Sue Byers, Audubon Washington Board Chair

Sue currently serves as Assistant Provost/Chair and Director of the Urban Environmental Education M.A.Ed. program at Antioch University Seattle. She provides leadership and supervision for all campus-based offices and activities that support students and student-focused administrative services, including Integrated Student Services, Veterans Affairs, Diversity Services, and other campus-based staff employees. Sue leads campus diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism efforts and serves as Title IX Officer for Antioch University Seattle Campus. Previously at Antioch she served as Chair and Director of the Urban Environmental Education graduate program. She directed graduate program, academic oversight, student management and partnership development.  In addition, she led the design and delivered near- and long-term strategic plan; led the institutional interface with Antioch University Seattle, institutional strategic partners, and supervises faculty and staff.  Prior to joining Antioch University in 2014, she served as Chief Academic Officer at the College Success Foundation (CSF) where she led the replication effort of the foundation programs in Washington State and the District of Columbia; provided oversight for the creation and delivery of college preparation as well as bachelor’s degree attainment supports for low income and underserved youth. Sue began her career in education at Seattle Public Schools (SPS) where she directed college access and readiness programs for middle and high school students and served as special project director in support of the Superintendent.  Education: B.A. from Evergreen State College and her M.A. in Human Development with a specialization in Leadership in Education, Administration and Supervision from Pacific Oaks College.

Chelsey Thornton, Manager of Museum Education, MOPOP (Museum of Pop Culture) 

Chelsey is an artist with a background in communications, education, and community arts. She believes witnessing both the individual and community in program development is integral to how we shape culture and that creativity is essential to everyday life. Chelsey values equitable access to the outdoors, services and programs and experiences where creativity, healthy challenge, and joy work together as tools for transformation. Chelsey was an early bird enthusiast exploring the lands of the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla and dxʷsəq̓ʷəbš (Suquamish) tribes and thanks her Grandparents for starting her bird watching life list on a camping trip. 

Sahkiya Brakebill, Education Committee Chair

Sahkiya is a passionate professional dedicated to improving our world through relationships, a mindset which extends through her work as she collaborates with clients, partners, and community. She is currently Senior Operations & Community Relations Manager, Center for Early Relational Health, at Akin, where her ten plus years of teaching experience, marketing and communications expertise, and dedication to community partnership and impact come together. Her wide breadth of skills also includes non-profit Board management, event planning, fundraising, and administration. Sahkiya embodies a compassionate, humanistic, and holistic approach to her work, driving positive change and leaving a lasting imprint on organizations and individuals she serves. In her free time Sahkiya can be found hugging trees, climbing mountains, and speaking to animal friends.

Elizabeth McManus, Managing Principal at Ross Strategic

Elizabeth has over 25 years of experience in collaborative process design and facilitation, program assessment and evaluation, project management, and strategic planning for environment and natural resources programs in Washington State. Supporting both regional and local efforts in protection and recovery, she works most comfortably at the intersection of science, policy, and practical on-the-ground implementation. She is well-versed in working with state, federal, and tribal governments, and other interested parties on conservation, restoration, and recovery projects throughout the region. Having served on Boards for several terms, Elizabeth is very familiar with the function, culture, and communication of an engaged Board. Raised on Puget Sound, she is an avid birder and particularly enjoys birds of the eastern Cascade slopes and coastal Puget Sound.

Regional Chapter Representatives

Judy Hallisey, Eastern Washington Chapter Representative and Conservation Committee Chair

Judy is a grandmother and activist, living the good life in Cle Elum, WA. She is an avid hiker who enjoys all the birds she observes in all seasons and across varied landscapes. After raising two children and working as a forester, wildland hydrologist and firefighter, she retired as US Forest Service District Ranger on the Cle Elum Ranger District. She is the past president of Kittitas Audubon, involved in Rotary, The Checkerboard Partnership, and Mountains To Sound Greenway. She is a graduate of the Climate Reality Project. Judy believes climate change is the greatest threat to all the things she loves in nature and to our human population.
University of Idaho: Bachelor’s of Science, Forest Resources; Master’s of Science, Watershed Science.

Kim Adelson, Southwest Washington Chapter Representative

Kim has a Ph.D. in Psychology, an M.A. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, and a B.A. with majors in Evolutionary Biology and Physical Anthropology. She was a college professor for almost 35 years: she held faculty positions at the University of Minnesota, Ohio Wesleyan University, and Canterbury University in Christchurch, New Zealand and attained the rank of full professor, during which she authored an Adolescent Psychology textbook that has been translated into 6 languages and have written numerous chapters and scholarly articles. Her biology mentor was an ornithologist, and her earliest introduction to research involved trying to decode the meanings of Costa Rican bird songs he had collected in the field. She really got “the birding bug”, however, when she and her husband moved into a house in bird-filled woods. They like to travel, and for the past 30 years have mostly gone on birdwatching vacations.
Kim has lived in Washington for about 11 years and have been on the Black Hills Audubon Society Board for about 10. She has been Treasurer, Vice President, and President. She has put together and managed several major initiatives during that time, including a program to encourage bird-friendly yards, Family Birding Backpacks donation to the library system, a nonfiction Spanish-language book about birds for young children, a brief STEM requirement-meeting bird video, a simulated bird walk using wooden bird models, and an "email hotline” for birding questions from the community. In addition, she is on the lecture circuit, and has given talks about bird evolution, climate change, and bird-friendly gardens at many Audubon chapters.

Ann Kramer, Northwest 1 Chapter Representative

Ann Kramer considers herself a “climate refugee” from Southern California, where she lived for over 40 years. She has been a volunteer in one form or another for over 20 years. She received her master’s degree in counseling psychology at California State College, San Bernardino and conducted a successful psychotherapy practice for 30 years. During this time, she became President of her local California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists chapter, doubling its membership during her two-year presidency.
Ann had an awakening to nature and birds while living in California, and pursued bird and nature photography. She received awards and national recognition for her photography while maintaining and raising awareness for ethical wildlife photographer field practices. 5 years ago, she moved to PNW with her husband.
Her dedication to conservation and the protection of wildlife, coupled with her exceptional passion for birds, led her to join Pilchuck Audubon Society, where she served as Membership Chair in 2023. Since 2024, she has served as the Program Committee Chair for Skagit Audubon Society and increased the program participation by 25% during her first year. She also conducts bird photography workshops for the Pilchuck Bird Fest (formerly Puget Sound Bird Festival), serves as a photo contest judge and delivers virtual presentations on backyard bird photography and wildlife photography.

Rick Jahnke, Northwest 2 Chapter Representative

Rick grew up spending his summers camping in north Wisconsin. He received a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, followed by a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of Washington in Seattle. As an academic, first at the University of California, San Diego and then the University System of Georgia's Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, he conducted research on various aspects of ocean biogeochemistry, focusing largely on the oceanic carbon cycle and its impacts on and connections to climate change.
Upon retirement, he relocated to Port Townsend, Washington where he currently serves as chair of the city's Planning Commission. He also serves on Jefferson County's Conservation Futures Oversight Committee and Port Townsend School District's Facilities Committee. He has been the Chapter President of Rainshadow Bird Alliance (formerly Admiralty Audubon Society) since 2012 and has previously served as the regional representative on Audubon Washington's Board from 2015 to 2018.

Jeremy Lucas, King County Chapter Representative

Jeremy grew up with a passion for conservation. As an avid hiker, paddleboarder and general outdoors enthusiast, he wants to protect the places that he loves. Jeremy is an avid birder. He leads annual bird surveys including Climate Watch, the Christmas Bird Count, and a Birdathon Big Day survey that focuses on sea- and shorebirds. He participates in the Puget Sound Seabird Survey. He also enjoys birding for fun and is an unapologetic eBird lister.
Since 2018, Jeremy has been a leader with Eastside Audubon including habitat restoration, designing bird surveys, and building partnerships. In his time with Eastside Audubon, he has been the Conservation Chair, President, and Vice President (current role). Professionally, Jeremy works for Oceana, the world’s largest NGO dedicated exclusively to ocean conservation.
When Jeremy is not working on conservation, birding, or being outdoors, he loves nights in his home with his wife, stepson, and 2 cats watching tv, playing video games, or enjoying a beer and good conversation.