (2018-19 fundraising chair)
Adam Arabian, Ph.D., P.E. (2018-19 vision committee co-chair)
Gerd Weyer (2018-19 vision committee co-chair)
Amy Moreno-Sills (2018-19 member)
Pete Simon (2018-19 advisory board member)

During the pandemic era, we are working to develop our scholarship fund and recruit new board members. Gain useful skills while sharing your talents! To be eligible, you must regularly live or work within the State of Washington, but citizenship is not required. Time commitment is estimated to be 4 hours per month depending on board position, including virtual meetings, trainings and in-person event preparations. Onsite childcare will be made available with volunteers from the Wolf Camp staff.

To apply for an open position on the board, please email the following information:

Name as you would like it to appear if added to our webpage:
What is your connection to the Conservation College mission of sharing earth skills education? (Why are you interested in serving on the board? Why are you passionate about the mission?)
What skills and previous experience do you have that is relevant to participating on a non-profit board? This might include environmental education, legal work, community building, administrative experience, other board experiences, non-profit work, government or business experience, conflict resolution or facilitation training, relevant networks or community connections you bring to the board, etc.
Is it important to you that outdoor education be accessible to people of all financial and cultural statuses? Do you have ideas on how earth skills education can become more accessible to wider groups of people? Do you consider yourself a person of color, multinational, immigrant, indigenous, tribal, veteran, differently-abled, targeted religious minority, low income issues, rural life, inner-city resident, active senior, young adult or other member of a group often underrepresented on boards?
If you have a LinkedIn or Facebook page you would like to share with us to know more about you, please paste the URL here:
Photo & Short Biography including any degrees/certifications/trainings you would like considered or noted on future board website page:
Do you have any additional information you would like us to know about you, or questions or concerns we can address?

Board duties will include responsibility and care for the organization and the students it serves. The board of directors is tasked with refining the vision for the organization, providing guidance and oversight to ensure its continued success, hiring and supporting the Executive Director, promoting inclusion, establishing policies to guide, outreach and exercising influence to leverage partnership and resource, and ensuring the procurement and effective management of resources. Terms for the Conservation College Board of Directors are 2 years for president, secretary, and committee chairs, and 1 year for vice president, treasurer and general board members. Board Members may include people with experience as community organizers, environmentalists, attorneys, accountants, administrators, fundraisers, educators, craftsmen, herbalists, bridge-builders, networkers, strategic thinkers and planners, farmers and sportsmen, small business people, scientists and conservationists, wolf lovers and more. Email us if you would like to observe a meeting to consider board membership or other volunteer role.

Vision & Timeline

2018: Elected initial board members; formed an executive committee to file a business license, plus non-profit articles of incorporation with the WA Secretary of State and Charities Division. Campfire fundraisers occurred June 30 in Puyallup, July 25 at Lake Sammamish, August 25 at Lake Sammamish.

2019: Adopted by-laws and successfully filed as a 501(c)3 federally tax-exempt non-profit organization. Began alumni membership outreach and fundraising campaigns in the fall.

2020: Developed vision document and strategic plan. Hiatus during pandemic era.

2021: Raised funds for Max Davis Scholarships. Launched the Conservation Luminaries program.

2022: Help develop field programs including the Underwater Robot Derelict Crab Pot Retrieval Project.

2023: Simplified further and suspended 501(c)3 status until new board members begin in the fall.

Gabriella Ashford, 2020-23 President

Roles/Work: Conservation College Board of Directors
Hometown(s): Port Townsend, WA
Introduced to the Wolf College: 2012
First Leadership Year at the Conservation College: 2019

Bio TBA

Nessa Rothstein, 2018 Vice President, 2019 Board President, 2020 Past President

Roles/Work: Conservation College Board of Directors
Hometown(s): Camano Island, WA
Introduced to the Wolf College: 2011
First Leadership Year at the Conservation College: 2018

Ms. Rothstein has 25 years experience as a bookkeeper, 20 years as a homestead farmer, serves as treasurer of the non-profit META Performing Arts, and spent 4 years working as a Financial Manager and Director for an Acupuncture College, Daoist Traditions, undergoing National and Master’s Level Accreditation. Her professional practice includes running transformational groups, which works on bringing aliveness, embodiment, and cohesive intention into a group of people. She has a degree from the Barbara Brennan School of Healing in Energy Healing Science, with a 4 year completion certification from Psychoenergetics – a mindfully based therapeutic training program. She also spent the past 2 years running a small outdoor program for 7-15 year olds helping to bring a deeper awareness of nature and connection to the students. Her three children have attended Wolf Camp for several years.

Ken Fellows, M.S., 2018-19 Transition Committee Chair, 2020 Secretary/Treasurer

Roles/Work: Conservation College Board of Directors
Hometown(s): Seattle, WA
Introduced to the Wolf College: 2013
First Leadership Year at the Conservation College: 2018

Ken Fellows is an Environmental Engineer with a Masters of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Washington. Through his career as an environmental engineer, Ken has had to opportunity to contribute to bettering the world through designing and implementing habitat restoration projects, cleaning up historic chemical contamination, and assisting industry and government with meeting a wide range of environmental regulations (hazardous waste, air quality, water quality, solid waste, etc.). His knowledge of practical aspects of our natural world that affect our environment, including soil and erosion, stream flows, fish passage and habitat, flooding, etc. is also key to the Conservation College. His project management will help guide the Conservation College with experience dealing in OSHA and WISHA safety procedures related to evaluating workplace safety in unique situations, pro-actively identifying workplace hazards, safety work practices, personal protection equipment, etc.

Ken recently served a 3 year term as a voting member on the Pierce County Solid Waste Advisory Committee. He has also completed several 14-day long wilderness canoe camping trips in the Minnesota Boundary Waters Canoe Area and adjacent Canadian Quetico Park, as well as a 9 -day canoe trip through remote British Columbia in the Bowron Lakes Wilderness. Ken also completed a 2-year sailing trip in his 35 ft sloop Discovery to Mexico and traveled throughout the Sea of Cortez, and 2 months sailing through remote islands in the Bahamas. He sails and hides regularly in Washington State and sees these trips as allowing him to connect deeply to nature, observe wildlife in their natural settings, and see thriving and imperiled eco-systems, gaining a strong appreciation for the need for wilderness conservation.

Ken is motivated to serve Wolf Camp and the Conservation College so today’s youth can experience wilderness and learn about sustainability and conservation. His sons Thomas and Jackson took many Wolf Camp courses and now work as instructors, demonstrating Wolf Camp’s process of positive role modeling and mentoring, exceeding his expectations in being a positive factor in his sons’ process of growing to men. Ken also has experience working with children in boy scouts, by tutoring high school students in math, and participating in joint youth-adult activities like tae-kwon-do.

Jamie Jamerson, 2018-20 Board Secretary

Roles/Work: Conservation College Board of Directors
Hometown(s): Kenmore, WA
Introduced to the Wolf College: 2016
First Leadership Year at the Conservation College: 2018

Ms. Jamerson has worked professionally for 14 years overseeing the finances and staff of a not-for-profit organization, with administrative and managerial experience in strategic hiring, conflict resolution, financial reporting, budgeting, salary negotiations, communications, and insurance policies.

She was also an active member of an organization that developed into the Woodinville Wine Country association. She is currently studying Business Administration & Accounting at the University of Washington, Michael G. Foster School of Business, and has two wonderful children who attend Wolf Camp.

Diana Sjogren Wadley, 2018-20 Board Treasurer

Roles/Work: Conservation College Board of Directors
Hometown(s): Bellevue, WA
Alma Mater(s): Kansas State University
Introduced to the Wolf College: 2017
First Leadership Year at the Conservation College: 2018

Ms. Wadley has been passionate about the Earth since a very young age. Growing up in Kansas, her pets included horses, cats, box turtles, tons of bugs, a toad, snakes, earthworms “rescued” from rainstorms, and a baby raccoon truly rescued after he was orphaned by a tornado. She now enjoys discovering the flora and fauna of Washington with her husband Scott and two children, Athena and Wolf. Gardening, kayaking, yoga, and picking up litter fill her “spare time,” and she fantasizes about improving her guitar, Spanish, and survival skills. Her experience with grants, environmental education, and community-building are great assets to the Wolf Camp board. She believes the best way to protect our Earth is to ensure as many humans as possible are knowledgeable about and connected to our little blue spaceship.

Kartik Kanakasabesan, MBA, 2018-19 Vice President

Roles/Work: Conservation College Board of Directors
Hometown(s): Sammamish, WA
Introduced to the Wolf College: 2018
First Leadership Year at the Conservation College: 2019

Mr. Kanakasabesan is a graduate of Rotman’s School of Business at the University of Toronto, and grew up traveling the world, speaking English, German, and conversational Hindi. During his childhood he spent time in Sudan and Kenya, helping with simple farming techniques under the aegis of the international school he was attending. During his high school years in Switzerland, he participated in various conservation efforts and field trips that shaped his view of the world. After graduating, he traveled to his parents homeland of India, and to Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, South Africa, and Malaysia. He also volunteered teaching computers at a shelter in Toronto, and at the local food bank in Raleigh, NC. before moving to Washington State with his wife Alexandria and daughter Anastasia. With management experience at companies like IBM, Cisco, and now Microsoft, Mr. Kanakasabesan believes that as custodians of this planet, we have the ability and creativity to align business needs with conservation goals. He is guided by the principle “to understand, before being understood” and joined the Convervation College board of directors because “as we understand our environment better, we can do a better job in preserving and improving what we have.”

Adam Arabian, Ph.D., P.E., 2018-19 Vision Committee Chair

Roles/Work: Conservation College Board of Directors
Hometown(s): Seattle, WA
Introduced to the Wolf College: 2016
First Leadership Year at the Conservation College: 2018

Dr. Arabian is Associate Professor, Engineering and Computer Science, and Coordinator, General Engineering Programs, at Seattle Pacific University, and is also actively involved with international nonprofit organizations. His daughter has a huge passion for Wolf Camp which has had a very positive impact on her view of the world. His goal is to help Wolf Camp reach more kids in the same way and lay out a future for earth-aware cultural and experiential training, as well as helping the Conservation College move forward with an academic engagement mission, seeking opportunities for alignment with post-secondary educational institutions for academic credit.

Rikki (Patricia) McGee, Ph.D., 2018-19 Fundraising Committee Chair

Roles/Work: Conservation College Board of Directors
Hometown(s): Lakewood, WA & Austin, TX
Introduced to the Wolf College: 2017
First Leadership Year at the Conservation College: 2018

Rikki McGee is an educator, naturalist, and dedicated eco-citizen who was encouraged at an early age to revel in all things natural. Living across the United Stated and abroad, she gained an understanding that valuing and preserving the natural world cannot be a priority for everyone given economic, political and social dissonance. She has worked in K-20 education for many years and holds two graduate degrees in Curriculum & Instruction with a focus on adult learning and technology. She is also a Texas Master Naturalist, a National Wildlife Habitat Steward, and certified as an Interpretive Guide through the National Association of Interpretation. Her goal in life is to help others be successful through transformational learning. And she likes getting muddy.

Ellen Blanchard, Esq., 2018-19 President & Past President

Roles/Work: Conservation College Board of Directors
Hometown(s): Mercer Island, WA
Introduced to the Wolf College: 2015
First Leadership Year at the Conservation College: 2018

Ms. Blanchard earned her J.D. from American University, and Bachelor’s degrees in International Business, Japanese Studies and Psychology from Ohio Wesleyan University. She is admitted to the Washington State Bar, Virginia Bar, and District of Columbia Bar. She currently serves on the Board the MAMA USA and previously served as Director on the MAMAs Seattle board and Women in eDiscovery. She is also a frequent speaker at conferences around the country on technology and the law. In her spare time, she loves to hike, canoe/kayak/paddleboard, and is an avid photographer. Her children also attend Wolf Camp in the summer.

Gerd Weyer, 2018-19 Vision Committee Co-Chair

Roles/Work: Conservation College Board of Directors
Hometown(s): Enumclaw, WA
Introduced to the Wolf College: 2006
First Leadership Year at the Conservation College: 2018

Mr. Weyer served on the Conservation College during its founding year of 2017. He has a Mechanical Engineering Degree, and was VP of Sales and Marketing for Helac Corporation for most of his career until 2007, when he moved into a board position until 2017. Since then, he has been working on an economic model that takes the environment and the unmeasured sector of the economy into consideration, and is currently working to publish his first book, Economics of Choice. He believes that our appreciation for, and our connectedness with, the natural environment is threatened, and his mission is to see these values supported through environmental education and economic policy initiatives.

Amy Moreno-Sills, 2018-19 Board Member

Roles/Work: Conservation College Board of Directors
Hometown(s): Puyallup, WA
Alma Mater(s): The Evergreen State College
Introduced to the Wolf College: 2015
First Leadership Year at the Conservation College: 2018

Ms. Moreno-Sills served on the Conservation College during its founding year of 2017. She discovered her passion for agriculture while studying the Practice of Sustainable Agriculture at The Evergreen State College in 2001. The next year, she interned at Jubilee Farm in Carnation, WA, and after the internship, was hired on at Full Circle Farms as their crop manager and intern program director. She and her husband Augustin met at Full Circle, and they moved to Pierce County after their daughter was born. They managed Tahoma Farms for several years before staring their own organic Four Elements Farm in 2014 in Puyallup with their their two children, Gabriela and Hector. Amy is a trained facilitator, has served as a board member for the Tilth Producers of Washington, is currently chair for the Agriculture Community of Interest, a part of the Puyallup Watershed Initiative, and works as the Community Outreach and Education Coordinator for Futurewise Pierce County.