Board of Directors News: Welcome, and Thanks
By Linda Griesbach
Secretary Tiffany Kelly and Treasurer Dave Venard pictured outside the Coupeville Recreation Hall after being elected to serve on the Whidbey Audubon Society Board on May 8, 2025.
The month of May brought changes to the composition of our board of directors. We welcomed two new officers and two new members and bade goodbye to four members.
Tiffany Kelly and Dave Venard officially began their duties as Secretary and Treasurer, respectively, at the end of the May board meeting. Read about Tiffany and Dave.
The Board of Directors appointed two new Members at Large, Linda Rhodes and Doug Fortner.
Linda has lived on Whidbey since 1987 and has an extensive science background. She initially studied chemical contaminants in Puget Sound and their effects on wild fish, then went on to study ecotoxicology in fish and shellfish, infectious diseases in wild and hatchery-reared fish, and microbiomes of animals and aquatic systems. Linda has also volunteered with environmental groups including Island County’s Environmental Health Assessment Team, the Marine Resources Committee and the Conservation Futures Program.
Doug is a former land use attorney for various municipalities and has also served on planning commissions either as a member or staff. Although fairly new to birding, he enjoys observing the diversity of bird species in and around his home in the Freeland area. Doug believes a healthy environment for people begins with a healthy environment for wildlife and respect for natural systems. He believes a healthy bird population is a good indicator of a healthy environment.
The May meeting also marked the departure of Jann Ledbetter, Kathy Obersinner, Janet Jernigan and Dave Parent from the board. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to all four for the time and commitment they contributed to WAS over the past many years.
Jann served as chair for both the Support Services Cabinet and Membership Committee.
Kathy served as a member-at-large on the board as well as a member of the Programs Committee. She will continue to serve on the Programs Committee for the next year.
Janet is our outgoing secretary.
Dave also served as a member-at large as well as field trip chair. He will continue to schedule field trips for the time being.
We will miss these four colleagues but look forward to working with Tiffany, Dave, Linda and Doug in the future.
We appreciate members who have given of their time and talents in the past and who are filling vital roles going forward. There are still several vacancies on the board—president, support services chair, events chair, education chair and one member-at-large position. If you are interested in serving in one of these positions, please contact Joaquín or Linda Griesbach.