Document Actions

Staff

Short biographies and contact information for all Sightline staff.

Alan Durning, executive director

Dr. Benita Beamon, fellow

Nicole Bernard, development associate

Eric de Place, senior researcher

Anna Fahey, communications strategist

Migee Han, development director

Eric Hess, communications associate

Nate Kommers, communications manager

Jennifer Langston, news editor

Doug MacDonald, fellow

Pam MacRae, finance manager

Lisa Stiffler, news editor

Meaghan Tracy, development associate

Roger Valdez, research associate

Mieko Van Kirk, office administrator and executive assistant

Clark Williams-Derry, director of programs

Christine Winckler, production assistant

	Alan Durning, executive director, founded Northwest Environment Watch in 1993, which became Sightline Institute in 2006. 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). Current topics of focus for Alan include walkability, bike friendliness, and climate fairness. 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.
	Dr. Benita Beamon, a Sightline fellow, is an Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering at the University of Washington. She holds a Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Tech (her dissertation was entitled Quantifying the Effects of Road Pricing on Roadway Congestion and Automobile Emissions). Her primary research interests lie in the development of analytical tools in support of humanitarian logistics systems and supply chain sustainability. She was the recipient of the 2008 Institute of Industrial Engineers National Innovations in Curriculum Award for her self-developed UW graduate course in Humanitarian Logistics. She has consulted for the RAND Corporation, and her current research work is supported by the National Science Foundation. She serves as an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Modeling and Simulation.

	Nicole Bernard, development associate, manages Sightline's annual giving program. She fell in love with Seattle after a whirlwind vacation and moved there in 2004 after completing her BA in American Studies at the University of New Mexico. In her spare time you will find her exploring just about everything, but especially movement, place, connection and, of course, food! Nicole is proud to be a part of Sightline's great work. If you would like to discuss ways you can be involved with Sightline, please don't hesitate to call or email! Email: Nicole (at) sightline (dot) org.
	Eric de Place, senior researcher, contributes research and writing for the Cascadia Scorecard, especially on sprawl, economic security, wildlife, and other topics. He also writes for the Daily Score blog and contributes to a number of other Sightline projects, including climate policy in the western states. In 2006, Eric’s work helped defeat ballot initiatives in several Western states that would have severely eroded community and environmental protections. Before coming to Sightline, he worked with the Northwest Area Foundation, helping communities develop strategies to alleviate poverty. He has a master's degree in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. After the world gets fixed, Eric plans to spend much more time reading good books beside remote mountain lakes. Email: eric (at) sightline.org. Read Eric's latest blog posts here.
	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 the nonprofit community where she’s been working in development for the last five years. 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 17 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, communications associate, works on Sightline's marketing, advertising, 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.
	Nate Kommers, communications manager, works on media relations, the dissemination of our research, and on every staff member's ability to get the word out on the sustainability issues that face the region. A Montana native, Nate traveled to Washington, DC for graduate school after completing his undergraduate degree at Montana State. He studied communications and social psychology at Georgetown's innovative Communication, Culture and Technology program, before spending several years in DC's dynamic non-profit sector. His experience includes social media research at the Pew Internet & American Life Project, media relations and investigative journalism at the Center for Public Integrity, and environmental communications at the World Resources Institute. In 2009 he returned to the Northwest to focus on sustainability policies and practices in the region he always called home. Nate is continuously looking for opportunities to improve and refine methods for getting the right information into the right hands at the right time.
	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
	Doug MacDonald, a Sightline fellow, works with Sightline on transportation issues. Doug was the head of the Washington Department of Transportation from 2001 through mid 2007. He has a law degree from Harvard, and spent two years in Africa with the Peace Corps. Doug worked as chief legal counsel to the Massachusetts Port Authority and, in 1992, became head of the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority. He has two sons, one who lives in Vermont and the other in Seattle.
	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.
	Lisa Stiffler is the other half of Sightline Daily’s editing team, tying together the day’s news with Sightline research and insight to connect the dots between issues critical to Cascadia’s well-being. 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 recently relocated to Seattle from Thailand, where she was supporting local staff working with refugees on the Thai-Burma border. Prior to that she managed a refugee resettlement program in North Carolina, assisting newly arrived refugees on the path to self-sufficiency. Meaghan has a degree in English literature and over ten years of experience in the non-profit sector. A native New Englander, Meaghan has long desired to explore the mountains and coast (and everything in-between) of the Pacific Northwest. After living and working overseas in Morocco and Thailand, she is delighted to now be in Seattle and a part of the Sightline mission. 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
	Roger Valdez joined Sightline as a research associate after nearly two decades in policy research, community problem-solving, and public-sector management. He's served as a consultant to state and federal health programs; worked as a legislative aide for City Councilmember Peter Steinbrueck; managed the Tobacco Prevention Program at Public Health Seattle King County; and served as Regional Health Officer and a Neighborhood Development Manager for the city of Seattle. He's also been a blogger and columnist with the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Roger's work in public health and in neighborhood development has focused on creative partnerships that integrate economic development, neighborhood values, health, and the arts into the built environment. Roger has a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Puget Sound and a master's degree in Religion from UC Santa Barbara. When he isn't thinking or writing about how to create an affordable and sustainable Cascadia, he enjoys food, history, music, running, and travel. Email: roger (at) sightline (dot) org.
	Mieko Van Kirk, office administrator and executive assistant, helps keep the Sightline office running smoothly. Before joining Sightline, she spent five 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, but has enjoyed getting to know the Cascadia bioregion. She lives with her husband and two furry four-leggeds in Everett.
	Clark Williams-Derry director of programs, oversees Sightline's research and outreach efforts. Williams-Derry joined Sightline in 2001 to lead the development of the Cascadia Scorecard, Sightline's index of progress for the Pacific Northwest. Since then he has authored more than a dozen reports on sprawl, pollution, energy and climate policy, and other topics. Previously, Williams-Derry served as a senior analyst with the Environmental Working Group in Washington DC, where he spearheaded development of EWG's farm subsidies database. Williams-Derry graduated summa cum laude from Yale University in 1989 with a joint degree in mathematics and philosophy. He lives in the Seattle neighborhood of Ravenna with his wife Amy and daughters Madeline and Eliza. Click here for a full bio. Email: clark (at) sightline.org. Read Clark's latest blog posts here.
	Christine Winckler, production assistant, keeps Sightline’s online outreach products on track. Originally from Minnesota, Christine was lured to Washington by its lush forests and striking landscapes. Currently, she has just finished her undergraduate degree in Community, Environment and Planning from the University of Washington. Outside of Sightline, Christine loves dancing, writing fiction, and building websites. Email: Christinew at sightline.org.