Staff and Board Members
Meet our staff
Sunrise began working for Watershed Alliance of SW WA in 2010 and has been the Executive Director since 2012. She has a BA in Public Affairs from WSU Vancouver.
She is passionate about the environment and bringing people together to build awareness around the benefits of having a healthy natural environment. Sunrise brings her dedication and commitment of increasing community involvement and the environment to the Watershed Alliance.
One of her favorite moments is when she sees people of all ages outdoors working together in the community with people they did not know prior – planting trees, removing ivy and more.
Anna has been working and volunteering for environmental organizations in Clark County since 2016. Originally from Manitoba, Canada, she has a Masters in Public Administration from Portland State University, specializing in Natural Resources Management, and a degree in English from the University of Manitoba.
She is dedicated to the health of people, places, and the organizations that support them, and she is excited to support the great work of the Watershed Alliance. She enjoys playing piano and hammered dulcimer and exploring Clark County with her two daughters.
Micayla is a nature nerd at heart. One of her true passions is connecting people to nature to foster a lasting appreciation for the environment. Micayla comes to the Watershed Alliance from the Midwest where she earned a B.S. in Biology from Ball State University and worked as the Stewardship Director for a non-profit land trust. She is excited to become acquainted with the community and work alongside volunteers to continue to enhance the waterways of SW Washington.
When she’s not wrangling volunteers, Micayla can be found cultivating her garden, dipping in a natural hot spring, honing her amateur taxidermy skills, and exploring the natural wonderland of the Pacific Northwest.
If you have a favorite nearby trail or natural area, Micayla would love to hear about it!
Greer began restoring trails in National Parks as a teenager, and has loved working and recreating outdoors ever since. When she moved to the Pacific Northwest, Greer worked in riparian habitat restoration with the Clackamas River Basin Council. She then obtained her Masters degree in Geography from Portland State University.
Greer enjoys hiking, camping, sewing, and spending time with her family.
Almendra Velázquez-Pérez creció en California. Sus padres son de Guerrero y Sinaloa, México. Ella tiene un profundo amor por su comunidad, donde encuentra su hogar. Cuando no está activamente involucrada en actividades comunitarias, la encontrarás de excursión con su fiel compañera Akira o observando los animales en su camino. Almendra tiene una licenciatura en Ciencias de la Tierra y del Medio Ambiente y una especialización en geología de la Universidad Washington State University. Su pasión es crear espacios que fomenten la conexión con la tierra, la naturaleza y los demás. Su cita favorita es: “Sueño con un mundo guiado por la revelaciones de la ciencia y enmarcado en una cosmovisión indígena. Historias en las que se da voz tanto a la materia como al espíritu” – Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Almendra Velazquez–Perez grew up in California. Her parents are from Guerrero and Sinaloa Mexico. She has a deep love for her community, where she finds home. When she is not actively engaged in community activities, you’ll find her on hikes with her loyal companion Akira or and birdwatching. Almendra holds a major in Earth and Environmental Science and a minor in Geology from Washington State University. Her passion lies in nurturing spaces that foster a sense of connection with the land, nature, and each other. Her favorite quote: “I dream of a world guided by a lens of stories rooted in the revelations of science and framed with an indigenous worldview. Stories in which matter and spirit are both given voice” – Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Board of Directors
Anita Wakimoto is a Portland State University alumna with a double major in advertising and marketing which led to a successful 15-year career in account management at Portland’s creative agencies. Now at HP, Anita’s nearing a five-year tenure, bringing her expertise to HP.com. When not strategizing in the digital world, she’s an adventurer at heart—hiking, camping, and snowboarding, cheering on the Seattle Seahawks, or simply unwinding with a good book
Anita was a military brat, but her roots are in Camas, WA where she grew up in a neighborhood between the Washougal and Columbia rivers. These rivers and the beauty of the PNW instilled a profound appreciation for safeguarding our precious waterways. Anita’s commitment to the Watershed Alliance is a reflection of her desire to make a positive impact, preserving the natural beauty she grew up with.
Brian is a relative newcomer to the Pacific Northwest after moving here with his wife and dogs during the height of the Covid pandemic. While always being stumped when asked where he’s from after having moved 19 times all over the world before arriving here, he’s a former Army Ranger turned professional tree-hugger as the Sustainability Programs Manager with PeaceHealth in Vancouver.
With experience across the healthcare, federal government, aerospace, telecommunications, e-learning, and non-profit sectors, Brian’s focus at PeaceHealth is to guide the ongoing development of the hospital’s environmental programs as they work to provide excellent healthcare to our community. With passports from both the USA and New Zealand, he and his wife are avid world travelers and can generally be found out on a trail or a mountaintop with their pups.
Charlene, who joined the Watershed Alliance board in 2021, moved to Vancouver in 1996 to become a faculty member at Clark College, where she taught geology and environmental science courses until her retirement in 2016. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her Ph.D. in Physical Volcanology from the University of Oregon.
She is passionate about environmental education and social justice and loves birding, photography, travel, outdoor recreation, and gardening (her garden is undergoing Backyard Habitat certification). She lives in Brush Prairie with her wife of 25 years and their two dogs.
Dylan has lived in Vancouver for over 10 years and in the Pacific Northwest his whole life. He spent a few years in Pendleton, OR earning an associate’s degree in agriculture production. He intended to use his knowledge growing and tasting tea the rest of his days, but has since felt called to address a broad range of contemporary issues. His educational experience highlighted the importance of natural and societal systems to preserve nature and advocating to be the change you want to see in the world.
Living near streams, rivers and waterfalls have always been a source of comfort for this “son of the wave” (the meaning behind the name Dylan), and he hopes that his presence reciprocates the serenity and health of the environment in turn. Dylan frequently volunteers for Watershed Alliance, among other local organizations, in his free time. He also reads, cooks, and goes down to the Vancouver’s Farmer’s Market any chance he gets.
With a last name like Waters, it was only natural that Emily ended up at the Watershed Alliance! Growing up near the East Fork Lewis River instilled Emily with a love and respect for watershed protection. She earned her BS in Geography from Portland State University and has a Masters in Natural, Environmental, and Energy Law from Lewis and Clark Law School.
Emily has worked in the water resources field since 2015. Outside of work, and volunteering, Emily loves to hike, garden, read, and bake. Emily has served as the Fundraising Committee Chair since 2021.
Gregg Herrington, was raised in Vancouver not far from Leverich Park, where in the 1950s his family picnicked, and he participated in fishing derbies and captured crawdads in Burnt Bridge Creek. About the same time, he launched a neighborhood bi-weekly newspaper, cranked out on an inky mimeograph machine while a student at Arnada Elementary School, now the site of the southbound I-5 interchange at Fourth Plain Boulevard.
Gregg attended Clark College and the University of Washington. He was editor of the UW Daily and graduated in journalism. His professional journey included reporting jobs at The Oregonian and The Associated Press in Washington, D.C., where a highlight of his career was covering George McGovern’s presidential campaign in 1972 against President Richard Nixon. In 1973 he moved back to Washington state as assistant AP bureau chief in Seattle. He was lured back to his hometown in 1975 by The Columbian where he was an editor, political reporter, and columnist for 33 years. He rounded out his career with five years as public information officer for Battle Ground Public Schools.
Gregg still does occasional free-lance stories for Northwest travel magazines and has acquired an interest in Northwest geology, especially the ice-age Missoula Floods, which rearranged the landscapes of Eastern Washington, The Columbia River Gorge, and the Vancouver-Portland area.
Mark is a native of the Northwest and enjoys its scenic beauty. He has worked for Well Fargo for over 23 years and has been involved with the Watershed Alliance for the last eight as a volunteer. He serves on several boards in Clark County and enjoys investing in the community through his volunteer efforts. He is a resident of Camas. When he is not at work or volunteering the community, he is spending time with his wife Jen and their two children Taylor and Jake.
Sharif Burdzik, VP/Relationship Manager Washington Trust Bank
Sharif provides commercial loans and banking services for businesses, including start-ups. A resident of Clark County, he serves on several boards and community organizations and has been in business banking for over 20 years.