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Board of Directors

Board of Directors

Tom Stuart, President,
Idaho Rivers United Representative (Idaho)

Tom Stuart photoTom Stuart and is a lifelong fisherman, a retired USAF aviator, HR specialist, and central Idaho business owner. His commitment to NW salmon recovery led him to Idaho Rivers United, where he has served for years as a board member and representative to SOS. Educated in Physics, History, Teacher Education and Business, he has been personally involved in salmon and steelhead restoration efforts in state, regional, and national venues and decision processes since 1990.

He says, “Serving the Save Our wild Salmon (SOS) Coalition, with its diverse membership, strong leaders and committed staff representing 6 million people nationwide, is a huge honor and responsibility. If we work together, I know we can succeed in bringing back wild salmon to many Northwest watersheds.”

Tom and wife Anne Pasley-Stuart live in Boise and Stanley, Idaho. Their daughter Lisa and family live in nearby Eagle.


Giulia Good Stefani, Vice President
National Resources Defense Council (Oregon)

Giulia Good Stefani works to protect marine mammals and other wildlife, wild places, and communities from environmental injustices. Prior to joining NRDC, she taught and supervised a law clinic at Yale Law School as a Robert M. Cover Fellow, worked for a small Los Angeles law firm, and clerked for the Honorable Richard A. Paez of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She represents NRDC on the Orca Salmon Alliance and as an advisor to the Emergency Orca Task Force created by Governor Inslee in 2018. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Dartmouth College and a J.D. from Yale Law School. Stefani works out of Mosier, Oregon.


Joel Kawahara, Treasurer
Coastal Trollers Association (Washington State)

Joel Kawahara is a commercial fisherman in Washington and Alaska. He is an active member of the Coastal Trollers Association and has sat on the board of Save Our wild Salmon for many years.

Joel also serves on the board of the Alaska Trollers Association and has served for more than a decade as a member of the Habitat Committee for the Pacific Fisheries Management Council.

 


Norm Ritchie, Board of Directors, Secretary
Association of NW Steelheaders' Government Affairs Director (Oregon)

Norm has been fishing ever since he moved to Oregon in the early 1950s. Since then he has increased his involvement to include volunteering for stream surveys, serving on the boards of the Association of Northwest Steelheaders (ANWS) chapters and holding president and co-president titles in the association. ANWS is a member based organization of sports anglers dedicated to restoring and enhancing salmon, trout and steelhead populations and their habitats for present and future generations. Norm has written many "how to" articles and was appointed by the governor to the Salmon Trout Advisory Committee late last year. Norm is the newest member of the board, appointed in 2004.


Eric Gonzalez Alfaro
Earthjustice (Washington State)

Eric Gonzalez Alfaro is the policy advocate for the Earthjustice Northwest Regional Office, responsible for leading the administrative rulemaking and legislative strategies. Eric’s previous roles include serving as legislative director for the ACLU of Washington, Washington State Labor Council (AFL-CIO), and staff lobbyist for OneAmerica. His diverse professional and personal experiences have been instrumental in successful strategies to address the criminal legal system, access to quality and affordable healthcare, strengthening immigrant and workers’ rights, expanding voting justice, defeating state sanctioned data collection and implementation of surveillance technology, and improving educational opportunities. Eric serves as commissioner of the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs, board secretary of the Unemployment Law Project, and a board member of Mi Centro and Save Our wild Salmon Coalition.

Eric is a first-generation Mexican-American and first-generation college graduate, son of former migrant farmworkers who continue to rely on farm jobs for their livelihood. Outside of work, Eric is a part time student at the Northwest Wine Academy, photographer, and the proud adoptive parent of Red, a rescue Norfolk Terrier mix.


Fred Huette
NW Energy Coalition (Oregon)

Fred has worked for NW Energy Coalition as Senior Policy Associate since February 2011, and is very pleased to be involved with NWEC as staff after being a co-founder and board member in the 1980s.  Fred has a deep background in energy and climate policy and worked at several firms involved with energy efficiency program evaluation in the Northwest and nationally. In the 1990s, he formed a database services business assisting nonprofit groups around the country.  He has been active in the Sierra Club’s national energy and climate effort and leads their delegation at the UN climate conferences.


Julian Matthews
Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment (Idaho)

Julian lived on the Coeur d’ Alene Indian Reservation and the Nez Perce Reservation when he was younger with his Aunt. As an enrolled Nez Perce, he has been actively involved in environmental issues for 20 years, primarily in response to threats made to the Treaty of 1855 and 'usual and accustomed areas'. These areas are guaranteed to the Nimiipuu with the signing of the 1855 Treaty and in many instances, the federal, state or local governments or private interests interpret these rights quite differently than do the Nez Perce people. Julian is committed to ensuring that Treaty Rights to hunt, fish and gather are protected for those who come after us as the Treaty of 1855 signers protected these rights for us to this day. He wants to ensure that Tribal youth and adults are educated and have good knowledge of issues affecting our people and also make sure that the Nimiipuu take an active role in protecting Treaty rights. He has completed a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration (Gonzaga University) and Master’s in Public Administration (University of Idaho). He serves as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment, a tribal non-profit.


Kody Osborne
National Wildlife Federation (Oregon)

Kody has spent over a decade in wildlife conservation, education, and climate advocacy in the Pacific Northwest. His work spans from ground level education to state level policy change. Kody previously served as Executive Director of Worthy Environmental, and has spent many years working in raptor rescue/rehabilitation and environmental education work at the Sunriver Nature Center. Born and raised in the Northwest, Kody joins SOS as a representative from the National Wildlife Federation as their Director of Conservation Partnerships for Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Working with NWF’s state affiliates and NGO partners like SOS, Kody is focused on supporting Northwest Tribal communities to restore healthy habitats, rebuild salmon abundance, and protect and recover Southern Resident orcas and other imperiled fish and wildlife animals from the edge of extinction.


Steve Phillips
Washington Wildlife Federation (Washington State)

Steve is an Alaska, Bristol Bay, commercial fisherman. He is retired from the Boeing Company where he held various financial and contract management positions. 

Steve has been active with Washington Wildlife Federation since 1993, having served previous terms as vice-president and president. He is also currently Treasurer of Washington Wildlife Federation and a vice-president.

 

 


Bob Rees
Northwest Guides and Anglers Association (Oregon)

Bob Rees is the founder and president of the NW Guides and Anglers Association (NWGAA). A licensed charter boat operator and fishing guide, Bob formerly worked for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the National Marine Fisheries Service conducting seasonal positions between Oregon and Alaska. A native Oregonian, Bob grew up fishing NW Oregon in pursuit of salmon, steelhead and sturgeon and his business and industry rely heavily on the health of Columbia River fisheries. He has been involved in countless conservation measures and stands by the Association's mission to protect, enhance and promote healthy sportfisheries and the ecosystems they depend on in the Pacific Northwest. Bob's great grandfather once owned an island upstream of what is now The Dalles Dam. The island submerged, Bob now advocates for the recovery of listed Snake River fish so they don't meet the same fate of what would have been his heritage.


Daniel Ritz photoDaniel Ritz
Idaho Wildlife Federation (Idaho)

Daniel is an experienced outdoor journalist and communications manager based in Boise. In addition to his experience as a newspaper reporter and editor, Ritz’s writing and photography has been published in a variety of conservation publications.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Ritz graduated from Salisbury University on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 2009 with Bachelor's Degrees in Journalism and Philosophy. He resides in Boise with his partner Holly, their Wirehaired Pointing Griffon named Trout and an oversized cat named Julio.


Glen Spain
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (Oregon)

Since 1992, Glen Spain has served as the Northwest Regional Director and Salmon Protection Program Director for Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA), the west coast's largest trade association for commercial fishing families, and is the founder and Program Director for the Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR), which directs PCFFA's Salmon Protection Program. For nearly 30 years he has been a vocal advocate for salmon watershed restoration on both private and public lands, has served on numerous advisory committees and Boards in both California and Oregon, and currently serves on several advisory committees dealing with water pollution and salmon protection standards. Glen received his law degree from New College School of Law in San Francisco, CA and practiced law for 18 years prior to joining PCFFA as full-time staff.


Margie Van Cleve
Sierra Club (Washington State)

Margie Van Cleve is a retired engineer whose interest in salmon restoration began when she moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1989. She has been involved with river protection, salmon recovery and other public land and water issues in Washington State for the Sierra Club since 1990.  Margie has served as Chapter Chair for the Washington Chapter Sierra Club and is currently Chair of the Washington State Chapter's Conservation Committee.  Margie also serves on the Snake/Columbia River Salmon Campaign steering committee for Sierra Club. As a whitewater kayaker, Margie was often goes down rivers while the salmon are coming upstream to spawn. A group of large salmon milling in the slackwater below the Elwha Dam (see photo) made a particular impression.  Margie began volunteering for the Save Our wild Salmon in the mid 1990’s.  She and her husband live in Selah, WA, east of the Cascade Range.  
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