Board of Directors

Katie is a long-time conservationist and lover of all things furry and feathery. She spent many hours visiting The Seattle Audubon Nature Shop as a child, hanging out with her grandfather George Johnson, the store’s longtime volunteer manager. Katie currently works as the Education and Outreach Program Manager at the Snohomish Conservation District. She has over ten years of experience developing, teaching, and managing environmental education programs, and has a passion for creating opportunities for others to connect to their human and natural communities. Katie possesses a graduate certificate in environmental education and a Masters in Education from the University of Washington. In her free time, Katie enjoys running, gardening, and teaching her dog new tricks.

Anthony is a Research Associate Professor at the University of Washington. For over 20 years, he has helped lead numerous studies on substance use disorder treatment, much of that related to opioid use disorder. In addition to being a community theater actor and avid photographer, Anthony is also an aspiring birder building a portfolio of photos of local birds which he shares with his friends and family. He holds a doctorate in Sociology from Stanford University.

Andres has lived in the Pacific Northwest off-and-on since 2006. He is a finance professional, having recently left a 15-year career at Amazon where he led teams focused on global cash management and banking infrastructure. Andres discovered both birding and livable, walkable cities while living temporarily in Europe, and is excited to be on the board to help sustain and defend those things here at home. When not in front of a computer, he enjoys hiking with his dog, and baking.

Megan has always lived in cities, from Dallas and Des Moines to Shanghai and Hong Kong. For her, peace comes from making cities home to all species. Megan works in local government and lives in South Seattle. She holds an advanced degree in public administration and is a certified fraud examiner.

Jill is an international leader with a broad range of experience including management consulting, product/project management, financial analysis/accounting and technology/operations software implementation.  Her love of birds, animals and plants started when she attended Camp Waskowitz many years ago; learning about conservation and nature.   She is honored to join the Seattle Audubon board to broaden her knowledge of birds and help keep Washington beautiful.  When Jill is not working or volunteering, she is travelling, skiing, running long distances (recently qualifying for the Boston Marathon!), relearning Spanish and reading.  To relax, Jill watches Rugby Union with her husband of ten years.  Jill has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the University of Washington, a Master’s Degree in Finance from Seattle University and has earned her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

Andrew has been building growth strategies using marketing technology for over fifteen years. He is currently the Senior Manager of Creative Operations at Starbucks, where he leads a team responsible for digital content publishing and technical strategy across North America. In his previous role managing email marketing for Teavana, his efforts engaged over two million new customers. He also helps lead Starbucks’ Partners for Sustainability network. He moved to Seattle in 2014, after falling in love with the local flora and fauna, especially the birds. Andrew strongly believes in engaging diverse communities in the effort to protect and renew nature. He was a founding member of Seattle Audubon’s NextGen Advisory Council and recently assisted Seattle Audubon the launch of their new website.  Andrew is an avid birder and regularly attends Seattle Audubon neighborhood walks, classes, and the CBC.

Virb (Amanda Virbitsky) is originally from Pennsylvania and is a graduate of the 2019 Seattle Audubon Master Birder class. She is excited about conservation, and thinks that birds are a great way to get more people outside and to connect them to the natural world. In her work life, she has focused on sustainability as well as the outdoor industry. In addition to serving on the NextGen Council, she is also a member of the Board of Directors, the Equity and Justice Committee, and the Strategic Planning Committee, and has volunteered for the Neighborhood Bird Project and the Puget Sound Seabird Survey. When she’s not looking at birds, she’s probably hiking, cooking, or making art.

A native Seattleite and graduate of the University of Washington, Sharon enjoyed a decades long career in healthcare information technology, including 25 years managing her own independent consulting firm. Sharon is an avid photographer but fairly new to birding. She considers it a privilege to observe and capture images of birds in nature. Now that she is close to retirement, Sharon is refocusing her energy towards the celebration and preservation of our precious wild creatures and their habitats for future generations. She is honored to join the Board and excited to work on bird conservation initiatives in our region. When she isn’t learning more about birds in a Seattle Audubon class or photographing the bird life in local parks, Sharon might be spotted flying over our planet’s coral reefs with scuba and camera gear in tow.