Our Dedicated Staff

Sarah grew up in the Northwest, in Seattle and the San Juan Islands, where powerful childhood memories of digging clams on the beach and getting lost in the forests shaped her. She received her undergraduate degree in marine biology from Western Washington University and a graduate degree in coastal zone management from the School of Marine Affairs at the University of Washington. Prior to working at Jefferson Land Trust she worked as a marine consultant and with the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, along with a long career in baking and cooking on natural history charter boats in Southeast Alaska.

Sarah was originally hired as a project coordinator in 1996 for what was then called the North Quimper Peninsula Wildlife Corridor. Sarah combines her role as executive director with that of conservation director, managing the work that is at the core of the Land Trust mission—our land projects. She works closely with land owners and community members, as well as governmental and non-profit agencies to shepherd all of our land projects through to protection.

Erik manages the conservation agreements and the protected properties of JLT. He works with landowners and partners to monitor, protect, and restore conservation properties in which JLT holds an interest. Erik has been involved in the land trust movement since 2003 and brings a breadth of conservation project experience as well as non-profit management skills to the JLT team. With a BA in environmental education, he spent several years on the Olympic Peninsula working as a naturalist, guide and educator, after which he achieved his MA in Environmental Politics.

Shelby coordinates development and fundraising programs for Jefferson Land Trust. She grew up on Jefferson County's Mats Mats Bay, and spent her childhood alternately leaning over docks to examine marine life, and riding her horse along old logging roads on the ridge above Beaver Valley.

She studied environmental education, mass communication, and public administration at Western Washington University and the University of Washington, and has worked as a shipboard naturalist, a program coordinator for environmental nonprofits, an associate at a firm that specializes in digital communications, and for the last four years as an administrative coordinator for Team Jefferson, Jefferson County's economic development entity. She brings a passion for stories, deep roots in this community, and a strong sense of place to her work at the Jefferson Land Trust.

Ann moved to the Olympic Peninsula from Pennsylvania, where she was an executive in the finance department for a large public utility. The move was inspired by many visits to the area to visit family and to bird at Point Wilson, Fort Flagler and other great hot spots on the Peninsula. She calls Port Ludlow home now. She and her husband, Joseph, maintain a number of bird feeders and enjoy cooking and learning to garden with Washington native wildflowers. Ann was introduced to the Jefferson Land Trust through the docent program for the Quimper Wildlife Corridor. Preserving habitat, open areas and local family farms is a passion with Ann, and the Land Trust helps her engage this passion actively.

Barbara manages membership and outreach for Jefferson Land Trust, provides support for JLT staff members, and serves as liaison for JLT volunteers.

Before joining the Land Trust, she worked in several areas, ranging from field archaeology to academics (medieval Japanese cultural history), and from publishing to freelance writing and editing. A common denominator throughout these experiences has been an abiding interest in open spaces, conservation, and gardening and farming.

The Conservation Associate provides support to the conservation and stewardship directors. Duties include enabling of ambitious conservation projects through strategic project and outreach support, project grant administration, annual monitoring of properties, and coordination of logistical support for documenting stewardship activities.

Caroline Robertson provides specialized administrative support to the staff focused on conservation and finance.

Some of Caroline’s interests are hiking, plants – both cultivated and wild, and the arts. She grew up in the Bay Area, and after earning her BA in English in Chicago, she resided in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she made art and arranged flowers for a living. She now lives among the cedars in the Chimacum hills.

Kathleen provides administrative support to staff, supports our membership program, handles design, layout and oversees production of our printed materials, helps the public, and answers inquiries in the office.

Kathleen brings 38 years of experience in graphic design and printing to her work at Jefferson Land Trust. Before moving to Jefferson County, she was also involved in volunteer work at a wildlife rehabilitation center, providing care for injured or orphaned wildlife. She served on the board of directors of Suisun Wildlife Center in Suisun, CA, and on the board of directors of the Walnut Creek (CA) Employees Association.