Marine Board Members

Five volunteer members make up the Oregon State Marine Board. These individuals are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. Members serve a four-year term and may apply for a second term of service. Members represent different geographic regions of the state and different boating activities. Our Board members are also boaters. They own and use motorized boats and paddlecraft. Many own more than one type of watercraft.

Laura Jackson, Board Chair

Laura began her love for boating in 3rd grade when her parents bought a cruising sailboat. That summer she learned to sail an El Toro in San Francisco Bay. Throughout junior high and high school, she sailed with her family and grew her skills in racing dinghies. In high school and college, she became a national-caliber sculler. Beyond school, she competed for a seat on the US Rowing team and took up kayak racing. Today, one of her mottoes is "any seat, any boat, any time."

Serving the community is also a theme in Ms. Jackson's life. Whether working for a government agency, serving on various citizen advisory committees, or volunteering for a cause, she seeks to give back to the communities that have given her so much. She is currently President of the Oaks Park Community Boathouse in Portland and has served as a youth rowing and paddling coach. She also volunteers at The Oregon Humane Society in their Second Chance team, where she also works in their volunteer administration group.

As a Marine Board member, she hopes to work in a collaborative environment to create ways to share our waterways and find a means to reach the group of boaters who do not realize they are boaters (e.g. SUP and kayak paddlers). As a participant in many aspects of boating, she is keenly aware of safety issues, especially those related to the conflict between user groups, and would like to find ways to resolve these challenges through education and courtesy rather than more regulation.
Term: 2023 – 2027

Val Early, Vice-Chair

Board member Early's love for the waterways happened at a young age. While sitting on the front steps of the family farm home, she witnessed her father helping rescue neighbors to higher ground by using his tractor to tow whatever belongings he could salvage. This event would later become known as the "Great '64 Flood," where many rivers became mini-oceans, engulfing everything in their path. This situation instilled in her lifelong respect and fascination with waterways.

Early's father, Cal Wade, held a seat on the Marine Board in the 1970s, and through his service, she was exposed to boating issues in Oregon, while becoming proficient in operating drift boats and other watercraft on the Rogue River.

Early holds a U.S. Coast Guard Uninspected Passenger Vessel License. She also is an owner/operator of Early Fishing, Inc., a fishing guide service that is registered to operate in Oregon, California, and Alaska.

In addition to Early's boating experience, she has volunteered with many organizations on river conservation and habitat including the ODFW Fall Chinook Conservation Plan, USFS National Center for Wild and Scenic River Excellence Working Group, Chetco Watershed Council, Brookings Harbor Safe-N-Sober, other outdoor events that promote fishing, conservation and safety.

Early hopes that through her role on the Marine Board, she's able to inspire current and future generations to take responsibility for their behavior, become stewards of the waterways, and increase participation in clean boating programs. Early desires to work cooperatively to resolve issues between boating groups and would like to be a part of the conversation that seeks solutions through education or other interventions before asserting more regulations.
Term: 2016 – 2020 (Second term and is continuing to serve as Vice-Chair until a replacement is found)

Craig Withee

Withee is a retired Civil Engineer who relocated to Bend in 2013 after spending over 30 years of his professional career in Alaska. After becoming a paraplegic from a car accident in 1969, Withee completed his college education with a Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering in 1973 and a Master's Degree in Environmental Engineering in 1975 from the University of Colorado. His 38-year professional career was spent in Facilities Engineering, operations, and management for the Department of Army and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Throughout his life, Withee has maintained a love for the outdoors, especially for boating, cruising, fishing, and hunting. He's owned and operated many motorized and non-motorized boats in lakes, rivers, and the ocean, including Alaska bush country, busy ocean harbors, and large river drainages. Withee's outdoor enthusiasm has continued into retirement with boating on the high lakes and rivers in Central Oregon and the coastal communities in Reedsport, Florence, and Newport. Most of his outdoor experiences have included his wheelchair, which has not hampered his pursuit of life and adventure.

Withee says, "Whether it was floating remote waters, jet boating whitewater rapids, or cruising in a bay, boating has always provided me with challenges, serenity, camaraderie, and fulfillment over the years. Life for me would have been incomplete if those opportunities were not available."
Term: 2021 – 2025 (second term of service)

Jorge Guzman

Jorge Guzman's boating experience and water recreation started with surfing on Oregon's coast and other beaches around the world.

His passion and interest in water sports then expanded to Stand Up Paddleboarding, kayaking, and canoeing. Guzman's passion for water sports continues to grow and he now enjoys exploring Oregon's waterways on his personal watercraft.

A priority for Jorge Guzman as a Board Member of the Oregon Marine Board is to improve water access for everyone and introduce new communities to safe boating experiences for recreation, stewardship, and economic development.
Term: 2021 - 2025

Steve Lambert

The Marine Board recently filled a vacancy on its board with Steve Lambert, a Jackson County resident and Jackson County Parks Manager.

Steve has worked in public park management for three decades. He began his career in parks and recreation in eastern Washington while earning a degree in Natural Resource Management from Washington State University. After college, he spent a short amount of time working for the US Army Corps of Engineers on the Snake River in Clarkston, Washington, where his duties included patrolling the river to ensure safe and responsible use. In 1999, he relocated to the Willamette Valley and managed recreation facilities on three reservoirs, including Clear Lake in the Willamette National Forest. In 2009, he and his family moved to the Rogue Valley, where he currently manages county park facilities on five reservoirs and the Rogue River.

Steve is passionate about providing boating access for Oregonians in a close-to-home experience. No matter where he has worked, he has seen the joy boating brings to families, both by paddle, oar, and motor. Whether building boating facilities including boat ramps and marinas, or operating public rental businesses where those who may not own a boat can easily experience boating, he is devoted to meeting the recreational needs of his fellow Oregonians. In his spare time, you can find him paddling the waters with his wife and their two dogs.

On the Board, Steve hopes to help the agency plan for future challenges amidst environmental shifts, ensuring Oregonians always have safe, local access to the waters they cherish.
Term: 2023 - 2027