For many years leading up to the construction of the Center for Urban Waters, an active group of community leaders encouraged the development of environmental research and educational activities in Tacoma. This activity continues as Urban Waters, a non-profit group supporting environmental research and education at the University of Washington Tacoma and promoting sustainable development in the community.
Connie Bacon was elected to the Port Commission in 1997. A graduate of Syracuse University, she later received a master's degree from The Evergreen State College. Bacon is a former Executive Director of the World Trade Center Tacoma and served eight years as Special Assistant to former Washington Governor Gardner. She serves on the Board of Directors for numerous organizations, including the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, the Asia Pacific Cultural Center, the Regional Access Mobility Project, and the Tideflats Rail Oversight Committee. She also serves on Washington Governor Gregoire's Economic Development Commission and is a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum.
Theda Braddock has been an environmental and securities attorney for over 20 years. She is the author of the Washington Environmental Law Handbook (2005), Wetlands Regulation: Case Law, Interpretation and Commentary (2003), and Wetlands: An Introduction to Ecology, the Law, and Permitting (1995) (2d ed. 2007). She also writes the wetland law update for the California Bar's Environmental Law Section newsletter and for the Washington Bar's Environmental and Land Use Law newsletter. Theda is admitted to practice before the state and federal courts in California, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Washington. She is also admitted to practice before the United States Court of Federal Claims and the United States Supreme Court. Theda attended the Great Books Program at St. Johns College, and received her B.A. in medieval European history from Mills College in Oakland, California. She received her Juris Doctor from Golden Gate University. Being a native of Cape Cod, she is also a sailor and has served as a racing skipper and tactician on the Chesapeake Bay and Puget Sound. She taught sailing for the Command, Seamanship, and Navigation Training Squadron at the U.S. Naval Academy and is qualified as an Offshore Skipper by the U.S. Naval Sailing Squadron.
Dan Cheney specializes in aquaculture production systems, water quality analysis, environmental impact analysis and coastal resource management and inventories. Dan served as the Pacific Shellfish Institute's Executive Director from 1995 until late 2009, and remains on staff as a senior scientist. Dan is also owner of BioAquatics International LLC (BAI) and supports this company's fisheries and aquaculture; coastal permitting; economic, environmental and biological assessment and natural resources practice. Dan's consulting work involves field and laboratory studies, including diving and video surveys, investigative reviews and analyses, and descriptive reporting for clients in Washington State, and elsewhere in the U.S. and Canada, and the Middle-East. Clients include private industry, public agencies, investment groups, and legal representatives.
Pierson Clair began his career at Blommer Chocolate Company in 1970 after earning his BA degree from Stanford University. Mr. Clair worked for this family-held company, the largest industrial chocolate supplier in the United States, for more than 27 years. Recognized in the industry for his in-depth knowledge of chocolate, retail brands, consumer trends and the industry's response to those trends, Mr. Clair was recruited by Brown & Haley in 1997 as its President and C.O.O. In 2003, Mr. Clair was named Chief Executive Officer. Active in the community, Mr. Clair has served on the Board of Directors for numerous financial, scholastic and charitable institutions, various local organizations, including Boy Scouts, Tacoma Library Foundation, and industry groups such as the National Confectioners' Association, the Western Candy Conference, American Association of Candy Technologists, and the Institute of Food Technologists. Most recently, he is serving on the newly established Chocolate Council of the National Confectioners' Association.
Rick Desimone joined McBee Strategic in 2007. A Washington state native, Rick has served at the nexus of politics and government in Washington state for over 16 years. His political experience includes working on both of President Clinton's successful campaigns in Washington state, managing Senator Patty Murray's successful re-election campaign in 1998, and contributing as a senior advisor to Senator Murray's 2004 re-election effort. The 1998 effort resulted in Senator Murray being elected with the highest percentage vote for a U.S. Senate candidate in Washington State in over 20 years. In government, Rick has worked for the City of Seattle, held an appointment during the Clinton administration, and has served as Senator Murray's chief of staff for the last eight years. Rick also advised Senator Murray in her efforts to advance within the Senate Democratic Caucus where she now serves in the elected leadership as Conference Secretary.
Jake Fey was re-elected to the Tacoma City Council in 2009 and represents Council District 2. He was elected by his peers on the City Council to serve as deputy mayor in 2010. Jake grew up in Port Angeles, Washington, and has lived in Tacoma's 2nd District since 1980. He is a graduate of the University of Washington and also holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Puget Sound. Prior to his election to the City Council, Jake was a member of the Public Utility Board and its chair in 2004-2005. Jake has been an active volunteer in the community, having served as president of First Place for Children and president of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Tacoma-Pierce County. Jake currently serves on the local advisory board of the American Heart Association and the executive committee of the Boys and Girls Club of South Puget Sound.
Debra Friedman is chancellor of the University of Washington Tacoma. Born and raised in Seattle, Friedman earned a bachelor of arts in sociology from Adelphi University. She holds her master of arts and doctoral degrees in sociology from the University of Washington Seattle. After earning her doctorate she taught briefly at the University of Iowa and then for a decade at the University of Arizona. Friedman returned to the University of Washington in 1994 and served in leadership positions in undergraduate education, academic planning and development and alumni relations. In 2005, she became dean of the College of Public Programs and professor of public affairs at Arizona State University. She also served as ASU vice president and chief administrator of ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus, which serves more than 8,000 students. Her service to the profession includes being ASU liaison to the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (2007- 2011); board member, Alliance for Innovation (2006-2008); board member, Western Council for Educational Technology (WCET) (2008-2010); assessment consultant, Washington Digital Learning Commons (2003-2005); board member, Institute for Scientific Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME) (2001-2003); and reviewer, Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE) (1994-2001).
Sara Long is the vice president for philanthropy for MultiCare Health System in Tacoma, Washington. Sara guides and develops the vision and direction for philanthropy throughout MultiCare and provides executive leadership of the Mary Bridge Children's Foundation and MultiCare Health Foundation Boards, including development and implementation of strategies for Board development, fund allocation, fund development, and nonprofit governance. Prior to joining MultiCare, she was the principal of the Long Group, a consultancy in Gig Harbor, was the marketing director of the News Tribune of Tacoma, and vice president for marketing for Franciscan Health System West. Sara serves on the board of directors for the Tacoma Community College Foundation, the executive committee of the Point Defiance Zoo Society, and the nominations committee for YWCA. She chairs the board and serves on the executive committee of the Sexual Assault Center of Pierce County, and chairs the Susan G. Komen Foundation Lunch for the Cure. Sara Long holds a bachelor of science in journalism with a business minor from Southern Illinois University.
Tom Luce serves as the Director for the Executive Council for a Greater Tacoma, a group of approximately twenty companies, governments, and nonprofits that work to further economic development and education issues in the Tacoma-Pierce County region. Prior to the Executive Council, Tom managed Congressman Norm Dicks' district offices, and advised the Congressman on issues and projects in Washington state. Tom currently serves on the Board of Governors for the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, and as Secretary of the Board of Trustees for the Museum of Glass. Tom holds a bachelor's degree in English from Whitman College.
Dawn Lucien, a former member of the UW Tacoma Advisory Board, has been a tireless and devoted advocate for Tacoma for decades. Lucien served as president of the South Puget Sound Higher Education Council, which was formed in the 1980s, and worked hard to bring a public university to the South Sound. Her knowledge of the community and ability to bring people together have been critical to many community initiatives. She has dedicated her time and influence to the well-being of the university and the region.
Jim Parvey, Assistant Director of Public Works, City Engineer, oversaw the funding, development, design and construction of the Center for Urban Waters for the City of Tacoma. As the City Engineer, he is responsible for management of four divisions within the Public Works Department, including Engineering, Construction, Streets and Grounds, and Facilities Management. Jim has 20 years experience in civil and environmental engineering. Jim holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Washington and is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Washington and is an accredited professional with United States Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.
Jim Waldo is a partner at the law firm of Gordon Thomas Honeywell LLP in Tacoma, Washington, where he has pursued a career in complex negotiations and mediation. Jim is regarded as one of the premier lawyers at resolving some of the most contentious and complex public policy disputes related to environmental and natural resource issues without litigation. In 1990, he managed the Washington State Water Resources Planning Process resulting in agreement among 175 participants to resolve water resource planning through a cooperative process. He was the lead negotiator for local governments and private businesses in the Puyallup Tribal Land Claims Settlement, which resulted in the second largest land claims settlement in recent U.S. history. In 2005, Jim helped resolve a major water quality dispute in California's San Joaquin River Basin that had been in litigation since 1964. Currently, Jim is working on a number of projects in Washington, Oregon, and California, including a mediation to settle long-standing disputes over groundwater in the Antelope Valley of Southern California, home of one of the largest groundwater adjudications in the country. He also works with individual clients to navigate through the complex regulatory maze on issues related to energy, environmental permitting, and other complex projects. Jim graduated from Whitman College in Walla Walla, and received his J.D. from Willamette University's College of Law in 1974. In 1994, Whitman College honored Mr. Waldo as Outstanding Alumnus of the Year for his civic leadership and outstanding career.
Lauren Walker was elected to the Tacoma City Council in 2007, representing Council District 3. Lauren has a bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon in community service and public affairs, and a master's certificate from Boston College in Women in Politics and Government. She returned to the Northwest 18 years ago and settled in the Hilltop neighborhood, where she has been active in block-by-block organizing and homeownership initiatives to strengthen the community. Lauren currently serves as the executive director of the Fair Housing Center of Washington and was president of the Hilltop Action Coalition. She has served on the Homeownership Center of Tacoma and Tacoma Pierce County Affordable Housing Consortium boards of directors, and is currently secretary of the National Fair Housing Alliance. She is vice chair of the City's Environment and Public Works Committee and serves on Neighborhoods and Housing Committee.
