Salish Sea Expeditions’ Board of Directors Welcomes New Members

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bainbridge Island, WA – Salish Sea Expeditions announces three new members joining its Board of Directors this spring. They are Alex Adams of the Port of Seattle, Grant Novak of Confluence Environmental Company, and Caitlin Olmsted of bgC3.

Salish Sea Expeditions is an experiential education organization that engages middle and high school students in hands-on marine research expeditions in Puget Sound. Its Board of Directors provides strategic leadership and financial oversight to sustain the organization’s core educational services, and to support a vision to increase service to a greater number of students from throughout the region, and to more students from low-income and underserved communities.

“We’re grateful for the enthusiasm, leadership and relevant expertise our new board members bring to Salish Sea Expeditions,” said Board President Katharine Wellman. “As a region that represents marine resources, innovation and science-based industry, we’re eager to work as an education organization committed to engaging our local youth in science-based inquiry and hands-on learning, and creating a pathway for future-ready employees and engaged citizens.”

Alex Adams is a senior environmental program manager at Port of Seattle, where he works on maritime air quality and sustainability issues. Prior to working for the Port, Alex led sustainability, climate change and energy initiatives for King County and also served as captain and crew on King County’s Water Taxi. He is a licensed captain, with over a decade of experience leading students of all ages on semester-long ocean education trips aboard tall sailing ships in the Great Lakes, and waters between Canada and Trinidad.

Grant Novak is a natural resources management specialist with Confluence Environmental Company where he applies his knowledge of aquatic ecology and the regulatory landscape to help clients reduce or avoid impacts to the aquatic environment. He has also worked as a commercial fisherman and NMFS-certified fisheries observer.

Caitlin Olmsted is a communications professional with experience developing and executing marketing strategies for brands spanning the education, travel, lifestyle, and sports industries. She is presently working on a variety of projects at bgC3, a Seattle think tank founded by Bill Gates.

The 2018 Salish Sea Expeditions Board of Directors are: President, Katharine Wellman, Northern Economics; Secretary, Debra Peat, Intellectual Venture Labs; Treasurer, Bruce Jones, Lake Union Drydock; Alex Adams, Port of Seattle; Pegeen Mulhern, Nicoll, Black & Feig; Grant Novak, Confluence Environmental Company; Caitlin Olmsted, bgC3; Erin Purcell, Finance Consultant at PATH; Sally Goetz Shuler, S.G. Shuler and Associates, LLC; Intern, Sarah-Jane Bailey, Holland America Group.

About Salish Sea Expeditions

Salish Sea Expedition, established in 1994, is a not-for-profit education organization dedicated to engaging middle and high school students in marine science research aboard a 61-foot sailing vessel on the waters of Puget Sound. Students design their own research project, gather and analyze data using professional oceanographic equipment, learn and lead navigation and boat handling for data collection, and work as a team to better understand the environmental health of the Salish Sea and its connected waterways. For more information, visit Salish.org.

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