Speaker
Andrew Barkis
Washington State House of Representatives, 2nd Legislative District
Rep. Andrew Barkis represents the 2nd Legislative District. He was first appointed to the state House of Representatives in February 2016 and is currently serving his fourth term as a state representative.
Andrew was born and raised in Chehalis. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout through the Boy Scouts of America, the highest achievement that can be attained in scouting. He is a graduate of Seattle University with a degree in Communications.
Since 2019, Andrew has served as the ranking Republican on the House Transportation Committee. As one of the state’s transportation budget leaders, he is a champion for fiscal responsibility, sensible reform, and reprioritization. His goals are to keep costs down, stop forced taxes on drivers, and complete projects with existing state revenue.
Andrew’s personal knowledge, experience, and leadership as a local business owner has spurred his drive to address the housing and homelessness crisis that continues to grip Washington state. One of his main priorities is increasing housing supply. He continues to push for the removal of unnecessary barriers that keep affordable housing from being built throughout the state.
Plenary
Your Voice Matters: Harnessing the Power of Civic Engagement
Facilitator
Stephanie Coontz
Faculty Emerita, Author, Historian, and Director of Research and Public Education at the Council on Contemporary Families
Stephanie Coontz has written 7 books on the history and contemporary sociology of marriage, family life, and gender. Her work was cited in the Supreme Court decision legalizing some-sex marriage and she was recently named one of the 20 "most influential" female historians of the past decade. Now retired from Evergreen, she serves as Director of Research and Public Education at the Council on Contemporary Families. Coontz has testified about her work before Congress, appeared on The Colbert Report, Today Show, Oprah Winfrey, and almost every NPR talk show, and published dozens of op-eds in the New York Times, CNN, and elsewhere. Her latest book, due out in 2025, is For Better AND Worse: The Problematic Past and Uncertain Future of Marriage.
Morning Session Block I
For Better AND Worse: A Seminar with Faculty Emerita Stephanie Coontz
Facilitator
Dylan Fischer
Faculty Member, Ecology
I'm an ecosystem ecologist with a passion for plant ecology, forest ecosystems, conservation, and how ecosystems change through time and in response to environmental change. I look at both how small things (like genes) scale up to affect ecosystems, and how big things (like climate change and volcanic eruptions) scale down. I both teach and do research. A fundamental part of my teaching philosophy is that these two worlds are not separate. Teaching and research are synergistic, and my classes are a process of discovery for my students and me, every time.
My research addresses linkages between plant diversity and ecosystem function, as well as ecosystem responses to disturbance. I focus on riparian forest ecology, forest carbon cycling, community change, nutrient cycling, root dynamics, and whole-tree tree physiology.
Education
Ph.D., Forest Science, Northern Arizona University, 2005
M.S., Forest Science, Northern Arizona University, 2001
B.S., Environmental Science, Oregon State University, 1998
Morning Session Block II
Legacies and Emerging Opportunities in Evergreen’s Forest Reserve Workshop
Facilitator
John Hopkins
Adjunct Faculty, Master in Public Administration Program
Morning Session Block I
Climate Justice Roundtable: Integrating Indigenous Knowledge into Communities of Change
Alumni Speaker
Aaron Jones ’14, MPA ’23
Interim Natural & Cultural Resources Director at The Tulalip Tribes
Morning Session Block I
Climate Justice Roundtable: Integrating Indigenous Knowledge into Communities of Change
Facilitator
Sandy Kaiser
Director of Government Relations, The Evergreen State College
Now serving as the college's Director of Governmental Relations, Sandy has served in multiple roles at Evergreen, most recently as the Vice President for College Relations overseeing the college’s first-ever re-brand and leading the college back to in-person operations in fall 2021. A fourth-generation Washingtonian and proud parent of an Evergreen graduate, Sandy has served in leadership positions in state and federal government including communications director for the Washington Department of Natural Resources. She was a candidate for the Washington State House in 2022. As a career diplomat from 1986 to 2011, she directed international communications and outreach on behalf of the U.S, leaving the Foreign Service with the equivalent rank of a two-star general.
Plenary
Your Voice Matters: Harnessing the Power of Civic Engagement
Alumni Speaker
Claire Kerwin MES ’23
Habitat at Home Coordinator at Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Morning Session Block I
Climate Justice Roundtable: Integrating Indigenous Knowledge into Communities of Change
Facilitator
Beth Leimbach ’94
Organic Farm Manager
Beth Leimbach attended Evergreen from 1990-1994, receiving a Bachelor’s of Science in Organic Agriculture and Natural History. After studying Ecological Agriculture with Pat Labine and Russ Fox, Beth participated in one of the first organic agriculture programs led by Farm Manager Pat Moore. Since then, Beth has been working on and managing small farms in Thurston County: 9th Heaven Herbs & Vegetables with Greener alum Debbie Leung; a “Master Gardener” at the Nisqually Tribe; the Farm Production Manager at a non-profit called Left Foot Organics that provided employment and training to people with disabilities and at-risk youth; Farm Manager at GRuB (Garden-Raised Bounty) founded by alums Kim Gaffi and Blue Peetz; and a season with Kirsop Farm (alum Colin Barricklow). Beth returned to Evergreen in 2015 part-time as Assistant Farm Manager and became the full-time manager in 2020.
In addition to her passion for organic agriculture, Beth has also devoted time to her love for the arts through music and theatre. She’s been a long-time member of The Heartsparkle Players (founded by alum Debe Edden), and active member of The Olympia Peace Choir.
Morning Session Block I
Petals & Pigments: Floral Impressions on Mixed Media Workshop
Speaker
Dani Madrone ’11, MPA ’16
Olympia City Councilmember
Dani Madrone arrived in Olympia in 2004, where she discovered Evergreen and enrolled in an outdoor leadership program. She ultimately studied chemistry and sustainability, graduating in 2011. She next worked for community organizations such as the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Team and Community Farm Land Trust. Dani returned to Evergreen and earned a Master in Public Administration in 2016, after which she worked for the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission to support Puget Sound recovery. She now works for American Farmland Trust, supporting farmland protection and the viability of farming in the Pacific Northwest. Dani has served on the Olympia City Council since 2020. In this role, she builds strong relationships to collaborate on issues of land use, affordable housing, climate change, food security, and tribal relations. She lives in west Olympia with her teenage daughter, who attended Evergreen alongside her mother many years ago at the campus childcare center.
Plenary
Your Voice Matters: Harnessing the Power of Civic Engagement
Speaker
Megan Matthews MPA ’19
Director of Washington State’s Office of Equity
Megan Matthews is the Director of Washington State’s Office of Equity, boldly advancing a Washington for All. She has been a public servant in Washington state government for 16 years, working her way up from an entry level position. She is committed to a lifelong journey of pursuing and living the values of equity and justice. She is a courageous and innovative leader, loves a good debate, and strives to maintain her humility.
Megan earned her master’s degree in public administration from The Evergreen State College. Megan co-taught a Masters’ Program at The Evergreen State College, emphasizing democratic governance and social change for current and future public administrators Megan is dedicated to social justice and ensuring fairness and hope for everyone, especially the next generation that includes her daughters, nieces, and nephews.
Plenary
Your Voice Matters: Harnessing the Power of Civic Engagement
Speaker
Teresa Mosqueda MPA ’06
King County Councilmember
King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda is a progressive leader who has dedicated her career to improving the lives of working people across Washington state. Over and over, she has united diverse groups from the labor, business, housing, transportation and environmental sectors to pass impactful policy that has earned public support and buoyed the local economy.
Councilmember Mosqueda comes to Council after serving six years (elected to two terms) on the Seattle City Council, where she doubled investments in affordable housing, improved worker standards and protections for domestic workers and hotel workers, ensured sick leave for drivers, and supported small business opportunities especially for women and people of color.
Before that, she served over half-a-million union workers in the state while working at Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO for almost a decade. Mosqueda advocated for progressive state legislation to improve labor standards, protect immigrant rights, create healthy and safer workplaces, and promote health care for all. Critically, she also helped lead the state-wide passage of I-1433 to provide paid sick leave and increase the minimum wage for all.
At the Children’s Alliance, she led efforts to implement Apple Health for Kids to ensure every child in our state had health insurance, and advanced nutrition and early learning policies to create a healthy start in life for all kids.
But her roots in community health start right here in District 8, where after graduating from UW, she worked at SeaMar Community Health Centers in South Park serving Latino seniors with food security, housing assistance, healthcare and social interaction programs.
Now living in North Delridge, where she and her husband are raising their four-year-old daughter, Councilmember Mosqueda is ready to work for King County to build diverse, welcoming communities, eradicate the root causes of poverty and improve community health for all residents.
Plenary
Your Voice Matters: Harnessing the Power of Civic Engagement
Speaker
Dontae Payne ’18, MPA ’20
Mayor of Olympia
Plenary
Your Voice Matters: Harnessing the Power of Civic Engagement
Alumni Speaker
Candace Penn ’13, MPA ’22
Climate Change Specialist at The Squaxin Island Tribe's Natural Resources Department
Morning Session Block I
Climate Justice Roundtable: Integrating Indigenous Knowledge into Communities of Change
Facilitator
Emily Pieper ’09, MPA ’18
Associate Dean of Holistic Advising
Morning Session Block II
EverQueer: LGBTQQIA+ Panel Discussion
Student Speaker
Laura Reusche
Morning Session Block I
Petals & Pigments: Floral Impressions on Mixed Media Workshop
Student Speaker
Maya Ried
Morning Session Block I
Petals & Pigments: Floral Impressions on Mixed Media Workshop
Facilitator
Golden Sather
Trans and Queer Initiatives Coordinator
Morning Session Block II
EverQueer: LGBTQQIA+ Panel Discussion
Facilitator
Jessica Towns-Camara ’03
Owner of Bougie Alutiiq, Organizer for PNW Alutiiq Culture Camp
Jessica Pilista Towns-Camara, M.S. (Sugpiaq/Alutiiq, Yup’ik, Scotch-Irish) uses jewelry to build connections with to her Sugpiaq homeland in Alaska (Native Village of Pilot Point), for herself and others. Based in Renton, Washington, Jessica admires the strength and resilient spirit of her Alutiiq ancestors. She honors these qualities with the materials and designs she incorporates into her jewelry, while using unique shapes and products that reflect her journey as an artist. In addition to Jessica’s artistic pursuits, she is one of the guiding voices behind the annual Pacific Northwest Alutiiq Culture Camp. Jessica graduated from Evergreen in 2003.
Morning Session Block II
s'gʷi gʷi ʔ altxʷ House of Welcome Alutiiq Bracelet Workshop
Facilitator
Seth Townsend ’25
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow 2023
Morning Session Block II
Legacies and Emerging Opportunities in Evergreen’s Forest Reserve Workshop
Alumni Speaker
Emily Washines MPA ’10
Scholar and Policy Professional
Morning Session Block I
Climate Justice Roundtable: Integrating Indigenous Knowledge into Communities of Change