Staff and Board of Directors
WTC Staff and Board of Directors
Washington Toxics Coalition Staff
Laurie Valeriano, Executive Director, has worked for Washington Toxics Coalition since 1995. She has worked to pass strong environmental health policies at the state level for more than 15 years. During those years she has led successful campaigns to make Washington the first state in the nation to ban the toxic flame retardant, deca (PBDE), and adopt the strongest standards in the nation for toxic chemicals in toys and children's products. Laurie received her B.A in Political Science from the State University at Albany in 1991. She lives in Seattle with her three children and loves to go camping and practice yoga. Contact:lvaleriano@watoxics.org or ext. 114
Amanda Auger, Finance and Administrative Manager, joined the WTC staff in 2011. A lifelong environmental activist, Amanda was a member of the nonprofit collective Seeds of Peace in Berkeley, CA for seven years, working primarily as an anti-nuclear activist at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site and other nuclear facilities nationwide. She then spent three years in Northeast Florida where her work to preserve endangered habitat earned her a Sierra Club award for environmental conservation. Amanda comes to WTC from a position as Accounting Manager at Grand Central Baking Co. in Portland OR, where she worked for six and a half years. Contact: aauger@watoxics.org or ext. 110
Anna Dyer, Development Manager, joined the staff of WTC in 2008. Before she started at WTC, Anna worked at "Faith in Place" in Chicago, IL organizing faith communities around environmental issues. Anna holds a B.S. in Geology and a minor in Studio Art from Hope College. She graduated in 2007. As a passionate environmentalist, she is excited to be working to make our communities safer and healthier places to live, work and play. Formerly the WTC field organizer, Anna now manages the Development program. Contact: adyer@watoxics.org or ext. 118.
Jill Mangaliman, Field Organizer, joined the WTC staff in 2011. Homegrown in Seattle, Jill loves her community very much. Thanks to Federal Pell Grants, she was able to go to the University of Washington and graduate in 2003 with a B.A. in Geography and a concentration in Spatial Politics. After 3 years in Japan, she returned home focused and ready to fight injustice. For 4 years at Washington CAN, she organized on state and national campaigns involving health equity, tax policy reform, and state budget cuts. Off the clock, she has facilitated workshops and organized with young people and low-income families to advance economic and environmental equity. She is a board member of Got Green, a grassroots group working to ensure that the benefits of the green economy reach low-income communities and communities of color, and also chairs the Women in the Green Economy Project organizing committee. Jill is your go-to person for building leadership and partnerships to further WTC’s grassroots campaigns. Contact: jmangaliman@watoxics.org or ext. 112.
Lisa Mikesell, New Media Organizer, joined the WTC staff officially in 2011. She also previously worked for WTC as a Social Media Intern in 2009, and as the Communications and Outreach Assistant in 2010. She graduated from Occidental College in 2008 with a B.A. in Politics and a minor in Japanese. In addition to volunteering with WTC, she has done various fundraising, organizing, and campaign work for Greenpeace and Fuse Washington. A native of the Puget Sound region, Lisa is glad to be back in the Pacific Northwest after 6 years of living and traveling in Los Angeles, Japan, and New Zealand. Lisa manages WTC’s social media and helps implement the communication, field, and outreach portions of WTC campaign plans. Contact: lmikesell@watoxics.org or ext. 125.
Ivy Sager-Rosenthal, Campaign Director, joined the WTC staff in March 2005. Previously, she developed and ran campaigns to eliminate persistent toxic chemicals for the Washington Public Interest Research Group and People For Puget Sound. Ivy has also worked as a legislative attorney for the Wisconsin Legislature. She has a law degree from The American University's Washington College of Law and a B.A. in International Relations and a Certificate in Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin. Ivy works on the campaign to eliminate persistent toxic pollution. Contact: isager-rosenthal@watoxics.org or ext. 122
Erika Schreder, Science Director, has worked on the Washington Toxics Coalition staff since 1997. Currently, she is leading the Coalition’s research on toxic chemicals in children’s products. In 2005 and 2006, she led the research for the Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition’s Pollution in People study. In the past, she has led WTC’s efforts to secure protections for salmon from pesticides and to advocate for greater support for organic and sustainable agriculture. She obtained a Masters in Resource Ecology and Management from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in molecular biology from MIT. Prior to joining the Toxics Coalition staff, she worked as a stream and wetland ecologist. Contact: eschreder@watoxics.org or ext. 119
Washington Toxics Coalition Board of Directors
Don Bollinger is an energy consultant at Braco Energy services and has worked as a chemist for 12 years, including two years working on environmental mutagens with Barry Commoner. He is the past board president of the Coalition for the Environment (St. Louis), and has four years experience as an anti-nuclear activist. Don joined the WTC Board in 1994, has served as Treasurer and currently serves on the Finance Committee.
Jesseca Brand, President is the Program Director for King County Conservation Voters, the King County chapter of Washington Conservation Voters, where she handles the county endorsement process, fundraising and strategic campaign involvement; previously she served on the KCCV Board. Jesseca has a background in growth management and transportation advocacy, working for Futurewise as Outreach Director. Jesseca left Futurewise to pursue her Masters in Public Administration at Seattle University, where she also holds a BA. She has also worked on several campaigns at the State Legislative and City Council level. Jesseca grew up in Kennewick, WA and has made her home in Seattle since 1998. She joined the WTC Board in 2010 and serves on the Development and Governance Committees.
Janette Brimmer, Secretary is a staff attorney for the non-profit environmental law firm Earthjustice in their Seattle office. Prior to coming to Seattle, Janette was the Legal Director of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy from 2000-2008 where she worked on a variety of environmental legal and policy issues including clean water, pesticides, wetlands protection, and clean air. Even while she was in Minnesota, Janette was aware of WTC and an admirer of its work. Before her work in the nonprofit world, Janette worked for the Attorneys' General of Minnesota and Wisconsin. A “life-time” environmental advocate, Janette joined the WTC Board in 2010 and serves on the Development Committee.
Arti Chandra is a family practice physician with a master's degree in public health in the area of maternal and child health. She takes care of an economically and ethnically diverse patient population in the central area of Seattle. Her clinical practice uses a Functional Medicine approach to caring for patients: an integrative, wellness-oriented health model that is patient-centered and addresses the unique interactions among lifestyle, environmental and genetic factors that influence both health and chronic symptoms and disease. She joined the WTC Board in 2007 and serves on the Development Committee.
Sharon Hsiang Chen, Vice President is a returning Board member to WTC after serving from 2003-2008—including as Board Vice President in 2007. She lived for two years abroad in Taipei, Taiwan where she was a full time student learning Mandarin Chinese. Sharon has returned to Seattle with her husband Peter and her children, Lucy and Leo, and they are expecting their third child due in April. Sharon worked in Product Management at Microsoft from 1994-2006 on programs such as MS Access and MS/MSN Money. Sharon serves on the Development Committee.
Janna Rolland, Past President is an organizational consultant to nonprofits and philanthropies with more than 20 years of experience in the sector. After starting her career in Washington, DC, working on nuclear arms control, Janna moved west and served as executive director of two environmental health nonprofits. Janna settled in Seattle in 1996, trained as a Master Home Environmentalist, served as a longtime board member of the Institute for Children’s Environmental Health, and earned a mid career MPA at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. She joined the WTC Board in 2007 and serves on the Executive, Finance and Strategic Planning Committees.
Jon Sharpe, Treasurer is currently the Center Administrator for the UW Center for Ecogenetics & Environmental Health. Jon joined the Board in February 2011. A Seattle resident, Jon brings a wealth of non-profit Board experience as well as fundraising, marketing and environmental and occupational health experience to WTC. Jon serves on the Finance Committee.
David Stitzhal is President of Full Circle Environmental Inc., which specializes in recycling, waste prevention, and producer responsibility. He has served as co-chair of the mayor-appointed Seattle Solid Waste Advisory Committee, and was the former project director for waste reduction and recycling programs at Washington Citizens for Recycling. He also currently serves on the Board of the Product Policy Institute. David has authored numerous articles and speaks nationally on waste-policy issues. David joined the WTC Board in 1993 and has served as Board President.
Marlyn Twitchell is an independent legal and campaign consultant for nonprofit organizations and foundations. She has a long history of using her legal skills to protect the environment through her roles as the Executive Director of the Campion Foundation, Environmental Litigation Director of the National Audubon Society, and Associate Attorney at Earthjustice. She received her JD from Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, OR.
Gwen Vernon is currently a Senior Associate at Cascadia Consulting Group in Seattle. Gwen has a long history of providing education and outreach to residents and businesses on natural yard care, hazardous products and waste, and resource stewardship. She has a masters in education and a bachelors degree in Spanish and international studies. Gwen speaks fluent Spanish and is a certified Master Gardener. She joined the WTC Board in 2009 and chairs the Governance Committee.
Liz Zimmerly is an analyst with Seattle City Light's Corporate Performance division. She holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Washington Evans School of Public Affairs. Liz is a passionate environmentalist who recently completed an environmental management studies fellowship with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She brings to the board experience with reaching out to diverse communities related to environmental health issues, such as brownfields redevelopment and organic agriculture, as well as experience leading a small nonprofit. Liz lives in Rainier Beach with her husband, Mark, and son, Elijah.
