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OWEB Board Members
Voting Member Locations
Click on a name on the map to view a short profile of the Board member.
Download a copy of the OWEB Board Member map (PDF).
John Jackson, CorneliusSybil Ackerman, PortlandEric Quaempts, AdamsMorgan Rider, PortlandLisa Phipps, TillamookWill Neuhauser, YamhillDoug Krahmer, St. PaulPatricia Smith, BendBob Webber, Port OrfordDan Thorndike, AshlandKarl Wenner, Klamath FallsImage Map
Voting Members


Dan Thorndike  
Eric Quaempts  
Dan Thorndike, Co-Chair
Eric Quaempts, Co-Chair
 
Sybil Ackerman
Board of Forestry member
 
John Jackson
Water Resources Commission member

Doug Krahmer
Board of Agriculture member
 
Will Neuhauser
Public member
 
Lisa Phipps
Public member
 
Eric Quaempts
Tribal member
 
Morgan Rider
Environmental Quality Commission member
 
Patricia Smith
Public member
 
Dan Thorndike
Public member, Co-Chair

Bob Webber
Fish and Wildlife C​​ommission member

 
Karl Wenner
Public member
 


Non-voting Members
(See short profiles below.)
 
Mike Haske
Representative of U.S. Bureau of Land Management
 
Debbie Hollen
Representative of U.S. Forest Service
 
James Johnson
Representative of OSU Extension Administration
 
Alan Henning
Representative of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
 
Kim Kratz
Representative of NOAA Fisheries (NMFS)
 
Bill White
Representative of U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service(NRCS)

OWEB Executive Director
Tom Byler
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board
775 Summer Street NE, Suite 360
Salem, Oregon 97301-1290
Tom.Byler@state.or.us

OWEB Assistant to Executive Director and Board
Bonnie Ashford
(503) 986-0181
Bonnie.Ashford@state.or.us

Voting Member Profiles
 

Sybil Ackerman, Portland
Board of Forestry Representative
2012-present
 
Active in Oregon environmental causes since the 1990's, Sybil Ackerman is currently executive director of the Portland-based Lazar Foundation, which funds projects to protect the environment throughout the Pacific Northwest.  Prior to her employment with the Lazar Foundation, she was legislative affairs director for the Oregon League of Conservation Voters. Her credentials also include positions with the National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, and Audubon Society of Portland. Ackerman has served on several forest-related advisory committees, including the Forestry Program for Oregon Revision Committee, State Forests Advisory Committee, and State Forests Habitat Conservation Committee. She currently serves on Governor Kulongoski’s Nearshore and Environmental Justice task forces.
 
John Jackson, Cornelius
Water Resources Commission Representative
2008-present
 
Small business owner and operator of Orchard View Nursery and part-time consultant on watershed planning issues. Former Water and Environmental Planner with Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Unified Sewerage Agency of Washington County, Oregon. Served as board member or officer on a number of community groups including Tualatin River Water Quality Endowment Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation, WaterWatch of Oregon, Tualatin River Watershed Council, Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve, and the Fernhill Wetlands Council. Received a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in biology from the University of Oregon.
 
Doug Krahmer, St. Paul
Board of Agriculture Representative
2011-present
 
Doug was raised in Cornelius, Oregon, on a Century Farm that has been in the family since 1877. He lives in St. Paul, Oregon with his wife of 31 years. They have three children, two of whom work with him on their 600-acre berry farm. Doug currently serves as chair of the Marion Soil and Water Conservation District and chair to the Oregon Soil and Water Conservation Commission (SWCC).  He serves on the Oregon Board of Agriculture representing the SWCC, and is Treasurer and Executive committee member of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council.
 
Will Neuhauser, Yamhill
Public at Large
2010-2014
 
Will Neuhauser has been a computer software professional, entrepreneur and venture capitalist in Oregon, serving on multiple corporate boards.  He has also served or chaired non-profit boards in the healthcare, environment and education sectors.  He lives in Yamhill County with his family and is a graduate of Reed College.
 Will has long-standing interests in creative ways of maintaining and restoring Oregon’s waterways and lands, especially in ways that help local economies and that provide ways for people to see and appreciate them. He was one of the founding members of Yamhill Partners for Land and Water which works to improve the understanding and reach of conservation in Yamhill County, where he lives. The Partners work to identify areas and projects that have the greatest overlap so conservation investments in the county can become more strategic. He has significant conservation experience in Oregon, serving on the boards of The Nature Conservancy and The Freshwater Trust.
 
Lisa Phipps, Tillamook
Public at Large
2011-2015
 
Lisa is the Executive Director of the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership, a National Estuary Project.  She received a B.S. in fisheries from Michigan State University and a Master’s in Studies of Environmental Law from Vermont Law School. Lisa has extensive experience in land use planning, primarily focused on coastal resources. Lisa served as the Mayor of Rockaway Beach for 5 years and is currently the City’s Municipal Court Judge. She sits on several local and state boards, including the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries Governing Board.  Lisa is thrilled to be on the board of OWEB and part of an organization whose mission parallels her own passion for the natural resources of this beautiful state.       
 
Eric Quaempts, Adams
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
2009-2013
 
Eric serves as the Director for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation's (CTUIR) Department of Natural Resources. The Department of Natural Resources uses the structure of traditional 'first foods' rituals as a paradigm for understanding natural resource distribution and ecology in the area, and a model for conservation and development. Eric earned his Bachelor's of Science in Wildlife Science from Oregon State University, and also completed graduate-level course work at Colorado State University in fire and land management.
 
Morgan Rider, Portland
Environmental Quality Commission Representative
2012-present
Rider specializes in strategic corporate sustainability planning, environmental management system development and environmental health and safety compliance. She has managed and performed environmental compliance projects and audits for large commercial clients with national and international assets. Rider has worked extensively with companies in the semiconductor, apparel, aerospace, automotive, forest products, food processing, renewable energy and mining industries, helping them conduct sustainability and life-cycle assessments, and assisting them in reducing resources and minimizing waste. Since 2009, Rider has served as sustainability chair for the Pacific Northwest Cleantech Open. Cleantech Open is a national nonprofit dedicated to promoting new ideas into viable clean tech businesses. Rider has worked as environmental compliance manager for LSI Logic and Nike. She holds a B.S. in civil and environmental engineering from Cornell University and is a professional engineer in the state of Oregon.
 
Patricia Smith, Bend
Public at Large
2005-2009, 2009-2013
 
Patricia co-owns William Smith Properties with her husband, Bill. She said that she serves on the OWEB board because of the "chance to be involved in making good decisions for the future of Oregon and its natural resources." She also has served on the Oregon Public Broadcasting board, the Oregon Health and Sciences University board, and the Oregon Board of Medical Examiners. Patricia received a bachelor's degree at Gonzaga University, where she serves on the board of regents.
 
Dan Thorndike, Co-Chair, Ashland
Public at Large
2009-2013
 
Dan Thorndike previously served on the OWEB Board representing the Water Resources Commission. He now joins the Board representing the public at large. Dan was born and raised in southern Oregon and has an extensive background supporting his local community. He received his law degree from the University of Washington School of Law. He serves as the general counsel and corporate secretary for Medford Fabrication, enjoys many outdoor activities, and lives in Ashland.

Bob Webber, Port Orford
Fish and Wildlife Commission Representative 
2012-present 
Bob grew up in Tigard, attended Linfield College and Willamette University Law School. He and his wife Suzanne live on the Elk River outside of Port Orford. They have three daughters and five grandchildren. Bob is a partner in the law firm of Black, Chapman, Webber and Stevens in Medford and works part-time on the South Coast. An avid hunter and angler, for the past 16 years, he has been a board member and past chairman of the 11,000-member Oregon Hunters Association. He also volunteers as a special prosecutor handling wildlife-related cases for the Curry County District Attorney's Office.  ​
 
Karl Wenner, Klamath Falls
Public at Large
2009-2013
 
Karl is an orthopedic surgeon in Klamath Falls and has been very active in conservation issues in that basin. Karl was one of the original chairs of the Hatfield Upper Klamath Basin Working Group; a member of the Klamath Basin Water Use Advisory Committee; founder and chairman of the Klamath Basin Ecosystem Foundation; and a member of the Klamath Watershed Partnership. Karl is also owner of a 350 acre cattle ranch in Klamath County.
 

Non-voting Member Profiles
U.S.D.I. Bureau of Land Management Representative
2011-present
 
Mike Haske is the Deputy State Director for Resources for the Bureau of Land Management in Oregon and Washington, a position he has held since April of 2009.  Mike is a 32 year veteran with the BLM.  He started his career in Medford, Oregon where he worked as both a forester and environmental analyst.  He moved from Medford to BLM's Roseburg District, where he worked as an environmental planner and supervisory natural resource specialist.  Mike went from Roseburg to BLM's national office, where he worked in Congressional Affairs, spent a year on the hill working for Senator Harry Reid of Nevada and worked on BLM's forestry, fisheries and wildlife programs at the national level.  He returned to Oregon in 2004 as the state office Branch Chief for the forestry, threatened and endangered species, fisheries and wildlife programs.  Mike has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Forestry from the University of Illinois.  He has been married to his wife, Marilyn, for 30 years and has 2 children.  He loves to read and is always happy to share stories about his upbringing in Chicago and the current exploits of his family.  One of Mike's current passions is working with his 3 year old German Shepherd, Cuddy, who he hopes to get state certified as a search and rescue dog this summer.
 
Debbie Hollen, Portland
U.S. Forest Service Representative
2010-present
 
Debbie is the current Assistant Director for Natural Resources (Watershed, Fish, Wildlife, Range, Soils & Botany) Pacific Northwest Region, US Forest Service.  She grew up in Anchorage, Alaska and attended Humboldt State University in Northern California where she earned a bachelor’s degree in freshwater fisheries management.  She has worked for three different Federal Agencies (Forest Service, Bonneville Power Administration and Bureau of Land Management) over the course of her 22 year career.  Her broad multi-agency work history gives her expertise in Federal land management planning and policy development.
 
James E. Johnson, Corvallis
Representative of OSU Extension Administration
2007-present
 
Jim is the associate dean for Extended Education and International Programs in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University. He holds a bachelor's degree in forest watershed management from Colorado State University, a master's in forestry from the University of Maine, and a doctorate in forestry from Virginia Tech.  A specialist in silviculture, forest soils, and extension forestry, Johnson has produced 198 publications, including a book. Among his 19 national and regional awards, he received a national award from the Society of American Foresters, of which he is a fellow.
 
Alan Henning, Eugene
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Representative
2010-present
 
Alan is assigned to the Office of Ecosystems, Tribal and Public Affairs for Region 10, US Environmental Protection Agency.  He is co-located with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality in Eugene, Oregon.  Alan has a B.S. Degree in Environmental Health from Ferris State University, Big Rapids, Michigan.  He began his career as a Sanitarian with the Mid-Michigan District Health Department, St. Johns, Michigan.  In 1980 he received a commission in the US Public Health Service and worked on environmental health issues in Colorado, American Samoa and Washington.  In 1988 he was assigned to Region 10 EPA and worked in the drinking water program and the TMDL program until 2000 when he was transferred to his current position in Eugene.  Alan is married and has two teenage sons.  He is an outdoors enthusiast who loves hunting, fishing and skiing.
 
Kim Kratz, Portland
National Marine Fisheries Service Representative
2008-present
 
Kim serves as the Director of the Oregon State Habitat Office, Habitat Conservation Division, National Marine Fisheries Service. He graduated from the University of Montana, Missoula and received a PhD in Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He enjoys backpacking and skiing with his family.
 
Bill White, Portland
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
2012-present
 
Bill is the Partnership Liaison with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Oregon. He has worked in different capacities with the NRCS for nearly thirty years. After graduating Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina he received a PhD in Agricultural and Natural Resources Economics from Oregon State University.
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