Alan Durning, executive director, founded Northwest Environment Watch in 1993, which became Sightline Institute in 2006. Current topics of focus for Alan include Making Sustainability Legal and governance reform.  He has also written in recent years about car-less living, bike friendliness, electric bikes, and climate fairness. Durning has written or contributed to nine Sightline books, including most recently, Sightline's Cascadia Scorecard 2007. Past books include Tax Shift (1998), Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things (1997), and the award-winning This Place on Earth: Home and the Practice of Permanence (1996). Prior to founding Sightline, Durning was a senior researcher at Worldwatch Institute where he studied the human dimensions of sustainability, and wrote the award-winning book How Much Is Enough?, along with chapters in seven State of the World reports and articles in hundreds of other publications. A sought-after speaker, he has lectured at the White House, major universities, and conferences on five continents. Click here for a full bio. Email: alan (at) sightline.org. Read Alan's latest blog posts here.

Yoram Bauman, Sightline fellow, is an environmental economist and stand-up comedian with a BA in mathematics from Reed College and a PhD in economics from the University of Washington. His goals in life are to spread joy to the world through economics comedy, which he does through YouTube videos and shows at colleges, comedy clubs, and corporate events around the country; to reform economics education (with books such as The Cartoon Introduction to Economics, co-authored with Grady Klein); and to advocate for carbon pricing and other economic approaches to protecting the environment. In addition to comedy and writing, Yoram has been engaged in consulting work---notably as the project economist for "Impacts of Climate Change on Washington's Economy"--and in teaching gigs at the UW Program on the Environment, at Whitman College, at Bainbridge Graduate Institute, and at Seattle's Lakeside High School. His association with Sightline started with a 1997 internship that led to his co-authoring Tax Shift with Sightline founder Alan Durning.

Nicole Bernard, manages Sightline's annual giving program. She has lived in the same Seattle neighborhood since 2004, after falling in love with the mountains during a whirlwind summer vacation. She's happy to report that she's as in love with the place as when they first met, and one of the things she loves about Sightline is getting to know a smart, thoughtful, and inspiring community of people as awed by the Northwest as she is. Nicole completed her degree in American Studies at the University of New Mexico, and would be happy to talk to you more about supporting Sightline, another precious Northwest resource.Email: Nicole (at) sightline (dot) org.

Eric de Place, senior researcher, leads Sightline’s work on climate and energy policy. His research and writing on Northwest coal exports is frequently cited by national and regional media, and his analysis of climate policy is sought out by policymakers and other opinion leaders. He writes for the Sightline Daily blog, and contributes to a number of other Sightline projects, including economic security, stormwater, property rights, and transportation policy. Before coming to Sightline, he worked with the Northwest Area Foundation, developing strategies to alleviate poverty in rural communities. He has a master's degree in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame.

Anna Fahey, communications strategist, oversees opinion research, develops and distills best practices in messaging, and builds collaborations with allied organizations. Growing up, Anna spent her days working on her family’s commercial fishing boats and poking around the rocky beaches of the San Juans. She was the art critic for the Seattle Weekly, and, for half a dozen years, headed up communications for the Henry Art Gallery. After heading back to grad school and receiving an MA in political communication from the University of Washington, Anna has earned her share of campaign-trail battle scars as a political strategist in central Washington. Email: anna (at) sightline.org. Read Anna's latest blog posts here.

Migee Han, development director, works on building meaningful relationships with Sightline supporters and the community. She brings with her a passion for sustainability and experience in communications, project management, community relations and development. She spent ten years in the corporate sector before she found her true calling, in 2004, in the nonprofit community where she’s been working in development ever since. A graduate of the University of Washington, she also holds a masters degree in nonprofit leadership from Seattle University, and though she is not officially a native, after nearly twenty years of living here, calls the Northwest home. When she’s not at work you might find her pointing a camera in your direction, reading for book club, or dreaming up her next adventure. Do you want to know more about how you can support Sightline Institute, make a gift or have questions about planned giving? Give her a call; she’d love to meet you! Email: Migee (at) sightline.org

Eric Hess, senior communications associate, leads Sightline's marketing, media, and other communications efforts. After graduating from Whitman College with a degree in Environmental Studies: Sociology, Eric moved up to Seattle from Portland. A former Sightline communications intern, he was brought on board in June, 2008. Outside of Sightline he enjoys many outdoor activities, including backpacking, hiking, snowshoeing, and kayaking. He also has a not-so-secret passion for cooking. Email: erich (at) sightline (dot) org.

Dave Kershner, a Sightline fellow, has conducted environmental research for regional and national not-for-profit organizations, including American Rivers and the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research. He contributed research for Tax Shift, Sightline’s 1998 book on greening Cascadia’s tax system, and more recently co-authored our 2007 report, Bulk Discounts for Polluters. After graduate studies at the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment, he co-founded a land conservancy on one of the San Juan Islands and spent nine years protecting farmland and natural areas there. When not doing research for Sightline, he is a consultant on documentary film and television projects.

Chris LaRoche, research intern, recently graduated with a Master’s in Public Administration from the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, where he focused on developing community solutions to climate change, sustainability, and de-carbonizing the global economy. Previous incarnations include an inner-city school teacher, Spanish language translator, and organizer for interesting community endeavors. If you must ask, “LaRoche is to LaRouche what Kucinich is to Milosevic”.

Jennifer Langston co-edits Sightline Daily, Sightline’s daily news service, and contributes to research efforts by applying her hard-hitting journalism skills to the most pressing issues in the Northwest. Before joining Sightline, Jennifer spent a decade as a reporter covering environment and sustainability issues across the Northwest. She wrote about land use, housing, urban design, transportation, food policy and climate change for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Jennifer also covered the energy and environment beat in Idaho and South Carolina. She has English and journalism degrees from Yale University and the University of Maryland. As a volunteer for the Washington Alpine Club and 826 Seattle, she has taught terrified adults to rock climb and fearless kids to write their own stories. Email: jennifer (at) sightline (dot) org

Pam MacRae, finance manager, ensures that Sightline’s sustainability extends to its finances. With a degree in Peace Studies from Colgate University, she has worked since 1990 at nonprofits focused on disarmament, death penalty abolition, community economic development, and immigrant rights. She started bookkeeping in 1995. Pam is excited to work at an organization that embraces car-lessness. She spends much of her free time maintaining hiking trails and playing in a circus band. Email: pam (at) sightline (dot) org.

Alyse Nelson, a Sightline writing fellow, spends her days as an urban planner for a small city in Kitsap County and, since 2007, has spent much of her spare time writing and researching for Sightline. A life-long Washingtonian, Alyse resides on Bainbridge Island with her husband and son. Alyse has degrees from Portland State University and the University of Washington, where she was a Valle Scholar and traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark, to research bicycle planning at the Center for Public Space Research.

Valerie Pacino, research intern, hails from a small town in the San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California. After graduating from UC Irvine with a degree in history, she moved to Busan, South Korea, taught English to kindergarteners, housewives, and business executives, and wrote a wildly-popular ESL curriculum. Valerie and her husband moved to Seattle in 2008, and she is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health degree at the University of Washington. At Sightline, she is working on a Making Sustainability Legal project as an intern. In her free time, Valerie reads mystery novels, pulverizes the competition in her fantasy hockey league, and explores the streets of Seattle on her bike, Gladys. Email: valerie (at) sightline (dot) org.
 

Lisa Stiffler is a journalism fellow for Sightline. Before joining Sightline, Lisa was a reporter at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer for 10 years, most of them spent covering environmental issues. She did investigations on the health of Puget Sound, the national failure to protect endangered species and the multi-billion dollar Hanford cleanup. A Northwest native, she attended the University of Washington earning degrees in cell biology and communications. In addition to knowing more than she ever meant to about fruit flies, Lisa does forest restoration at Seattle's Carkeek Park, grows veggies and likes having her husband cook dinner for friends. Email: lisa (at) sightline (dot) org.

Meaghan Tracy, development associate, is Sightline’s grant writer and foundations contact. Meaghan relocated to Seattle in 2009, after living in Thailand and supporting local staff working with refugees on the Thai-Burma border. Prior to that, she managed a refugee resettlement program in North Carolina. Meaghan also has a degree in English literature and over twelve years of experience in the non-profit sector, including 2 years in Morocco as a Peace Corps volunteer. A native New Englander, Meaghan’s heart now belongs to the mountains and coast (and everything in-between) of the Pacific Northwest. In her free time, you can find Meaghan connecting with friends and playing outside in any one of the many parks and green spaces around the city. Email: meaghan (at) sightline.org

Mieko Van Kirk, office administrator and executive assistant, helps keep the Sightline office running smoothly. Before joining Sightline, she spent some years exploring the administrative and development side of the non-profit social service field. Mieko grew up in California and received her B.S. from the University of California Riverside. She lives with her husband and two furry four-leggeds in the Puget Sound convergence zone.

Clark Williams-Derry director of programs, oversees research and communications for Sightline Institute. Since joining Sightline in 2001, Mr. Williams-Derry has spearheaded groundbreaking research on a broad range of sustainability issues, including: mapping and analyzing sprawl; testing human breastmilk for toxics; designing a regional climate cap-and-trade policy; and exploring the intersection of transportation, land use, and climate change. He also launched the Cascadia Scorecard project, Sightline's regional index of progress towards a sustainable Pacific Northwest. He is an in-demand speaker, writer, consultant, and media spokesperson on sustainability topics. He graduated summa cum laude from Yale University in 1989 with a joint degree in mathematics and philosophy. A resident of Seattle, Williams-Derry spends his "spare" time with his wife Amy and their two daughters.Click here for a full bio. Email: clark (at) sightline.org. Read Clark's latest blog posts here.

Christine Winckler, webmaster, is Sightline's techie, managing the websites and packaging materials so they're ready to send out the door. Originally from Minnesota, Christine was lured to Washington by its lush forests and striking landscapes. She earned a degree in Community, Environment and Planning at the University of Washington, and came to Sightline to use her technical skills in support of work that makes a difference. Outside of Sightline, Christine spends her time playing games, writing fiction, and doing freelance web design. Email: Christinew (at) sightline.org.