Staff
Katie Baker
Idaho Outreach Coordinator
Katie Baker is the Idaho Outreach Coordinator for Salmon Safe, where she leverages her 16 years of experience in local food systems to support small farmers and promote sustainable practices. Her career has been deeply rooted in building and nurturing regional food hubs, exemplified by her previous work with Idaho’s Bounty. Katie is also a founder of FARE Idaho, notable for its focus on advocating for independent food and beverage businesses and was possibly the first nonprofit in the US structured around the local food system—from field to fork. Outside of her professional life, Katie enjoys gardening, managing a flock of free-range chickens, and practicing Reiki. Her diverse interests and experiences reflect her deep commitment to both community and sustainability.
Rebecca Daniels
Finance Manager
The longtime finance manager for our parent organization Pacific Rivers, Rebecca Daniels joins Salmon-Safe with more than twenty-five years of experience in non-profit management, including serving at a charter school, first as the finance director (for six years), and then as the executive director (for eight years). She has extensive experience in financial management, grant administration and reporting, human resources and benefits administration, and collaboration with board members, non-profit partners, stakeholders and auditors. Rebecca raised two daughters and two sons, all of whom were born here in the Northwest, and considers herself an honorary Oregonian. Her avocations include hiking, running, playing the piano (Rebecca has a degree in music), baking cakes, and spending time outside with friends and family. She is delighted to be part of the Salmon-Safe team.
Anna Huttel
Certification Director
Anna Huttel, RA, is Salmon-Safe Certification Director. As an architect with extensive LEED experience and a volunteer ambassador of the Living Building Challenge, Ms. Huttel has broad experience across the leading certification programs. Working throughout Cascadia, Huttel guides Salmon-Safe program delivery through our Partner Network of collaborating organizations on the West Coast. Prior to joining Salmon-Safe, Huttel led design teams in developing strategies for LEED certification with a focus on engineering-related tactics. In 2010, she was awarded the Alpha Rho Chi Medal by IIT’s College of Architecture for her leadership and service to the profession. Huttel earned an M.Arch. from the Illinois Institute of Technology, a B.A. in Economics and Art History from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and brings a broad knowledge base to implementing conservation strategies.
Dan Kent
Co-founder and Executive Director
Dan Kent is Salmon-Safe’s co-founder and executive director. Dan has been a leader at the nexus between market-based conservation and watershed protection for the past two decades. He co-founded Salmon-Safe as a project of river and native fish conservation organization Pacific Rivers in 1996 and served as that organization’s communications director for five years. A native of the Pacific Northwest, Dan was raised on a small farm in the Palouse Hills of eastern Washington. He earned an undergraduate degree in management from Washington State University and an MBA from University of Oregon. Prior to his nonprofit career, Dan was a San Francisco-based corporate marketing manager with one of the nation’s largest financial institutions. He is vice president of Wild Farm Alliance, a California-based conservation organization working nationally to integrate biodiversity conservation on agricultural lands.
Brian Muegge
Farm Program Manager
Brian is Salmon-Safe’s Farm Program Manager. A Wildlife Biologist by trade, he has worked for the US Forest Service as well as in the biotech and craft beverage industries. Brian manages Salmon-Safe agricultural program throughout the Pacific Northwest, in conjunction with bolstering the organization’s market-based approach to conservation. Brian is passionate about enacting sustainable land practices in order to protect natural resources and brings a cross-functional focus to Salmon-Safe’s mission. His free time is mostly spent fly fishing, birding, golfing, and attending various sporting events.
Ella Sandquist
Puget Sound Director
Ella Sandquist serves as the Director of Salmon-Safe Puget Sound, bringing a wealth of experience in Business Development and Marketing within the environmental consulting and construction sectors. With an expansive network spanning the Pacific Northwest’s Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) community, Ella is deeply rooted in her native Washington state, having spent her formative years sailing the waters of the Salish Sea with her family. Ella’s has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry from The Evergreen State College. She embarked on her career in the field of environmental forensic consulting and that led her to a career in Business Development and Marketing. Ella is devoted to forming collaborative partnerships with developers, architects, designers, and general contractors. Her primary objective is to champion and integrate Salmon-Safe standards into urban development projects, contributing to the sustainability and ecological preservation of the region.
Alexa Schmidt
Columbia River Basin Grant Management
Alexa Schmidt joined the team early in 2024 and now serves as part-time contract staff, leading the development of our internal grant and subaward management systems in the interior Columbia Basin. Prior to starting at Salmon-Safe, Alexa worked for over a decade in humanitarian development, from early work in climate related displacement in Bangladesh to later work using tech-based innovations to advance adaptation programs in East Africa and Central America. Alexa has long been interested in community-driven climate adaptations that help improve lives and livelihoods that contribute to a more sustainable future. Alexa has a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Ethnic Studies and an MSc in International Education. Outside of work, Alexa enjoys any kind of skiing, but especially backcountry, trail running, and making ceramics.
Kevin Scribner
Walla Walla Agriculture Outreach/Federal Policy/Special Projects
Kevin Scribner leads Salmon-Safe agricultural outreach in the Walla Walla watershed and advises Salmon-Safe on state and federal policy and special projects. Based on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla valley, Kevin has helped inform and shape Salmon-Safe almost since our founding at Pacific Rivers. Kevin has extensive experience in natural resource planning and management, community cultural development, alternative food systems, ecological restoration and commercial fishing. Kevin serves on the Board of Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council and served as the Basin Advocate for the bi-state Walla Walla Watershed Alliance. For many years, Kevin also consulted with Vinea, a vineyard & winery organization in the Walla Walla Appellation, and a key Salmon-Safe implementation partner in the interior Columbia Basin.
Board of Directors
Rich Shawen
President & Treasurer
Rich Shawen is the principal at RGS Advisors. Prior to this role, Rich was Director of Finance for Xplane Corporation in Portland, Oregon which specializes in visual communication and consulting. He also was Chief Financial Officer & Vice President of Finance for Widmer Brothers Brewing Company in Portland. Environmental initiatives have been a part of his internal and external company objectives. Also, he has always had an interest in the environmental sciences through volunteer activities and previous educational endeavors.
Elissa Fink
Secretary
Elissa Fink is a Seattle-based marketing executive advising tech companies and teaching at University of Washington. Elissa recently retired as CMO of Tableau, the interactive data visualization software company, where she led marketing strategy and execution for 11 years, from pre-IPO startup to a public enterprise with $1+ billion in revenue. Elissa holds a BA from Santa Clara University and an MBA in Marketing and Decision Systems from University of Southern California.
Dwight Holton
Vice President
Dwight Holton is the chief executive officer of the nonprofit agency Lines for Life. Prior to his nonprofit career, Dwight served as United States Attorney for Oregon, where he managed the U.S. Department of Justice offices throughout Oregon. Dwight prosecuted dozens of environmental crimes cases over the past 10 years and built the Environmental Crimes program at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oregon as a national leader. Dwight also worked as a lawyer for the firm Lane Powell.
Amy Winkelman
Amy Winkelman is an experienced leader in product/service development, strategic planning, and human resources initiatives in the technology, healthcare and nonprofit industries. She’s currently head of product management for Bocada, and a senior consultant with Clarity Consulting Group. Amy has been a board member of Salmon-Safe since 2007, serving as Board President from 2015-2023 and vice-president from 2010-2014. She’s been volunteering in the Portland-area nonprofit environmental community since 1994, including with Tualatin Riverkeepers and Earth Share of Oregon.
Dianne Barton, PhD
Dianne Barton is the chair of National Tribal Toxics Council, an EPA advisory group advocating for tribal interests in policy decisions on toxics. She is also the Water Quality Coordinator for the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission where she provides technical expertise related to water quality, environmental toxins, regulatory processes, and fate and transport of contaminants. Dianne earned her Ph.D. in geochemistry from the University of Arizona at Tucson and was formerly a Distinguished Member of Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories.
Danny Decker
Danny Decker is the Founder and Creative Director of Harlo Interactive, Inc. Established in 2004, Harlo Interactive has designed and developed over 300+ digital experiences ranging from e-commerce, websites, software, mobile apps, and custom web-based applications for brands including Disney Cruise Lines, Adidas, Fetzer Wines, Audi, and many others. Currently in its 17th year of operation, Harlo is one of the longest-standing digital agencies in Portland. Danny graduated from Portland State University with a degree in English.
Christian Ettinger
Christian Ettinger is brewmaster and owner of Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB). Utilizing sustainable practices in both the construction and operations of HUB, Ettinger strives to implement thoughtful environmental alternatives throughout the company. Prior to opening Hopworks, Ettinger was the brewmaster at Laurelwood Pub and Brewery, where he was awarded the World Beer Cup Champion Brewmaster Award in 2004. Christian began his brewing career in his parents’ kitchen and fell in love with beer while living in Cologne, Germany as an exchange student in 1993. After graduating from University of Oregon School of Business, which included a brewing internship at Oregon Fields Brewery, Christian attended the American Brewers Guild and worked at Eugene City Brewery, Bridgeport Brewery, Old World Pub and Brewery and finally Laurelwood.
Lee Jimerson
President Emeritus
As CollinsWood product manager for Collins, Jimerson has three decades of experience in the domestic and international forest products industry, promoting sustainable forest management and developing the market for products certified by Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
Brook Muller
Brook Muller is the Dean, College of Arts and Architecture, University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Prior to this role, Brook was Professor of Architecture and Environmental Studies at the University of Oregon. He also directed UO’s Portland Architecture Program and Graduate Certificate in Ecological Design. Brook’s research and teaching address ecologically responsive design, with an emphasis on synergies between sustainable architectures and climate adaptive urban landscapes. From 1993-1996, Brook worked with Behnisch Architects in Stuttgart, Germany, serving as the co-project leader of the IBN Institute for Nature Research, a European Union pilot project for human and environmentally friendly building. Brook is the author of Ecology and the Architectural Imagination (Routledge 2014).
Krystyna Wolniakowski
Krystyna Wolniakowski is the executive director of the Columbia River Gorge Commission. She was the Director for the Western Partnership Office of National Fish & Wildlife Foundation from 2000-2014 developing and managing conservation grantmaking programs in 7 western states. Prior to NFWF, Krystyna worked for 10 years as a fisheries biologist and program manager in the Water Quality Division of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. From 1990-2000, she worked overseas with the German Marshall Fund. Krystyna earned her B.S. degree in biology and chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-EauClaire, and M.S. in oceanographic sciences from Oregon State University.
Peter Paquet, PhD, Emeritus
Founding President
Peter Paquet was a faculty member at Portland State University where he served as a member of the Watershed Management Professional Program Advisory Board and taught courses in that program. Dr. Paquet also was a senior biologist and wildlife director of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, where he was responsible for programs to mitigate for fish and wildlife damage caused by construction of the federal hydropower system.
