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Events Calendar | Become an AmeriCorps
Member | Volunteer
with PCEI
(Scroll down page for complete staff list and Program
areas)
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Thomas C. Lamar, Executive Director
PCEI's Executive Director since 1990. His thirty-one years of experience
in the public interest sector has helped PCEI increase citizen
involvement in environmental issues. Tom has also taught Conservation
Leadership at the University of Idaho, Conservation Social Sciences
Department for six years. In 2007 he was elected to the Moscow City
Council. In 2011, he was re-elected to a second four year term. Tom
holds an MS degree in Environmental Science from Washington State
University (1985). He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology
and Anthropology at the University of Delaware in 1982. While at
Delaware and WSU, Tom studied the medicinal use of Plants by the Shipibo
Indians of the Peruvian rainforest. Tom's background includes
Central American peace organizing in the 1980's. He also worked with
the Northwest
Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides for two years as an
advocate for pesticide exposure victims. Tom enjoys swimming, running,
bicycling, triathlons, and gardening. Email Tom
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Judith L. Brown, Business Manager
Judy is an economist and has spent her career working within the Idaho
nonprofit community both as a staff economist and as a self-employed
consulting economist. Judy directed the Idaho Center on Budget and Tax
Policy, which was a project of the nonprofit United Vision for Idaho,
based in Boise, Idaho. Her background includes Master’s degrees in both
economics and agricultural economics from Michigan State University. For
the last fifteen years, she worked as an economist and policy analyst in
the area of tax and budget policy in Idaho.
Judy Brown served previously on the board of the Palouse-Clearwater
Environmental Institute and was treasurer of PCEI from 1995 to 1999.
Judy has also served on the board and as treasurer for the Friends of
the Moscow Public Library and the Latah County Library District. Email Judy
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Jen Hiebert, Office Manager
Jen was born and raised in northern Manitoba, Canada, where she
developed a love for the outdoors and a commitment to environmental
issues. A convoluted career path has led her to her current position
at PCEI. She has been a research assistant working with everything
from fish eggs to seal pups, has taught self-defense for women, and was
a Front End Manager at the Neighborhood Co-op Grocery/ in
southern Illinois.
Jen also has a B.Sc. in Ecology and a Master’s in Watershed Ecosystems.
She has enjoyed living in many places (including France and New
Zealand) but thinks Moscow is the perfect picnic spot. Jen loves cold
weather, photography, music, spending time with her husband and family,
and spoiling her dog, AJ. Email
Jen
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Aly Lamar, Membership Coordinator
Aly is a proud Colorado native. Studying in Durango, Colorado (where
Aly received her BA in Political Science) increased her passion for the
outdoors, leading her to work in wilderness areas throughout the
Northwest, Southwest and Alaska. She has served as a Youth Corps Leader for 3
years, guiding outdoor work projects in trail construction and
watershed and habitat restoration. Aly is an accomplished backpacking
and mountain biking instructor having treked extensively on the Colorado Trail.
Aly is also the founder our Women's Mountain Biking Clinics and
on her days off from PCEI, she can be found working part-time at B & L Bicycles. Aly has worked at
PCEI as an AmeriCorps Member, an Environmental Educator, Volunteer
Coordinator and now as our Membership Coordinator. Aly coordinates our
AmeriCorps Program and public relations work. She spends her
free time mountain biking, swimming , playing hockey. She is an active
member of the Moscow community and is a proud member of the Palouse-Clearwater Environmental
Institute, the League of Women Voters of
Moscow, the Moscow Food Co-op, the Moscow Giving
Circle, the Latah County
Historical Society. Friends of the
Clearwater, Radio Free
Moscow and the Moscow Area Mountain Biking
Association .
Email Aly Lamar at aly@pcei.org.
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Heather Huston, Outreach Coordinator
Born in California, and raised in Illinois. Heather has fallen in love
with the Palouse-Clearwater region and now considers this her home. She
has learned about growing plants and sustainable living for the past
eight years with friends. This is where she discovered her love for
gardening and horticulture. She is a graduate of the University of
Idaho in Child Development Family Relations with minors in Psychology
and Outdoor Recreation. This direction led to a Masters degree in
Environmental Education and a certificate in a survey Permaculture
program. She completed two terms with AmeriCorps as a youth program
coordinator where she gained experience planning and coordinating many
successful youth development activities. Participants reported building
self-efficacy, learning new skills, and having a ton of fun! Heather
values the importance of creating a caring learning environment,
working with mentors and volunteers. Her free time activities include
gardening, farming, honeybee keeping, cooking and camping. Email Heather
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Randy Stevens, Implementation Coordinator
Randy spent his formidable years growing up in Spokane, WA. While
attending Washington State University he earned a Bachelors degree in
Architecture. After school he remained in the gorgeous Palouse area.
In October of 2004 and 2005 he served an AmeriCorps member with the
PCEI Watersheds program,the Moscow Community Garden and our Sustainable
Living program. After completing his MS degree at Washington State
University in Weed Science and Ecology, Randy worked as the Natural
Resource Coordinator for the Palouse Conservation District. He likes to
spend his free time on the water with his sailboat, in the mountains
hiking or skiing depending on the weather, or chilling at home reading,
sculpting, or cooking for friends. And remember: Go Cougs!! Email Randy
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Elisa Medrzycki, Environmental Educator, AmeriCorps Member
Elisa emerged into life on the shores of the majestic Puget Sound in
Northwest Washington. Being raised with such a diverse and unique
ecosystem splashing against the edge of the neighborhood she became
increasingly fascinated in the plant and animal life in the region, and
especially interested in why no one was teaching her about it in
school!
Elisa holds an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education along with
a Bachelor of the Arts in Cultural Anthropology from Western Washington
University. Her desire to teach others in the community about their
most interesting neighbors has led to a variety of positions; from
teaching 6th grade outdoor education in the foothills of the Cascades
to feeding sea stars at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma and
eventually here to PCEI as an AmeriCorps member!
When full of energy Elisa is an avid sea kayaker, cyclist and
adventurer, but in the off-time thoroughly enjoys an overly competitive
game of Settlers of Catan and a cuddle on the couch with her brown dog
Murph. Feel free to email
Elisa.
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Pat Beezley, Environmental Educator, Americorps Member
Pat Beezley is originally from St. Louis, MO. He completed his
Bachelors in Recreation from Southeast Missouri State University and
just finished his Masters in Recreation from Southern Illinois
University. Pat has been fortunate to be able to travel and work all
over the country at various recreation jobs. He got his start in the
recreation field working at a university climbing wall and gear shop in
Missouri. He has taught outdoor adventure classes and led trips for both
Southeast Missouri State and Southern Illinois University. Pat has
worked in different therapeutic settings all over the country, from an
adolescent group home were he facilitated group-building games in
Missouri to working at wilderness therapy programs in Northeast Georgia
and in Southwest Utah. While at the wilderness therapy programs Pat
learned about how beneficial the outdoors can be for people. During
college he guided for four seasons doing both whitewater rafting and
rock climbing in the New River Gorge in West Virginia. Lastly, Pat
started teaching environmental education at his college internship at a
YMCA camp in North Carolina.
When he is not working Pat loves being outside spending time with his
wife TJ and his dog Dexter. He likes backpacking, whitewater kayaking,
rock climbing, and exploring the different amazing places that
Northwest has to offer. Pat is excited to be a part of Americorps and
the PCEI staff.
You can email Pat
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Ashlie Tainer, Environmental Educator, Americorps Member
Ashlie was born and raised in Portland, Oregon where here family
frequently vacationed at the Oregon Coast and spent camping trips at
The North Fork in Northern Idaho. At a young age, she quickly grew an
affection and appreciation for the outdoors and fondly remembers taking
hikes throughout Oregon, such as at Multnomah Falls and Black Butte.
She has always enjoyed working with children and has spent time as a
youth sports camp counselor with Anthony Newman Sport Camps as well as
a youth basketball and soccer referee. She received her Bachelor of
Arts in Psychology at The University of Oregon while earning a double
minor in Environmental Studies and Business. During her studies, she
worked as an environmental educator at Adam’s Elementary School through
the Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) at the University. Her
teaching opportunity through ELP led her to the environmental educator
position at the Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute (PCEI) in
Moscow, Idaho where her mother’s family is originally from. The
combination of working outdoors and with children to educate them on
how to protect our environment while still enjoying the natural beauty
of it seemed to be the perfect fit as Ashlie hopes to inspire the next
generation of environmental stewards. If you would like to email
Ashlie, click here.
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Lara Jones, Confluence Program Director
Lara is originally from Wellesley, Massachusetts but has spent much of
her adult life on the West Coast; in fact, September 2011 marks her 10
year anniversary as a Portlandian. Early on, Lara discovered her love
for working with youth, so she pursued her Bachelors degree in Human
Development with a concentration in Early Childhood Education from Wheelock College in Boston,
Massachusetts.
Over the years, Ms. Jones has held a variety of educator roles. She was
a camp counselor throughout high school, a Nature Instructor during college, and
a preschool and Head Start teacher post baccalaureate. She
also co-founded and managed an environmentally themed summer camp for
middle school youth called PEEPs. In her most recent role with Northwest Service Academy ,
Lara enjoyed addressing critical environmental issues in the community
while deepening the professional and leadership skills of her 52
AmeriCorps members. Lara is thrilled to be launching the Confluence
Environmental Center AmeriCorps program focused on mobilizing
community members to address critical environmental needs in low-income
communities and communities of color. While Lara can be seen working
long hours, she finds much enjoyment spending free time with good
friends, hiking the Cascades and Columbia River Gorge with her dogs,
camping and beachcombing, seeing live
music, volunteering in her community, and delighting in the fine
cuisine found in various Portland restaurants and food carts. Email Lara Jones
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Sherrie Jackson, Confluence Program Support Coordinator
Sherrie was born and raised in Southern California, but has called the
Northwest her home for over 20 years. She attended Portland State University where she
earned a BS in Psychology and also worked in the Outdoor Program, where
she found her passion for non-motorized sports and the environment.
After college was a crew leader for at-risk youth with Oregon Youth Conservation
Corps. She, along with other staff, started the Cascade Education Corps ;
an alternative high school that focused on service learning,
environmental education and career development. In 1994, she helped
begin a new program called the Northwest Service Academy
(NWSA) an environmental AmeriCorps program. She stayed with NWSA
for 16 years taking on several roles, but focused on member
recruitment. Sherrie continued her education to obtain a professional
certificate in Human Resources and hired over 1000 AmeriCorps members
for NWSA. Now, Sherrie and other former NWSA staff have created a new
program called the Confluence
Environmental Center . This soon to be non-profit will host an
AmeriCorps program and other environmental programs that will focus on
building environmental leadership and catalyzing a healthy and
equitable environment for the region.
When she’s not working, Sherrie enjoys time with her husband John and
two children; Sierra and Ila. Sherrie stays as physically active as
she can. She plays on 3 different soccer teams, runs Hood to Coast,
rock climbs, skis, hikes, backpacks and will try any crazy
mud run that comes within a 100 mile radius of her house. Email Sherrie
Jackson
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Rob Loucks, Confluence Communications Specialist
Rob hails from Connecticut via Baltimore where he received a BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art.
While bicycling across the country Adventurecycling.org in
2006, Rob was inspired by the generosity of the people he encountered
to give back so, in 2007 Rob reported for his first year of National
Service with AmeriCorps*NCCC
Western Campus After a year of teaching kids, building houses and
fighting wildfires, Rob moved to Portland Oregon Portlandia to accept a second
AmeriCorps position as the Environmental Education Team youtube Leader
with Northwest Service
Academy’s Lower Columbia Center Rob is currently the
Communication Specialist for Confluence
Environmental Center as well as the Instruction Specialist for the
Continuing Education Department pnca
at Pacific Northwest College of Art.
Rob enjoys visiting National Parks, road trips, writing music, and
making art. Email Rob
Loucks
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