Staff

A Midwest transplant to the Pacific Northwest, Claire (she/her) owes her love of nature and birding to a fairly idyllic childhood spent wandering the southeastern shores of Lake Michigan. Though she holds an undergraduate degree in linguistics, Claire also studied conservation biology, has conducted fieldwork abroad, and is a self-professed “bird nerd.” After she completed a master’s degree in nonprofit management, landing at Birds Connect Seattle in 2014 was a dream come true. When she’s not birding, Claire spends her spare time singing, knitting, and wishing she was birding. She is also a graduate of the 2017 master birder class. Claire is always eager to hear about your hottest bird sightings and learn more about why birds are important to you.

ASK ME ABOUT: Governance, Finance, Strategic Plan, Position Statements, Media Inquiries
(206) 523-8243 x105
ClaireC@birdsconnectsea.org

Having grown up in the Midwest, some of Ella’s (she/her) favorite memories from growing up include looking out the windows and watching hummingbirds fly around her garden. Since then, she’s always been passionate about nature, the outdoors, and conservation. These passions then led her to move to Washington for undergrad at the University of Puget Sound, where she studied Business, focusing on nonprofit work. Ella joins the team to assist the Development Team in all things fundraising. When not working, you can find Ella indulging in some of her other passions: reading, taking long walks, listening to music, exploring local restaurants, or cooking vegan meals of her own.

ASK ME ABOUT: Volunteer opportunities, your membership status, making changes to your address, email or phone, donation receipts 

Sarah (she/they) comes to us as a transplant from the world of food, wine and hospitality, where she has spent the past 8 years bouncing around the Seattle restaurant scene developing her own palate and knowledge. In 2022, she decided to try her hand at the world of ecology and began working as an interpretive tour guide at the Hiram Chittenden Locks. Her love for connecting humans with the natural world around them was evident in her personalized tours, teaching local youth and traveling visitors about our diverse ecosystem, highlighting Dinosaur Birds (Great Blue Herons), Water Puppies (harbor seals), the resident Osprey couple and 3 different salmon species. She spent her early years surrounded by active volcanoes in the Andes mountains of Ecuador, and camping through National Parks of the Western U.S. She is passionate about building up a more equitable world around her, particularly for the intersection of femme identifying people in BIPOC and Queer communities. When she isn’t helping you out in The Nature Shop, you can find her with coffee in hand, reading a good novel, watching space documentaries, getting lost in the woods, swimming in Alpine lakes, sharing a pizza pie with her bffs, or defending her title as the Karaoke Queen.

(206) 523-8243 x125

Mechio (she/her) grew up in Seattle where she gained an early appreciation for Washington State’s natural resources and protected environments. She graduated from Seattle University with a B.A. in Journalism and Communication and started working at University Book Store shortly after graduation. While at University Book Store, Mechio wore several hats starting on the sales floor as a book seller and later transitioning behind the scenes in the returns warehouse for the trade books department until becoming the coordinating event assistant. During her time at the bookstore, she met a diverse range of customers, authors, and students that make up the larger community of Seattle. Mechio developed an interest in birding and the intersection between race and environmentalism during the pandemic. She is looking forward to applying her many years of retail experience and passion for inclusion and accessibility at The Nature Shop. 

Outside of academics, Gina finds joy in drawing, pottery, birdwatching, and bird photography. She’s equally happy exploring Seattle’s cafes in search of the perfect spot to doodle, often featuring her favorite subject—birds, especially the elegant Great Blue Heron.

Now, as part of Birds Connect Seattle, Gina is excited to share her love of birds with a community of people who feel the same sense of wonder and connection.

Kelly (she/her), a Texas native, has always been drawn to the outdoors. While working on her undergraduate degree in Sociology at the University of Texas at Austin, she balanced her academic pursuits with a deep passion for ecology, volunteering with the Travis Audubon Society and spending as much time outside as possible. After transitioning to a career in marketing, Kelly’s love for the outdoors remained a constant, and five years ago, she seized the opportunity to relocate to Seattle, eager to explore her passion for nature in a more temperate climate. Her enthusiasm for birding is fueled by her lifelong curiosity and a strong desire to inspire others to discover and appreciate the world around them. In her free time you might find her reading at a local park, biking on the Burke-Gilman or hiking to a nearby waterfall (always with her binoculars close by.)

Josh (he/him) loves life. From deep-sea isopods to turkey vultures and every living thing in between. Josh started birding in 2017 and admits he still has a hard time with gulls, swallows, warblers, finches, woodpeckers, sparrows, shorebirds, and seabirds. He feels pretty good about ducks. Josh is delighted to be part of the Birds Connect Seattle community, where he coordinates Seattle’s Urban Bird Treaty City Coalition, is a member of the Capitol Hill EcoDistrict Steering Committee, and served on Seattle’s Urban Forestry Commission for six years. His professional background is varied. He’s been a project scientist, a high-school chemistry teacher, a legal assistant, and, for one curious month, a chocolate vendor on Monterey’s Cannery Row. He holds a master’s degree in International Environmental Policy and is a certified naturalist.

ASK ME ABOUT: urban forestry and tree protection, preventing bird-window collisions, reducing pesticide use, enhancing/protecting urban habitats, and advocating for cities where people and birds thrive.

In second grade Christine (she/her) declared that she would be a forest ranger when she grew up, mostly because she thought it involved running around in the woods all day. To this day, running around in the woods is a large part of her life (via trail running, backpacking, and camping), but her professional aspirations have evolved. She found that a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in education is a combo that lends itself to professional flexibility, and prior to working at this organization, Christine worked in stormwater management and permitting, assisted biologists with fieldwork, led several restoration teams, and taught at various environmental education centers and schools. It turns out that helping people learn about nature is her favorite job, which is why she is delighted with her role at Birds Connect Seattle.

ASK ME ABOUT: becoming a field trips or neighborhood bird walk leader, teaching a class, Puget Sound Seabird Survey, Neighborhood Bird Project, joining the Classes or Field Trips committees, Hoot Camp