Board of Directors

Board Vice President, Sean Smith

Sean is a fourth-generation mining engineer that is now confined mostly to the office as the Assistant General Manager for CalPortland. Sean spends his free time outdoors: kayaking, climbing, hiking, skiing, and simply enjoying the sounds and views of the Nisqually Estuary from his backyard. On joining the Land Trust board of directors, Sean said, “This is a place I want to call home. I want to be involved in shaping the interaction between our society and the natural world we are so fortunate to live in. I want to assist in balancing society’s footprint while also allowing for the continued enjoyment of the outdoors in my lifetime and beyond.”

Board Treasurer, Kelsey Hulse

Kelsey has always felt connected to water and the Pacific Northwest. She has fond childhood memories of swimming in Puget Sound, digging for clams, hunting for shells and baby crabs, and getting into seaweed fights with her cousins. As an adult, her outdoor adventures and awareness of the importance of conservation expanded while working in the outdoor recreation industry. In 2012 Kelsey moved to Olympia from Seattle in the hopes of finding a place she could plant a garden and see the stars at night. Kelsey has always been impressed with the Land Trust’s ability to achieve lofty goals and by the commitment and enthusiasm of the Land Trust’s many volunteers. She is excited to be a board member and is dedicated to contributing to the Land Trust’s continued success.

Board Secretary, Barbara Samora

Barbara retired from the National Park Service in 2015 after a 40-year career; the last 28 years as a biologist in Mount Rainier National Park. She managed programs associated with research, inventory, and monitoring of aquatic, Wilderness, atmospheric, soundscapes, and geologic resources. She served as one of the park’s first representatives on the Nisqually River Council in its early days. Barbara also served as a Planning Commissioner for the Town of Eatonville. She represented the National Park Service and the Town of Eatonville on the development of the second phase of the Nisqually Watershed Plan. She strongly supports protecting open spaces for ecological and public benefit and believes that land conservation is critical to addressing climate change impacts. In her retirement, she also spends her time volunteering with the Mountain Community Garden, Eatonville Family Agency, and Pierce County Master Gardeners. She enjoys hiking, camping, gardening, and traveling.

Craig Davison, Board Member

Craig Davison is a Tacoma resident and currently works as the Executive Director of Marketing Communications with MultiCare Foundations. Craig has called the PNW home since he was stationed at Fort Lewis back in 1991. He is a passionate conservationist and advocate for the Land Trust’s mission, believing that it is essential to establish and steward the lands and habitats that surround the Nisqually River and other waterways and marine ecosystems throughout the West. A native of Florida, Craig grew up fishing on brackish waterways, canals, and spring-fed rivers. Those early experiences instilled a reverence and respect for the land and a sense of responsibility for ensuring our natural environment is preserved for the good of all life. Craig’s work in the public sector deepened his appreciation for the worthwhile challenge of achieving harmony between our built and natural environments. Craig’s working career has included leadership roles at Microsoft, Sound Transit, and MultiCare in addition to serving on the board of Communities for a Healthy Bay and the Seattle Aquarium. Craig is a US Army veteran of The Gulf War. In his off time, Craig loves to explore, hike, and ‘nerd out’ on our region’s geological and indigenous history.

Peggen Frank, Board Member

Peggen Frank is an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe Located on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming, where she was born and raised. She is also Oglala Lakota. She moved to the Nisqually watershed in the early 2000s to be with her husband, Nisqually Tribal Chair Willie Frank III. Peggen attended Evergreen State College, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in sustainable business, human resources management, and marketing, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration with an emphasis in Tribal Government. She is the Executive Director of Salmon Defense, a nonprofit that organizes education and advocacy for salmon and salmon habitat. She also represents several Tribes as a Washington State contract lobbyist. Peggen continues to be inspired by her late father-in-law Billy Frank Jr.’s vision of protecting the water and the river.

Hanford McCloud, Board Member

Greetings, my name Is Hweqwidi Hanford McCloud. My parents are Joyce McCloud (Wells), Nisqually, and Don McCloud Jr., Puyallup. My maternal grandparents are Rosie Wells Chum (Gillie), Wishcum/Wasco, Richard A Wells Sr., Nisqually, and great grandparents are Amy Andrews, Wishcum/Wasco, Hiram Wahpat, Yakama, Josephine Wells (Skamink), Nisqually, and William Wells Sr., Nisqually. My paternal grandparents are Janet McCloud (Renecker) and Don McCloud Sr., and great grandparents Mamie Henry-McCoy, Suquamish/Tulalip, Angeline McCloud-Frank (Tobin), Nisqually/Yakama, and Andrew McCloud Sr. Andrew McCloud, Sr. passed away when my Sapa Don was young, and Sapa was raised by Willie Frank, Sr., “Grampa Frank,” Nisqually.

I grew up here in Nisqually, and in Yelm. Growing up here on the reservation was a good experience–learning about our tribal sovereignty, our self-governance, and knowing our treaty rights as a hunter, diver, and fisherman. I love to be outdoors in the woods, on the river, and in a canoe on the Salish Sea. As an artist, I love to weave baskets and hats of our people that we made for thousands of years. I come from a basket weaver family, as my Great Grandmother was a weaver, among many things she did. My mom taught me at the age of 12 to gather bark from the trees and how to take care of the trees, because that’s why they are here, to weave baskets also because I was always in trouble at school at home. Making baskets and hats has changed my life for the better. I also grew up making paddles and carving small things out of cedar wood and yellow cedar wood. My father carves, my grandfather was a carver of canoe, and a leader. I get my leadership skills, among other skills, from him. I currently hold the 6th Tribal Council Chair for the Nisqually Nation. I have worked for Nisqually all my life, holding different positions and working for some awesome departments within our Tribe. I love our culture and traditions that drive me to do better for my community. As the canoe coordinator, I was responsible for putting together a canoe Journey like none other here in Nisqually territory, and it was a successful event.

Sunny Thompson, Board Member

Sunny brings to the Land Trust board a sincere passion for raising awareness about climate change, protecting the intact forests of the watershed, and restoring fragmented forests now under the care of the Land Trust. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Sunny has lived near the headwaters of the Nisqually for 40 years and believes wholeheartedly in the power of collaboration. She has nurtured collaboration in the watershed by serving on the Nisqually River Council Citizen’s Advisory Committee and her business was a founding member of the Council. Over the last 34 years, she has transformed an old farm near Mount Rainier into an earth and heart-centered woodland spa and retreat center that provides respite for climbers, hikers, and other weary souls needing to renew their connection to the natural world. Sunny is known for her bright spirit, warm heart, and welcoming soul.  She loves to hike in summer, ski in winter, and in all seasons, love, honor, and care for our beautiful and precious planet.

Sally Toteff, Board Member

Sally grew up along the lower Columbia River in rural southwest Washington as part of a commercial salmon fishing family. Her early experiences on the river inspired a 30-year career supporting natural resources working for local and state government. She set roots in Thurston County in the 1980s. During her last decade of public service, Sally led the Southwest Washington Office at the Department of Ecology where her role included identifying and implementing long-lasting solutions to support thriving communities and watersheds. During these years she became familiar with the Nisqually Land Trust’s great work and clear focus on measurable outcomes. She and her husband, John Ridgway, feel most at home being outdoors most anywhere— in forest or mountain meadows, along river or marine shorelines, paddling their kayaks in the Salish Sea, or spending time in their garden.

Katie Wilcox-Coble, Board Member

Katie was born and raised along the Nisqually River, at Wilcox Farms, where she now owns and operates the Harts Lake Pioneer Lumber Company. Katie specializes in making beautiful live-edge custom furniture from timber grown on the family farm (you can see her work at hartslakepioneerlumber.com). Katie is also our first second-generation director! Her father (and business partner) is State Representative J.T. Wilcox, a founding board member who served from 1990 through 1992.

Clare McCahill, Board Member

Clare Duncan McCahill is originally from central North Carolina. She graduated from The University of the South in 2007 and it is there in the forests of the Cumberland Plateau that she truly developed her love for the natural world.

In 2015, Clare and her husband, Pete, moved to Elbe, WA. Since that time, they have been stewarding 100 acres on the Upper Nisqually River, approximately 13 miles from the Nisqually Glacier. There they have created Perigee Farm, employing principles of organic, regenerative, and biodynamic agriculture while restoring and improving native habitat. Clare grows and sells seasonal cut flowers and provides floristry services for small scale weddings, events and local businesses. In her free time, she enjoys trail running, travelling and teaching yoga.

She is excited to be part of the Nisqually Land Trust board and is particularly interested in developing community relations and engagement in the Upper Nisqually Watershed.

George Walter, Board Member Emeritus

George Walter was the Land Trust’s president from its founding in 1989 until March 2012. He has been an Environmental Program Supervisor for the Nisqually Tribe since 1978 and is an expert on the Nisqually basin. George serves as the chair of the Land Trust’s Lands Committee. George recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Puget Sound Partnership for his central role in the conservation of the Nisqually Watershed.