Staff - Nisqually Land Trust

Jeanette Dorner, Executive Director

Jeanette joined the Land Trust in November 2020 as Executive Director. She grew up in south Pierce County on the banks of Muck Creek, a tributary to the Nisqually River. She has a B.S. in Earth Sciences and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Pacific Lutheran University and an M.S. from the University of Washington’s College of Forest Resources with a focus on Restoration Ecology. She worked for 11 years as the Salmon Recovery Program Manager with the Nisqually Tribe, coordinating the protection and restoration of salmon habitat in the Nisqually watershed. She then moved to work on Puget Sound wide and Central Puget Sound salmon recovery for the last decade. She is so pleased to have returned to her home watershed and the Nisqually family (Nisquamily) to help protect and steward these special places.

Kim Bredensteiner, Associate Director

Kim joined Nisqually Land Trust in March 2009 in the role of Stewardship Coordinator. Over the years she has directed the Land Trust’s restoration and land management activities and supervised our stewardship volunteer program. Kim has lived in Washington and focused on habitat conservation and restoration for over ten years. Prior to joining the Land Trust, she spent five years as salmon recovery coordinator for Island County. She received her B.A. in Biology from Grinnell College and a M.S. in Watershed Ecology from Oregon State University.

Jeff Barrett, Finance and Operations Manager

Jeff has enjoyed the natural splendor of Washington since his childhood on Whidbey Island. He joined the Nisqually Land Trust in November 2021 after a career in engineering and computing management and owning a small business in Downtown Olympia. He’s pleased to be able to put his experience to use in support of protecting, preserving, and fostering the flora and fauna in this region he loves.

Nikki Dizon, Development Manager

Nikki Dizon interned with the Nisqually Land Trust in 2011 and joined our staff in 2012. She is a graduate of Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment, where she studied environmental policy. She was also a volunteer for Whatcom Land Trust and interned with Capitol Land Trust.

Jake Pool, Stewardship Manager

Jake joined the Nisqually Land Trust team in July 2023 as the new Stewardship Manager. He grew up in the Eatonville area in the Nisqually River watershed. His family settled along South Muck Creek in the 1930s, now 5 generations living, tending to, and exploring the land. Jake, his wife Kristin, and their two kids love the outdoors and are avid hikers and snowshoers, finding adventures on public lands here and beyond. Jake is passionate about conservation in and around the Nisqually Watershed. He works with volunteers and the community to engage in conservation activities from restoration plantings and clean-ups, to foraging and sharing with people the wonders of the flora and fauna that abound here. The Nisqually Lands Trust’s mission fits perfectly with his beliefs and he is honored to be a part of fulfilling that mission.

Jake says, “I want to do more than sustain and conserve what is left. By following nature’s model to grow and increase abundance from what was there before, we can provide future generations with diverse wildlife to see, natural resources to enjoy, and more organic matter in their soil than the previous generation.”

Jake received his B.S. in Public Horticulture with a custom focus toward park management, restoration ecology, and forestry from the University of Washington. He is looking forward to connecting with the community and partners and managing the stewardship of the lands under protection by the Nisqually Land Trust.

Lindsie Lawson, Community Engagement Assistant

Lindsie began working with the Nisqually Land Trust at the end of 2023. She grew up near Dallas, TX and holds a B.A. in Spanish and Global Studies with a minor in Business Administration. Lindsie has interned with non-profit organizations in Itu, Brazil and spent over a year in Malaysia as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant and Program Coordinator. She is also a former Spanish Dual Language Teacher, having taught three years in public schools before taking the exciting step to pursue conservation work.

Since moving to Washington in 2022, Lindsie has worked with Nisqually-based organizations assisting with environmental education, water quality testing, invasive plant removal, and more. She has taken a great interest in the history, flora and fauna of the region and is thrilled to be a part of the Land Trust team.

Lindsey Kreiling, Administrative Assistant

Lindsey has enjoyed the beautiful and inspiring PNW since she moved to Olympia in 2005. She is a graduate of The Evergreen State College where she studied Philosophy and Photography. Lindsey had a wonderful career in the restaurant industry, owning and managing multiple restaurants in downtown Olympia for over 15 years. She is thrilled to be joining the team at Nisqually Land Trust to support her community in a new capacity.

Candace McCloud, Administrative Assistant

My heart belongs to Mt təqʷuʔmaʔ from the Nisqually glacier where my blended family was created, around the Wonderland trail where my roots were planted, to the mouth of the Puget Sound where my children have grown up. I arrived in the Pacific NW in 1997, and I spent the first 13 years working with WA Dept. of Social and Health Services. My next adventure was raising 12 kids on the beautiful shores of the Nisqually River. I am beyond excited to be working with the Nisqually Land Trust team to learn about conservation, to grow our conservation network, and to protect the river my family loves so very much.