Uniting Passion and Profession
Working collaboratively with like-minded organizations and individuals
With a keen interest in vibrant watersheds and abundant foodsheds, Ann volunteers with her local Stream Team and Marine Shellfish programs, with particular attention to regenerative agriculture and wetland restoration. The adaptive challenges of climate change are motivating her to apply her talents toward projects in the natural sciences and conservation, to build the resilient systems needed going forward.
Projects that make a difference
REI: Zero Waste to Landfill company initiative
Research—including dumpster diving—to establish the initiative's benchmarks. The data was featured in REI's first-ever Sustainability Report. A follow-on project: conducted an operational analysis of REI's Product Information Guides (yes, PIGs), and facilitated a creative session with constituents from around the company. Besides being terrific fun, the end result was an employee-lead move to switch to a digital workflow for the guides, with environmental benefits that pleased all who were involved.
Solar Richmond
Produced a business plan, marketing plan and analysis that is used by other regional organizations around the country to advance green collar jobs in the renewable energy field.
Symantec: Sustainable Packaging Initiative
Researched and vetted vendors for a joint collaboration of Symantec's CSR and Marketing groups. The result: Symantec selected a sustainable packaging vendor who continued to advise them on changing regulatory requirements, and to ongoing improvements to their overall packaging strategies and waste streams.
Skagit Women in Business: Connections. Encouragement. Opportunity.
SWIB's purpose is to provide members with a forum for the exchange of information and encouragement, as well as opportunities to enhance personal and professional goals.
Membership Chair in 2020
The Scholarship program—SWIB awards scholarships to Skagit County women who have had a break in their education of at least two years.
The Web of Life
In clement weather, my mother took her three youngest daughters out for Ladies Walks. We observed the violets in the woods, the satisfyingly gory bloodroot flowers peeking out in early spring. We learned the trees, flowers, and birds of our Minnesota Mississippi River Valley home. We observed, and, sometimes, we named, our natural neighbors. This teacher, my Mom, catalyzed a lifelong admiration of and belonging to, natural systems. Our home. Noticing, and, sometimes, naming some elements. Recognizing the interconnections throughout the natural world. Endless repetitions of form and pattern - from the Spiral Nebulae to the swirl of cream in your morning coffee.
It is no surprise that I see systems and inter-relationships in my attraction to DAMs, and libraries, and communications in general. That I double majored in language and in history in college - because who could choose between things so essentially integrated? That I chose studies in Sustainable Business at Pinchot much later in my career. That I specialize in “metadata”, which just means describing elements of a system so you can recognize them. And find them again.
Now? I moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1977 and make my home on Padilla Bay, one of our 28 National Estuaries. I’m keenly interested in vibrant watersheds and abundant foodsheds, and volunteer with my local Stream Team and Marine Shellfish programs, with a particular interest in regenerative agriculture. My home, on a hill above the bay, has a wetland in restoration – an unfolding treat over time.