Meet Our Team
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Columbiana has been serving the Okanogan valley for over 30 years! Meet the team who is continuing our promise to protect and promote education and conservation of the indigenous ecosystems and culture of the Intermountain West Bioregion.
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ChairI am passionate about enacting change on the community level to create long lasting and sustainable environmental restoration and conservation efforts within the Pacific Northwest. I would like to see Columbiana begin to foster educational programs to educate the next generation in land stewardship, environmental sciences, and the history of our region. I believe Columbiana's biggest strength is the incredible network of people Rick and Jére have connected with since the organization's birth. In my free time you can find me climbing, trail running or scuba diving! I work directly with Tri State Steel Headers, the Walla Walla Conservation District, and Youth Salmon Protectors as well as various student organizations here in Walla Walla.Being involved with and witnessing so many successful organizations work within our community inspires me to bring those ideas to our board and create a collaborative network bridging the geographical gap between South Eastern Washington and the Okanogan Highlands.
Vice ChairBob Clark has largely lived and worked in the intermountain west his entire adult life—maintaining his connections with the natural world and the ways people interact with it while preserving and conserving the native environment upon which they depend for their livelihoods.
Born and raised in western Nebraska, Bob moved with his family to Utah where he attended high school and college. After graduating from Utah State University with a BS in Forest Recreation, Bob worked for the US Forest Service in a variety of seasonal positions and a permanent technician position, after which he worked contract forest service inventory until he did graduate work at the University of Montana in Rural, Town and Regional Planning. He arrived in Okanogan County in late August, 1991, to take a position as land use planner for Okanogan County coming from a similar position in Butte-Silver Bow County, Montana. Bob served in the Okanogan County Planning Office until the mid-2000. During a hiatus from regular employment, Bob attended training sessions in designing and installing renewable energy systems. Beginning in December 2001, he worked for 16 years as Conservation Planner for the Okanogan Conservation District (OCD), retiring at the end of February 2017. Several months before he retired from the OCD, Bob retired from the solar and wind installation business which he conducted with two business partners. In addition to landscaping and maintaining his yards, he enjoys a fair amount of time riding his recumbent trike. After retiring from the Okanogan Conservation District, Bob now realizes that he has opportunity to shape policy in the conservation realm, not just implement established policy. So, in addition to becoming an associate supervisor of the OCD, he has decided to apply his values and at least some of the knowledge he obtained in his previous work experiences to help formulate policies that help the Okanogan County community conserve and preserve the wonderful place in which we live. Secretary
Rick and Jeré Gillespie introduced Jack to environmental litigation in 1984 when he worked as a private attorney. As a Judge Jack oversaw many cases related to the environment, zoning, property ownership and use. He retired from the Bench in 2012 and has pursued his interest in the environment ever since.
Jack is particularly proud of Columbiana’s work to remove the Enloe Dam to restore fish habitat. His favorite activity so far was helping at Similkameen Sunday in 2023. The event contributed to Jack’s long-time interest in learning from and working with Indigenous People and Tribal Groups. Jack, Peg and their kids lived in the Okanogan for 30+ years. He has been a member of the Columbiana Board since it was re-structured in 2000( or before that. I don't remember.) and now serves as Board Secretary. Jack loves Salmon and Orcas and now enjoys living with his wife Peg on Whidbey Island and on the Salish Sea. TreasurerKari Jeroue grew up in Snohomish, WA. As a graduate of Snohomish High school she went on to earn a Bachelor's degree in Accounting in 2008 from Western Washington University. While in Bellingham she gained work experience performing small business accounting for 3 years. After graduation, she moved closer to home and began working at Kaas Tailored, an aerospace and furniture manufacturing company in Mukilteo, where she gained experience accounting for a $24 million dollar/year company for 7 years. She worked her way up to Finance Lead and managed a 3-person accounting team. They sent her to Japan for a week long Lean/Kaizen training where she toured Toyota, Kobelco and several other Japanese companies learning about Kaizen and eliminating waste. With this experience she became a tour host teaching other companies how to create process improvements, identify and eliminate the 7 wastes, create visual management, and ultimately how to empower employees to create change to make their jobs easier. Additionally, she was an AS 9100 Internal Auditor for 4 years. Currently, she is helping her partner James run a small tree care company called North Cascade Tree Care LLC based in Snohomish and also serving Okanogan County since 2018. She joined Columbiana’s active Board of directors in 2020 and quickly became the Treasurer. She enjoys rock climbing, hiking and traveling. She recently started coaching youth rock climbing in 2021 at Vertical World in Lynnwood, WA. Kari and James welcomed their son, Rowan, in 2022 and daughter Azlynn in 2024. They continued to reside in Snohomish while raising their family and running their family tree business.
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DirectorI have lived in the Okanogan Valley for 34 years. My husband of 36 years and I have raised children here and enjoyed the natural beauty of this unique region. I became a board member of Columbiana in the mid-1990’s. I was attracted to Columbiana because of its mission to educate and foster interconnectedness of the natural world and its inhabitants by working locally with folks who live here, and whose ancestors lived here, bringing to mind and heart all our relations. I enjoy helping the group with graphics and writing in our website and printed material. I also enjoy planning community events and bringing people together. I see Columbiana as a hub of information, education and community gathering that celebrates and enlarges our awareness of our unique region and its people. I am retired from teaching at Wenatchee Valley College and Omak High School, from being the Okanogan Valley Farmers Market manager, and from my childcare business. I spend a lot of time painting and doing art.
Director
Rick Gillespie is a retired instructor living in Chesaw, WA where he and his wife, Jeré Gillespie, started Columbiana in the mid to late 1980s after publishing Okanogan Natural News which Jeré started in the late 1970s. My inspiration for the last 40 years has been to insure that Columbiana maintains for the inhabitants (both human, fauna and flora populations) of the Intermountain West the care of its resources by reading the needs of its Indigenous habitats. Remembering the satisfaction of learning and working on issues of land management, forest and water issues from an Indigenous-led perspective has propelled my actions and inspires my passion to help others appreciate the healing nature of our bioregion. I believe Jeré has been my inspiration and mentor over the 35 years we spent together raising our blended families and sharing our environmental, social justice and peace work together with others in our bioregion.
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