Board of Directors

Barbara Lavaty, President

Barbara is a retired accounting manager who recently moved to Whidbey Island from Portland, Oregon with her husband.  After falling in love with Whidbey Island they purchased property almost 20 years ago specifically to retire on. She now has a large vegetable garden, watches birds, enjoys having room for their dogs to run and being involved in the community.  She has been an environmental advocate for years and feels that early environmental education for our children is key to saving the environment.

Marie Bergstrom, Secretary

Marie has been on the WWS Board since 2014, 8 years as secretary. Retiring as an elementary school teacher, she became a volunteer teacher at the Outdoor Classroom in 2013. As chair of the WWS youth Education Committee, Marie writes Outdoor Classroom curriculum lessons and gives volunteer support to WWS youth programs year-round. Her love of children, teaching, and the environment are best expressed at the Rene Neff Outdoor Classroom.

Bob Gentz, Treasurer

Bob is great resource for us, keeping track of bookeeping and finances. He also participates in our restoration and research projects, and raises many trees in his backyard. He is a Beach Watcher, serves on several boards including Sound Water Stewards, Orca Network, and Goosefoot, and is a former Whidbey Audubon board member to name a few of his contributions to our island community!

Lee Chavez

Lee has  worked for the US Forest Service for many years as a professional hydrologist and is our go-to person for all things in streams.  She is an active educator working with us at the Outdoor Classroom, and participates in our spawning surveys and smolt count. Lee is also is an active Island County Beach Watcher, and Audubon member.

Candace Jordan

Candace is our longest serving board member, is a Realtor with Keller Williams, volunteered for years with the Whidbey Island Garden Tour, and is a past president of the Goosefoot board.

Jeremy McKnight

Jeremy has been a professional in the Environmental Remediation and Habitat Restoration industry for the past 20 years.  He has worked on a wide variety of restoration sites from small streams to very large tidal area restorations.  Jeremy has been volunteering at the Outdoor Classroom for 5 years and working on many of the Whidbey Watershed Stewards stewardship projects with the South Whidbey Scout Troop.

Chris Salomone

Chris spent his forty year career in city government serving as the Community Development Director for the cities of Carlsbad and Chula Vista, California, Tempe, Arizona, and most recently for Bellevue, Washington. In that role, he oversaw planning, housing, economic development, and other municipal areas. He and his wife, Beth, raised two sons, Andrew and Nicholas. They enjoy gardening, hiking, fishing and being a part of the wonderful social fabric of Whidbey island. Like many before them, the wish they had discovered Whidbey and its nurturing natural environment many decades ago. He also has tenure as a Goosefoot board member and president.