Board Of Directors

Charlie is a fifth generation Oregonian who has lived his entire life in close proximity to the Columbia River. He retired from a 40-year career with Pendleton Woolen Mills where he served as Executive Vice President of Manufacturing based in Washougal, WA. While in Washougal, he worked on several community development projects to improve public access to the river. He received a BA in management from Claremont McKenna College and a BS in Engineering from Stanford University. He has served on several for profit and nonprofit boards including Pendleton Woolen Mills, Columbia Land Trust, Columbia Colstor, River View Cemetery Association, and Planned Parenthood.

Charlie is a passionate supporter of Columbia Land Trust’s mission to conserve and care for the vital lands, waters, and wildlife of the Columbia River region through sound science and strong relationships. He believes staying focused on that mission and collaborating with local communities and willing partners is the most effective approach to achieving results.

Stephan is responsible for leading and managing approximately 260,000 forest acres in the Western Cascade Mountains across Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia, Canada. Stephan holds a bachelor’s degree in forestry engineering from Oregon State University and is a Licensed Professional Engineer in both Washington and Oregon State. Upon graduating, he started work with Weyerhaeuser Company, where his responsibilities spanned all aspects of forest engineering and company harvest management. In 2003, Stephan joined the Hancock Forest Management team. He is the Western Washington Region Manager, Manulife Forest Management and has been instrumental in advancing projects and programs including safety, tethered logging, and various engineering designs related to fish passage.

Stephan is a member of the Society of American Foresters, Washington Farm and Forest Association, and Forest Policy committee member for Washington Forest Protection Association. He is an active board member for the Western Forest Conservation Association and Columbia Land Trust.

Elaine, Wanuxni’, is a Yakama Tribal citizen from the Kamiltpah and Willawitiz Bands of the Columbia River. Wanuxni’, is her traditional name and she dedicates her career to protecting and enhancing First Foods and medicines for future generations. Elaine is the Watershed Department Manager for the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and previously worked for the Yakama Nation Fisheries and Resource Management Department for nearly 20 years. Elaine serves on other environmentally focused boards to promote tribal access, habitat restoration, and conservation of important lands and rivers for the future. She brings to the board a viewpoint from an Indigenous perspective and provides Traditional Ecological Knowledge to the staff and fellow board members.

Elaine joined the board of directors in 2019. Elaine believes in the conservation mission that Columbia Land Trust pursues and believes that it is essential to conserve lands especially during this time of climate change. She enjoys serving as a board member and spreading the ‘good’ word of how the Columbia Land Trust is benefiting all in the region it serves.

Molly was introduced to Columbia Land Trust many years ago and, as a part-time resident of the Gorge, was impressed by the land trust’s work focused on saving and restoring habitat—both for salmon and for native plants.

As a long-time advocate for conservation issues and volunteer for the Garden Club of America (GCA), Molly developed a digital publication, ConWatch, designed to educate and inspire action about conservation topics. Currently, Molly is Features Editor for the Bulletin, a quarterly magazine distributed to the 18,000 members of the GCA.

Laura grew up in Portland with a love of being outside. She went to school for environmental science, leading to several jobs including vegetation surveys for the forestry department and restoration work on remote islands. After graduating with a master’s in plant biology where she mapped invasive grasses in California, she now works as a lidar specialist. She specializes in working with utility companies to prevent wildfires and other natural disasters.

Laura has been active with the land trust for nearly a decade. She appreciates the depth of knowledge the staff has of the best practices for restoration. She believes the real success of the land trust’s projects is due to a commitment to work with communities, find common goals, and be good neighbors.

Rudy Salakory is the Conservation Director for Friends of the Columbia Gorge. As a long-time resident of the area, he has spent much of his life enjoying, protecting, and restoring the natural beauty and ecology of Southwest Washington and Northwest Oregon. Rudy is honored to be able to help Columbia Land Trust in any way he can to protect, preserve, and restore the lands and places he loves.

Stephen has served on the Columbia Land Trust board for more than a decade, because he believes deeply in what the Land Trust does and how they go about it. He is proud of how staff, leadership and the board pursue and support productive partnerships with communities, tribes, landowners, and government agencies to conserve properties that truly make a difference and create sustainable, long-term benefits for the region. Stephen works as an organizational consultant focused on leadership, strategy, and organizational change and brings a wealth of managerial and leadership experience to the board. He has twenty years of executive management experience with HP, owns his own company and consults with startups, universities, and other nonprofit boards.

Lindsay joined the Columbia Land Trust board to support the land trust’s efforts to promote conservation of important wild places in the Pacific Northwest. As a natural resource and environmental attorney, she recognizes the importance of thoughtful conservation and stewardship of the land. Lindsay grew up immersed in the benefits provided by her local land trust, particularly by exploring the open space lands protected by its work. She is enthusiastic about supporting the work of Columbia Land Trust to see that the benefits of thoughtful conservation—like she experienced—extend to communities throughout the Pacific Northwest.