Board of Directors

Officers

Craig McKibben - President

Craig was the co-founder of WRQ, Inc., a Seattle software company, and is now enjoying the ability to get outdoors more often to climb, ski and hike during his retirement.  His favorite hikes are in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in the fall in search of huckleberries and larches.

David Schoenborn - Vice President, Advocacy

David is an avid hiker, trail maintenance volunteer, and attorney from Vancouver.  He has also been involved in government relations and legislative politics for many years, including working as Legislative Counsel to a Congressman and on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee.  His favorite hike is Snowgrass Flats in the Goat Rocks Wilderness.

Michele Coad - Vice President, Board Development

Michele is an attorney and volunteer steward at Tiger Mountain for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Michele also serves on the Internal Review Board for the University of Washington, reviewing ethical considerations for proposed research involving human subjects, and she volunteers at the Veterans Administration Hospital.  Her favorite hike is Mt. Dickerman.

Melissa Strauch - Vice President, Fundraising & Membership

Melissa has worked on transportation issues for the City of Seattle and on development programs for another local nonprofit.  She holds a certificate in non-profit management from the University of Washington. Her favorite hike is Green Mountain in the Darrington District, which is currently inaccessible due to 2006 storm damage.

Doug Breckel - Treasurer

Doug has worked for the University of Washington's Treasury Office since 1993. As Associate Vice President, he current oversees the University's $1.2 billion in operating funds, capital funding, cash management, real estate and risk management. His favorite place to hike is in the Columbia River Gorge: Mt Hamliton, Eagle Creek and Falls Creek Falls.

Rob Shurtleff - Secretary

Rob has a background in technology and investments, and is currently a Managing Director of Divergent Ventures.  He is an avid hiker and a frequent user of the WTA web site.  At this moment, his favorite hike is Lake Valhalla, off Smithbrook.

At Large Directors

Carole Bianquis

Carole volunteers as an Assistant Crew Leader for WTA when she isn't working for Boeing IT.  As a result, she says she can't hike a trail now without looking for ways to improve it.  She has a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from INSA Lyon (France) and an MBA from the University of Washington.

Lisa Black

Lisa is a pediatric nurse working and living in Everett. During a two-year hiatus from full-time nursing, Lisa learned about the membership issues of non-profits while working with consultant Ellis Robinson.  A Seattle native, Lisa grew up with copies of the original Signpost in the house and spent summers out hiking.

Jeff Chapman

Jeff's love for the outdoors began in New York City (while studying at Columbia) and eventually led him to the Northwest.  He volunteers extensively, both on the trail and in policy meetings, for many recreation organizations.  He is a director for the Buckhorn Range Chapter of the Backcountry Horsemen of Washington; serves on the board of the Washington State Trails Coalition; and is the equestrian representative for the Sustainable Recreation Working Group of Washington's Department of Natural Resources.

Kirk Clothier

Kirk has been a CPA for 40 years and is the founder and a shareholder of Clothier and Head. Kirk has been involved with hiking since he was a Boy Scout and has hiked extensively in the Cascades and Olympics.

Langdon Cook

Langdon is a freelance writer with several years of experience working as a web producer and online editor for Microsoft, Amazon.com and Conservation Magazine. He has volunteered with Seattle Audubon, Conservation Northwest, the Nature Conservancy and the Falcon Research Group.

Todd Dunfield

Todd manages service learning programs at Gonzaga University.  He has served on the boards of the Spokane Mountaineers and the Friends of the Centennial Trail.  He also is an avid Hike-a-Thoner. 

Dave Egan

Dave is the owner and principal rep for Egan & Associates LLC, an outdoor equipment and apparel sales agency located in Fall City, servicing retail partners in the Northwest. He enjoys backpacking, hiking, cycling, skiing, climbing and snowshoeing with his wife Tracy and his two sons, Sam and Addison. 

Tim Gould

Tim is a researcher on air quality at the University of Washington.  In his free time, he is an environmental advocate whose passion for hiking combines recreation, fitness, advocacy and a deep appreciation of nature.  One of his favorite hikes is the O'Neill Pass trail in Olympic National Park.

Richard Johnson

Richard is a longtime WTA member who hikes in Washington and British Columbia whenever he can get away from his software job. He also leads outings for Sierra Club and Wilderness Volunteers. His favorite hike is the Ptarmigan Traverse.

Kathleen Learned

Kathleen is a retired King County Superior Court judge who now works as a part-time mediator and arbitrator.  She was co-founder of the Northwest Women's Law Center and served on the boards of PCC Natural Markets, Pacific Biodiversity Institute and the North Cascades Conservation Council. Her favorite hikes are Yellow Aster Butte and Tomyhoi Mountain in the North Cascades.

Chad Lewis

Chad is a Public Information Officer for the Washington State Department of Corrections. Previously he was an editor at the Bremerton Sun. His favorite hike is Mount Ellinor in the Olympics.

Damien Murphy

Damien has worked exclusively in technology, primarily in databases and image processing. He has always had a passion for the outdoors and more recently for photography.  (He was the Grand Prize Winner in the 2008 Northwest Exposure Photo Contest.)  The first hike he did in Washington state was Mount Si, followed by the Kendall Katwalk, which today remains one of his favorites.

Kate Rogers

Kate is the editor-in-chief of The Mountaineers Books/Skipstone Press and has been a part-time lecturer on editing, publishing and general media at the University of Washington and Seattle Community Colleges.  She was previously senior editor at Sasquatch Books and launched her own book packaging firm, Unleashed Book Development.  Her favorite dayhike is to Melakwa Lake.

Stephen Tan

Stephen is an attorney with Cascadia Law Group.  His law practice focuses exclusively on environmental and natural resource issues, with an emphasis on remediation and other causes serving the public interest. Currently, he serves as a local counsel to the Sierra Club and chairs the Board of Trustees for PCC Natural Markets.

Wendy Wheeler Jacobs

Wendy directs the Brand Strategy Team for Microsoft's Central Marketing Group.  As a trail runner, she covers an average of 250 miles each month (and she's Hike-a-Thonner!) and has helped put together the "Tribute to Trails" calendar, an annual fundraiser organized by the trail running community. 

Advisory Board

Ron Barensten
Mark Boyar
Bill Chapman
Karl Forsgaard
Kevin Hall
Ken Konigsmark
Tom Lucas
Margaret Macleod
Susan Saul
John Spring