Staff

A Midwest transplant to the Pacific Northwest, Claire owes her love of nature and birding to a fairly idyllic childhood spent wandering the southeastern shores of Lake Michigan. Though she holds an undergraduate degree in linguistics, Claire also studied conservation biology, has conducted fieldwork abroad, and is a self-professed “bird nerd.” After she completed a master’s degree in nonprofit management, landing at Seattle Audubon in 2014 was a dream come true. When she’s not birding, Claire spends her spare time singing, knitting, and wishing she was birding. She is also a graduate of the 2017 Master Birder class. Claire is always eager to hear about your hottest bird sightings and learn more about why supporting Seattle Audubon is important to you.

ASK ME ABOUT: Equity & Justice, Governance, Finance, Strategic Plan, Position Statements
(206) 523-8243 x105
ClaireC@seattleaudubon.org

Anna’s background includes an undergraduate degree in biology and an ornithology course in Sapsucker Woods.  She took a brief, 20-year detour to work in finance and returned in 2018 to her roots in the natural world.  She’s grateful to have found her role at Seattle Audubon where she gets to interact with members and volunteers.  Outside of work, Anna and her family enjoy escaping to Lopez Island where cellular service is pleasantly unreliable, ferry lines create opportunities to connect, and nature feels more accessible.

ASK ME ABOUT: My membership status, making changes to my address, email or phone, donation receipts 

Michelle is excited to be with Seattle Audubon, using her skills in the service of birds. She has a long history in retail and customer service management, and has spent many years in the grocery industry. She has also been a floral designer, theater teaching artist, marketing director, and a small business owner. Michelle has a passion for wildlife conservation and is studying Applied Animal Behavior at the University of Washington. Always ready to participate in citizen science research, Michelle has counted bats in Yellowstone and Pacific Golden Plovers in Hawaii, and was even lucky enough to report a surprise encounter with a badger. In her free time, Michelle is a singer/songwriter, actress and voice over artist. As a storyteller she is always eager to collect animal stories and folklore. When not working you may find Michelle doing improv, gardening, kayaking, or out watching wood ducks and talking with song sparrows.

Mechio grew up in Seattle where she gained an early appreciation for Washington State’s natural resources and protected environments. She graduated from Seattle University with a B.A. in Journalism and Communication and started working at University Book Store shortly after graduation. While at University Book Store, Mechio wore several hats starting on the sales floor as a book seller and later transitioning behind the scenes in the returns warehouse for the trade books department until becoming the coordinating event assistant. During her time at the bookstore, she met a diverse range of customers, authors, and students that make up the larger community of Seattle. Mechio developed an interest in birding and the intersection between race and environmentalism during the pandemic. She is looking forward to applying her many years of retail experience and passion for inclusion and accessibility at The Nature Shop. 

Sandy (she/her) grew up in the small town of La Grande in Eastern Oregon where she spent most of her time exploring and backpacking the Elkhorn and Wallowa mountains. She has always loved watching the backyard birds in the garden and has a special appreciation for Bewick’s Wrens and the goldfinches that always populated her hometown garden. Sandy’s passion for conservation brought her to Costa Rica to study Army Ants and climate change in the Monteverde Cloud forest of Costa Rica, and to perform Salmonid stream surveys in her hometown. She is also often found volunteering with the Meadowbrook Community Garden to grow food for local food banks. When not out hiking or working, she can be found painting, reading, rock climbing, gardening, or out walking all of the neighborhood dogs. She has worked in many customer service positions including work as a Physical Therapy Aide, a Site Director for Girls Rock Math summer camps, and most recently as a Rover dog walker. Sandy is excited to apply both her experience in customer service and her love of science, strengthened by her Biology degree from Whitman College, to her role as a Retail Coordinator and Optics Specialist at the Nature Shop.

Kate (she/her) grew up in North Carolina where she has fond memories exploring her families land in the Appalachian Mountains and her father pointing out bird species on their feeder. In 2022, she received a Psychology degree from Carleton College in Minnesota, while exploring a new (flatter and colder) landscape. After graduation, she moved to Seattle and joined Seattle Audubon as the Urban Conservation Educator. When not working you can find her asking for hike suggestions, learning local bird species, or reading a book on her front porch.

ASK ME ABOUT: Young Birders (teen birders program) and Bird Collision Monitoring

Josh loves life. From deep-sea isopods to turkey vultures and every living thing in between. Josh started birding in 2017 and admits he still has a hard time with gulls, swallows, warblers, finches, woodpeckers, sparrows, shorebirds, and seabirds. He feels pretty good about ducks. Josh is delighted to be part of the Seattle Audubon community, where he coordinates Seattle’s Urban Bird Treaty City Coalition, is a member of the Capitol Hill EcoDistrict Steering Committee, and serves on Seattle’s Urban Forestry Commission. His professional background is varied. He’s been a project scientist, a high-school chemistry teacher, a legal assistant, and, for one curious month, a chocolate vendor on Monterey’s Cannery Row. He holds a master’s degree in International Environmental Policy and is a certified naturalist.

ASK ME ABOUT: urban forestry and tree protection, preventing bird-window collisions, reducing pesticide use, enhancing/protecting urban habitats, and advocating for cities where people and birds thrive.

Glenn comes to Seattle Audubon with significant experience within the Audubon network. In addition to past service on the Audubon Washington Board of Directors and several projects with the National Audubon Society, Glenn has been a volunteer on our Equity & Justice Committee and was a part of the Equity Project Task Force, which recently completed a comprehensive audit of Seattle Audubon’s internal and external practices around diversity, equity, and inclusion. Many also know Glenn as the founder of The Trail Posse (trailposse.com), which explores the intersection of race and the outdoors. He is a founding member of the Next 100 Coalition, a national alliance of organizations of color advocating for equal access to public lands, and the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge, which holds the outdoor industry and conservation organizations accountable for diversity. He has also served on several non-Audubon boards—currently that of Seattle Jazz Fellowship—as well as the Washington Governor’s advisory committee on outdoor recreation, the advisory committee for the Japanese American Remembrance Trail, and the Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Task Force.

ASK ME ABOUT: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Communications strategy

In second grade Christine declared that she would be a forest ranger when she grew up, mostly because she thought it involved running around in the woods all day. To this day, running around in the woods is a large part of her life (via trail running, backpacking, and camping), but her professional aspirations have evolved. She found that a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in education is a combo that lends itself to professional flexibility, and prior to working at Seattle Audubon Christine worked in stormwater management and permitting, assisted biologists with fieldwork, led several restoration teams, and taught at various environmental education centers and schools. It turns out that helping people learn about nature is her favorite job, which is why she is delighted with her role at Seattle Audubon.

ASK ME ABOUT: becoming a field trips or neighborhood bird walk leader, teaching a class, Puget Sound Seabird Survey, Neighborhood Bird Project, joining the Classes or Field Trips committees, Hoot Camp

Originally from Los Angeles, Sonora (she/her) spent her youth snorkeling with Garibaldi damselfish and seeking out her local neighborhood red-crowned parrots. She is delighted to bring that enthusiasm for nature with her to the Seattle Audubon as Operations Manager. Her background includes an undergraduate degree in wildlife illustration and many years working in the outdoor industry. Sonora spends her free time drawing, drinking absurd amounts of coffee, and exploring the Pacific Northwest with her husband and pup.

Wendy’s love of birds started with Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, and helping her dad find and plow around Killdeer nests in their Ohio farm fields. After moving to Seattle for a career as a stage manager for theatre and opera, it was a pleasure to find familiar birds like the Killdeer and to learn new ones. Two decades in theatre led to communications and project management roles at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the chance to teach colleagues about the White-crowned Sparrows that sing in the foundation’s courtyard every spring. Birds provided a consistent thread through career and life changes, so it seems natural that Wendy found out about the Community Engagement role while volunteering for the Christmas Bird Count and promptly applied. Her work includes managing the volunteer program and fostering organizational partnerships to engage our local community in protecting birds and their natural habitats.

ASK ME ABOUT: volunteering, Seattle Audubon speakers/program meetings, outreach and community partnerships, joining the Communications committee, social media.