LEAD CONVENER

Favorite transit route: The 101/102 bus because it enabled Shirley’s mom to ride comfortably to work in Seattle for many years

Favorite park: Meadowbrook Park because it's easy to get to by bus and some of the cutest river otters hang out there!

Shirley Leung is a climate and water scientist who grew up in South King County. She holds a PhD in oceanography and an MS in environmental engineering from UW, as well as an MS in applied hydrogeology from UPenn. Her MS and PhD research examined how climate variability and change affect ocean ecosystems and the people dependent on them and has been cited in the IPCC AR6 report. She currently serves as a government scientist, leading a team to deliver water data to the public. Outside of work, Shirley enjoys teaching the public about salmon, intertidal beach creatures, and water infrastructure.

STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER

Favorite transit route: The humble monorail! Because it’s a dash of whimsy and a great connection from Lower Queen Anne to downtown

Favorite park: Occidental Mall, cleared of the cars and packed full of people as history intended

Jazmine has been involved as a volunteer with The Urbanist for about 5 years and serves on the board. As the Director of Local Advocacy at Futurewise, she has been excited to help get folks involved at city hall, at gatherings across the city, and on an excursion outside town. She holds a BA in Human Services from WWU. Outside of work, Jazmine loves riding her bike around, hopping on ferries for a taste of island (or peninsula) life, and while she don’t necessarily like to hike, she does love to wander.

STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER

Favorite transit route: 31/32 because it it feels like a personal chauffeur waiting on the corner block, zipping downtown or to the Link

Favorite park: Ravenna because of its deep green shaded beauty and the sound of its creek, in which you can hear some of the park's complicated history

Meera has spent her life learning to love and build better relationships with the natural world and the people in it. Along the way she has been a teacher, a writer, a scientist, and an inveterate volunteer, believing deeply in Mariame Kaba's advice that making a constellation is far preferable to being a star. Meera holds a PhD in biology from UW, and is currently the co-chair of the Charlotte Martin Foundation, a nonprofit that funds conservation and youth education programs in 5 northwestern states, supporting amazing people and organizations striving to create a more just and healthy future for all living things. She’s also a professional cat-sitter and a highly unprofessional ukulele player.

STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER

Favorite transit route: The monorail, because coming from Guam in 2014 it was the first time Noah saw infrastructure that was made to move people without a car

Favorite park: Richmond Beach Saltwater Park, where young Noah ran his first experiment in seagull behavior, and affirmed life science as a passion

Noah Santos is a young tech professional from the island of Guam. Growing up on a tropical island with many multifaceted issues impacting the environment and urban expansion, both environmental conservation and urban planning has strongly informed the formation of his beliefs and values. Noah hopes to channel some of this energy and passion into getting more people involved in both civics and environmentalism. Outside of volunteering, Noah enjoys cooking, reading, watching shows, playing video games, and annoying friends and family. Ask him about best practices for at-home coffee, fighting games, and why the lichen is the most fascinating organism on the planet.

Favorite transit route: the 522 bus, because it connects Tracy to Seattle

Favorite park: In Seattle, Carkeek Park, because it is where Tracy fell in love with salmon. In Kenmore, Wallace Swamp Creek Park, because she can walk from her house and feel grounded when she’s there.

When Tracy became a parent fourteen years ago, her child cracked her heart open and taught her unconditional love. Two years after that, she fell in love, unconditionally, with salmon. Her child and salmon continue to be her North Stars, reminding her that we are all connected and need each other. Her parenting, community volunteering, and professional work as leader of a Mid Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group, a salmon recovery non-profit, have all been in service of creating spaces where people are truly seen, valued, and empowered to do the important work of healing themselves, our communities, and our planet. Her twisty path to now included earning a PhD in psychology from Yale University, drawing and painting from observation in ateliers in Seattle and New York, and serving on the Kenmore Planning Commission for six years, the last two as chair. She is a fierce advocate for healthy habitat for salmon and affordable housing for people, because those things are inextricably connected (rather than competing). Tracy likes to walk, dig in the dirt, lie on the earth, read, and wonder about the moon. She'd be very happy to talk to you about salmon anytime.