Our Team

Board of Directors

All of our Board Members are enrolled tribal members, and each of them, along with the Executive Director, were involved in the successful years’ long campaigns to defeat the onslaught of proposed coal ports in Washington State.

This Indigenous-led team has a long and storied history of organizing and providing leadership for direct action campaigns and broad-based coalitions to vigorously defend Indigenous lifeways. This passion for being in right relations with Nature and, through Her, with each other is reflected in our past, present, and proposed programs.

Jay Julius W'tot Lhem (Lummi) President

A fisherman, Former Chairman and Councilman at Lummi Nation, Jay was a leader in the fight to protect Xwe'chi'eXen (Cherry Point). He has organized and executed Tribal, local, regional, and national campaigns. A bridge-builder, he uses empathy and storytelling to bring people together. Principal at Julius Consulting LLC.

JoDe Goudy (Yakama) Vice-President

JoDe is the former Chairman of the Yakama Nation, JoDe is now with Redthought.org, an educational resource center providing virtual platforms for events, conferences, workshops, and courses. He brings expertise on the Doctrine of Discovery, among other things, to the table.

Dana Wilson (Lummi) Secretary-Treasurer

Dana, Secretary/Treasurer of Se'Si'Le, is a member of the Lummi Nation and a lifelong fisher who is active in the Nation's efforts to restore the salmon and protect and pass on the natural and cultural heritage of the Salish Sea.

A. Cyaltsa Finkbonner (Lummi) Board Member

A member of the Lummi Nation, Cyaltsa is a fisher, artist, and professional welder dedicated to preserving the lifeway of her people and the health of the Salish Sea.

Rueben George Board Member

Rueben is Sundance Chief and a member of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN). After working as a family counsellor for twenty years, he became manager of the TWN's Sacred Trust initiative to protect the unceded Tsleil-Waututh lands and waters from the proposed Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion

Sequoyah Julius W'tot'Lhem (Lummi) Co-Executive Director

A member of the Lummi Nation, he is a fisherman living and working in the territorial waters of the Lummi People in the San Juan Islands. Sequoyah has a deep connection to his family, culture and history. He is committed to carrying on the work of his family and his Lummi ancestors.

Kurt Russo, Ph.D. Co-Executive Director

Kurt has worked since 1978 with Native Nations on treaty rights, protective management of sacred sites, and conflict resolution. He is the former Executive Director of the Florence R. Kluckhohn Center for the Study of Values and the Native American Land Conservancy.