Staff & Board

Adrienne moved to Coeur d’Alene in the Spring of 2010 to be closer to family and to explore its wide array of outdoor activities. She graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.A. in Political Science, during which she worked as an aide in the Ohio Senate. She then launched and expanded the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign in both Tampa, FL and Cincinnati, OH. She brings with her a passion for making a difference, as well as a wealth of experience in the fields of fundraising, marketing, community education, volunteer and event coordination.

E-mail Adrienne: adrienne@kealliance.org

Mike was born and raised in Coeur d’Alene. He has been a member of KEA for approximately 20 years and has been involved in monitoring and commenting on forest issues since 1990. Mike is currently a board member for the Coeur d’Alene Audubon Society (formerly the president). His hobbies include viewing areas on the Coeur d’Alene National Forest and the St. Joe National Forest.

E-mail Mike: mikej@my180.net

Jess moved to Coeur d’Alene six years ago after finishing her B.S. in Recreation, Park and Leisure Studies at the University of Minnesota. She was hired by the Outdoor Pursuits program at North Idaho College and was exposed to the many amazing features of the northwest! This area proved to be a great match for her love of the outdoors! Jess has a passion for working with groups to develop individuals and teams. She loves helping people build skills to face challenges and grow as individuals! Jess does an amazing job of connecting individuals within our community and providing nutritious food to those in need.

E-mail Amber: rootslfs@kealliance.org

Terry J. Harris earned a B.S. in Engineering Physics from the University of Colorado and a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law, and is presently admitted to the Washington and Maryland bar associations. Previously, he was an attorney practicing in Baltimore, Maryland. He served as political committee chair and interim Executive Director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, served as treasurer of the Herring Run Watershed Association, founded the Baltimore-based non-profit Cleanup Coalition, and has a broad base of experience in land use, brownfield redevelopment, and pollution issues.

E-mail Terry: terry@kealliance.org

Janet and her husband, Greg, moved to the Coeur d’Alene area in 1973 in search of land on which to build a homestead. They found property on the east side of Coeur d’Alene Lake, pitched a tent, planted a big organic garden and began the realization of fulfilling their dream. After building a home, raising two sons, a herd of dairy goats, numerous chickens, bees, turkeys, rabbits and pigs, Janet found herself with an empty nest and a desire to get involved in local environmental issues. She has served on the Board for seven years and says, “I am proud to be part of Idaho’s oldest conservation organization with its grassroots, hands-on approach to raising environmental awareness. Kootenai Environmental Alliance is the “Little Engine That Could,” working with others to help promote conservation of the precious resources of our region– our forests, our watersheds, our fisheries, the wildlife and working landscapes. KEA is dedicated to working with communities to protect these resources. While the environmental challenges are never ending, our portfolio of accomplishments is quite impressive – great people doing great work.”

Janet also delights in putting on KEA’s annual fall fundraiser, Junk2Funk – a runway “eco-fashion” show with creations made from junk, trash and recycled materials.

E-mail Janet: jctorline@gmail.com

Wes has attended many of the County’s comprehensive plan meetings, helped KEA revamp its organizational standards and guidelines, and promoted the establishment of local conservation easements.

Over the past five years, he worked with various community members to bring a successful conclusion to the proposed dredging of the Blackwell Island marina basin. Its highly toxic sediments will be transported off site to a safe repository.

He worked with many other people over twelve years to preserve Cougar Bay in its natural state. This was accomplished through a series of land acquisitions involving The Nature Conservancy, Bureau of Land Management, Kootenai County and two conservation easements held by Inland Northwest Land Trust.

Wes lives on a family farm protected by a conservation easement south of Coeur d’Alene. He writes, paints watercolors, and teaches adult classes on both these subjects. He taught high school English for thirty years and served as Idaho’s National Endowment for the Humanities Teacher-Scholar in 1990, studying the civil rights movement.

E-mail Wes: wesleyrhanson@icehouse.net

Doug is currently retired but spent much of his career serving as director of the North Idaho College Head Start program.  He currently serves as a trustee on the Coeur d’Alene Library BOARD and as a rod building instructor with North Idaho Fly Casters.  He enjoys fly fishing, gardening, skiing, backpacking and cycling. Doug would like to serve on the board of KEA because, “KEA is our best effort to ensure a healthy environment, today and tomorrow. I feel a need to contribute to that effort.”

E-mail Doug: dfagerness@frontier.com

Ed and his wife moved to north Idaho in 1993. He holds a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Montana and has held faculty positions at the Rockefeller University in New York and the University of Maryland. His primary area of research was echolocation systems in mammals. He later transitioned into stealth submarine research and development and is currently semi-retired.

He has been active in bat conservation efforts in the area for many years, assisting federal and state agencies and private conservation groups such as The Nature Conservancy. Efforts have included surveying abandoned mines to determine if they should be gated to eliminate disturbance, moving colonies from dwellings to nearby alternate roost sites, erecting bat houses at suitable locations and educating people about bats.

Ed is also currently President of the Coeur d’Alene chapter of the National Audubon Society and works actively with birds of prey as a federally licensed raptor rehabilitator. He and his wife are members of several conservation-based organizations.

E-mail Ed: eagleroost@roadrunner.com

Tiffany has a B.S. in Business Management and is currently the branch Director for the Spokane Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. She moved to North Idaho earlier last year with her family and immediately contacted KEA to begin volunteering.  “I am very passionate about protecting our environment. It’s been a lifelong goal of mine to live in this part of the country and now that I’m here, I very much want to protect our land, water and animals.”  She also serves as a volunteer for BLM, Idaho Fish and Game and on the Board of Directors for the ARC of SPOKANE.

E-mail Tiffany: tiffanyheiss@yahoo.com

Karen has a strong background in the biological sciences, and a penchant for protecting natural resources through science and education. A former researcher and equine veterinarian, Karen now makes her living as a medical writer — translating dry research reports into writings that someone without a medical background can understand, enjoy, and assimilate. She and her husband Dan spend precious down time hiking, camping, kayaking, cross-country skiing, and finding ways to raise public awareness about “what we have here in Kootenai County.”

Karen’s current passion is watershed restoration and xeric landscaping, and she just finished creating “The Hayden Lake Project” — a film documentary designed to educate people about the many ways our lakes, streams, and coldwater fisheries are in trouble. Her secret weapon is the brilliant scientists who live in the area and have so much to offer, but are often drowned out by louder voices. “They raise the bar for all of us. My goal is for Kootenai County to become known as a place where everybody is environmentally ahead of the curve.”

E-mail Karen: hayeske@me.com

Ryan is a writer, dreamer, and enthusiast for leveraging sustainability and technology in the workplace to help make companies more efficient, ethical, and profitable.

Currently in addition to his work on the KEA board, Ryan is a regular contributor on social media and technology issues at Social Media NZ and founder of Coeur D’Alene’s future coworking and entrepreneurial space, CoSpace CDA. Most recently he was employed as Idaho’s Weatherization Technical Monitor and spent three years in various sectors of the sustainable building and energy efficiency market. He’s served in multiple consulting and teaching roles focused on the environmental impact of building systems and business practices with organizations such as the University of Idaho, Coeur D’Alene Chamber of Commerce, Idaho Small Business Development Center, and Avista Utilities.

Ryan holds a MBA in Sustainable Business from Bainbridge Graduate Institute, a B.S. of Business Management from the University of Idaho, and is a Certified Sustainable Building Advisor, LEED Accredited Professional, and Certified Idaho Energy Auditor Trainer. In 2010 Ryan received Ecover’s national award for environmental leadership under the age of 30.

Ryan lives in Coeur d’Alene with his wife Jaime, and their two dogs Keno and Crouton. Ryan reads, writes, and tweets all things Eco, Biz, and Tech. Find him at RyanSArnold.com or follow him on Twitter @RyanSArnold and @CoSpaceCDA.

Rebecca Patano is a principal in DOMA Coffee Roasting Company, a longtime business partner of the organization. Rebecca is experienced and influential in fair trade and sustainable business practices, with strong ties to the local community, and expertise in design, marketing, and business operations.

E-mail Rebecca: rebecca@domacoffee.com

Tyler was born and raised in the beautiful Wasatch Range of Northern Utah and spent his formative years backpacking, flyfishing, skiing the Greatest Snow on Earth, and enjoying the natural beauty of his home state.
Tyler earned a B.S. in Microbiology from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, and worked in the fields of environmental chemistry and environmental regulation prior to attending law school. He earned his J.D. from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (Go Big Red!)  and completed coursework for a certificate in environmental and natural resources law. While in law school, Tyler interned with the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources working on ground water issues and, through the University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, completed graduate coursework in engineering and an internship working to reduce the waste stream of a radio equipment and circuit board manufacturer.
After law school, Tyler and his family returned to the West they so dearly loved (and missed) and settled in Coeur d’ Alene.  Tyler worked for large law firms for a number of years, and he “hung his shingle” in late 2009 opening a law office in Coeur d’ Alene.
Tyler and his wife, Angela, who is the product manager for a environmental software company, are the parents of three rowdy boys, all under the age of 10. They love living in the Inland Northwest and enjoy fly fishing, Nordic and downhill skiing, hiking, and cycling.

E-mail Tyler: tyler.wirick@wiricklaw.com