Candidates for the SERNW Board of Directors Ballot 2024
Position: Board President
Candidate: David Powell
Position: Board Vice President
Candidate: Aimee Kelly
Position: Program Vice President
Candidate: Kerrie McArthur
Position: Board Web-Master
Candidate: Anna Steltenkamp
Position: Director-at-Large, 5 Open Positions
Candidates:
Becky Reed
Joy Wood
Matthew Hiltz
Robert Magill
Shiloh Halsey
Candidate Statements
David Powell, Board President
I’m an ecological restoration practitioner managing long-term stewardship projects in Riparian, Wetland, and Upland plant communities around Portland, OR.
I have 9 years of experience working with urban and rural communities to host volunteer events, solicit feedback for project planning, and leading on the ground ecological restoration. I’d like to apply my experience to the position of board president of SERNW. After serving for the past year as a board member at large I’d like to engage more deeply in the decision-making process at SERNW. In particular, I’d like to assist in the development of stronger connections with all our chapter members, create opportunities for members to share their stories, and increase volunteer participation in SERNW activities.
Aimee Kelly, Board Vice President
Aimee Kelley is the owner/operator of Great Bear Native Plants, a native plant nursery in Western Montana that specializes in native plants for restoration and reclamation. She holds dual degrees in Ecological Restoration and Resource Conservation from the University of Montana, where she served on the UM-SER student chapter board. She has been an SERNW Board Member since 2022. Over the last two years she has assisted with the SER North American Vancouver Conference, participated in SERNW programming such as a webinar for Students and Emerging professionals, and assisted with board development. She looks forward to the opportunity to continue to strengthen the SERNW Board to ensure SERNW members and the broader community have access to sound science, opportunities to learn, and places to gather.
Kerrie McArthur, Program Vice President
I have been an active member of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) Northwest Chapter since 2012. My journey with the chapter board members began in 2017 when I volunteered for the 2018 SERNW/SWS Conference Committee. In 2018, I joined the board and am currently serving as the Program Vice President. As the Program Vice President, most recently have served as the co-chair for the programming committee of the 2024 SER North American Conference.
My time on the board has been incredibly rewarding. I have enjoyed contributing to our chapter’s mission to promote, expand, and disseminate knowledge of ecological restoration. Working alongside fellow SER board members has been a valuable experience, and I am eager to continue fostering these relationships and advancing our shared goals. I am committed to upholding SER’s code of ethics and look forward to the opportunity to serve as your Vice President of Programming.
Professional Experience
I am currently a Managing Senior Biologist at Confluence Environmental, bringing 30 years of diverse experience as a natural resources professional in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. My expertise includes designing wetland mitigation and restoration plans, overseeing their construction, and conducting mitigation monitoring to ensure project success. Notable projects include a 25-acre wetland restoration and creation initiative in Pierce County, where I supervised construction and the installation of over 88,000 plants. Additionally, I have been collaborating with a colleague on the preservation of 2,100 acres in Chelan County.
Anna Steltenkamp, Board Web-Master
My name is Anna Steltenkamp, and I am very excited to continue supporting the SERNW chapter as Web-Master and Chair of Communications. Acting as an interim Board Member since Spring 2024, I was the Chapter Lead for SER Make a Difference Week, whereby I hosted a major World Environment Day celebration in Seattle, WA in partnership with UNEP, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and Green Seattle Partnership. I also co-hosted an SERUW-NW restoration work party recently as part of Seattle Forest Week. Lastly, I have secured our chapter a SER Partnership Fund Grant, which will fund the curation and facilitation of a 12-week workshop series on ‘Eco-Cultural Restoration Through an Indigenous Lens’ (details coming early 2025!).
As evidenced by these activities, I am passionate about playing an active role in our chapter to deepen learning and cultivate engagement within the member base, while also exploring avenues to showcase member work to the broader public within the Northwest region. Further, I have many blossoming ideas around our chapter’s communications, including a refreshed design of our newsletter and a revival of our podcast series, Restore Radio. I am also excited to participate in our Programming Committee, supporting new offerings for our members and connecting our chapter more actively with other restoration groups, initiatives, and communities throughout the Northwest region.
Professionally, I am a multimedia storyteller, educational and community engagement facilitator, and interdisciplinary researcher with a deep passion for agroecological and biocultural restoration. I am currently the Young Leaders Fellow for Bioneers, a nonprofit environmental and social justice advocacy organization; the Olympic Forest Collaborative Coordinator; the Outreach Coordinator for Dirt Corps, a Seattle group dedicated to community-based environmental restoration, green stormwater infrastructure, and urban forestry; and a lead Researcher-Writer for Project Regeneration.
Academically, I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Duke University with a BA in Cultural Anthropology, Environmental Sciences, and Documentary Media, and then I continued my education with the Climate Change and Health Certification program at the Yale School of Public Health. Out of office, I enjoy hiking with my dog Luna, playing beach volleyball and roller skating, volunteering at agroforestry farms and urban gardens, and cooking daily with local fresh ingredients!
Becky Reed, Director-at-Large
I am deeply grateful to the Society for Ecological Restoration. Through its resources, I selected a university for my second graduate degree, accessed additional training, and found a space where I could apply my professional experience to ecological restoration. I have witnessed firsthand how critical SER’s role is in advancing global restoration efforts. Having volunteered with numerous smaller organizations focused on landscape restoration, I’ve observed how these efforts would struggle without the invaluable resources SER provides. SER’s resources are essential to scaling restoration initiatives effectively. In my professional work, I collaborate with teams who have a greater restoration impact because of the standards SER promotes and helps establish.
My background in business and social sciences has uniquely positioned me to contribute to the conservation field. Several years ago, I increased my volunteer involvement in restoration and helped found a local non-profit. In doing so, I recognized that my expertise in business, understanding human behavior, and experience with both agile, adaptive management and long-term strategic planning were often needed alongside the technical skills of scientists and policymakers. I am interested in joining the board to connect more deeply with an organization I truly believe in, contribute to work that I am passionate about, and offer my skills where needed.
Becky’s experience spans 20 years, primarily focused on helping non-profit organizations grow their most important resource—their people—and expand their impact. She currently works for The Agility Lab, an incubator of The Nature Conservancy, supporting teams in strategy development and adaptive management practices. Becky has worked with conservation teams in the Asia Pacific and Africa regions and is currently focused on supporting teams in Africa while also consulting on emerging technologies to enhance conservation impact.
Before transitioning into conservation, Becky worked in social sciences research and software development, developing strategies to address the social aspects of health behavior change and making technology more accessible and user-friendly. These skills have been invaluable in her conservation work. She enjoys being a “bridge builder” in relationships and ideas, developing partnerships, fostering community development, and creating high-performing, inclusive, and collaborative team cultures.
Becky holds a Master of Science in Natural Resource Management, with a focus on Restorative Ecology; a Master of Science in Experimental Psychology, with a focus on Human Factors Engineering; and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. An avid, lifelong volunteer in ecological restoration, she grows native plants, participates in seed collection and planting, and collaborates with several local organizations. Becky was a founding and longtime board member of a local non-profit dedicated to conserving a portion of the sagebrush steppe ecosystem along the Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada border.
Raised in the Willamette Valley of Oregon and now based in Boise, Idaho, Becky has a passion for backcountry trips in the Oregon desert, traveling near and far, meeting new people, and reading through a never-ending stack of books and papers. She’s currently working on clearing space in her garage and yard to overwinter yet more plants.
Joy Wood, Director-at-Large
Joy Wood is a restoration ecologist managing restoration programs in the cities of Shoreline and Normandy Park in King County, Washington as well as doing some further consulting. She is passionate about community engagement and has taught, trained, and mentored over 100 stewards doing ecological restoration in municipal forested parks. She has served on the committee for the University of Washington Botanic Gardens and SER-NW Ecological Restoration Symposium since 2018 and has been co-chair since 2019. Taking an added interest in continuing education and having witnessed what humans can accomplish when we work together to address difficult problems, Joy seeks a position as Director-at-Large with SER-NW.
Matthew Hiltz, Director-at-Large
Matt is an enthusiastic and emerging restoration professional eager to serve on the SERNW board. Through his love for Nature and a healthy environment, he is constantly hands-on with impactful projects and driven to grow ecological restoration in the Portland area. Currently with Biohabitats, Matt has helped build large in-stream habitat structures and habitat enhancement projects across NW Oregon. He also volunteers as a Crew Leader with The Nature Conservancy, supporting community events to engage the public in restoration work. In the past, Matt has worked in engaging kids and young people with Botany and combating food insecurity within food deserts.
Beyond his professional role, Matt is excited about community engagement with nature, volunteering with local urban gardens, and organizing SER events that showcase regional restoration projects. Living in North Portland with his fiancée, Anderson, and two cats, Beatrice and Eight, Matt brings a wealth of excitement and passion to furthering SER’s mission.
Robert Magill, Director-at-Large
My plan for joining the SERNW board of directors is to continue my decade long effort of bridging the gap between the restoration and wildlife sciences. The overlap between these two fields, both academically and in the field is strong. However, many times practitioners on both sides of the relationship overlook their counterparts when planning and implementing projects. My desire is to help bring practitioners together to more fully represent the benefits of ecological restoration.
Robert is a retired conservation biologist with a professional background in wildlife science. He has been an active member of The Wildlife Society since the mid 2000’s having served in many different roles including as an executive board member for the Colorado Chapter, the Conservation Affairs Committee representative for the Idaho Chapter and the Northwest Region’s Conservation Affairs Committee and most recently as the Chair/immediate past chair for the Habitat Restoration Working Group. He is a Certified Wildlife Biologist through TWS, has an MS in Wildlife Management and a masters-level professional certification in Nonprofit Administration.
Robert is also a CERPIT from SER and was an active member of the Program Committee for the 2024 SER North American Conference. He has been an SER member since 2018. Robert’s recent activities include leading the effort for TWS to become a Supporting Partner of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. He is passionate about large scale restoration and hopes to guide the Northwest Chapter in promoting knowledge and implementation of landscape level restoration, including the development, implementation, and acceptance of rewilding efforts.
Shiloh Halsey, Director-at-Large
Through involvement with SERNW, I am interested in helping advance the sharing of restoration knowledge in the Pacific Northwest. I hope to collaborate with other working professionals to increase the scale and impact of restoration work in our region, and I would also welcome the opportunity to help young professionals hone their project development skills.
I have 13 years of experience leading conservation and restoration initiatives in the southern Washington Cascades. As Director of Programs with Cascade Forest Conservancy, I have managed a variety of on-the-ground restoration projects in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. This restoration work has included post-fire revegetation, meadow restoration, forest road analyses, wildlife reintroduction planning, riparian planting, and instream restoration, including beaver dam analogs and post-assisted log structures. In 2019, I developed the Instream Wood Bank Network, a program that sources salvaged and non-merchantable logs and makes them available for river restoration efforts.