Staff

Photo by Bruce MacGregor

Jack Halsey, Executive Director

Jack Halsey (jack@oswegowatershed.org) joined Oswego Lake Watershed Council in September 2019 as the new Coordinator. His title now is Executive Director.  Jack grew up in Oregon and began working with watershed councils in 2013 as a Fish Passage Intern with the Johnson Creek Watershed Council. Jack received his Environmental Analysis degree from Pitzer College, with a focus on Environmental Science. He was a seasonal Park Ranger at Tryon Creek State Natural Area for two years, working to improve recreation opportunities, educate visitors, and restore degraded habitat. Jack served as a Confluence AmeriCorps Member from 2018 to 2019 with Johnson Creek Watershed Council as Outreach and Riparian Specialist. In that role, he planned and implemented riparian restoration projects, volunteer events, and environmental education for student groups from under-served communities.

In his role with Oswego Lake Watershed Council, Jack most enjoys managing restoration projects and ensuring access to natural resources for all who live, work, and recreate in the watershed  In his free time, Jack enjoys hiking, going to concerts, and making ceramic art.

Allie Molen

Allie Molen, Outreach Specialist

Allie Molen (allie@oswegowatershed.org) was raised in the California Central Valley and has been gradually making her way north ever since. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies with a focus on Conservation Biology from University of California Santa Cruz. She also has a degree in Literature, Creative Writing and has since loved the intersection between environmental stewardship and creative expression.

Allie worked on the development and programming team at Write Around Portland, a literary non-profit that facilitates creative writing workshops for underserved communities.

Alongside supporting education and outreach campaigns for Oswego Lake Watershed Council, Allie also works for the Portland Water Bureau as an Environmental educator, where she tells stories about nature and ecology to students at the Bull Run Watershed, to help them understand the impact of conservation.

When Allie is not geeking out over watershed science, she’s trail running in the Columbia Gorge on the hunt for banana slugs or out riding her Honda Rebel.

Laurent Nickel, Stewardship Technician

Laurent was born and raised in Northwest Portland. He attended Pacific Lutheran University on a music scholarship and graduated in 2008 with degrees in Environmental Studies and English. After working for several counties in Washington State doing water quality monitoring and invasive plant control, he began working for the Lake Oswego Corporation in 2011, where he is still employed full time. In 2019, the OLWC hired him as our Stewardship Technician to help with invasive plant removal. In his spare time, he’s likely out in his boat salmon or steelhead fishing on local rivers, and as a lifelong musician, at night you might find him in one of Portland’s jazz clubs playing his upright bass. 

Council Members

  • Stephanie Wagner, Director, Chair

    Stephanie WagnerAfter completing a Masters degree in cell physiology Stephanie Wagner (stephanie@oswegowatershed.org) worked for 10 years in mosquito genetics and shark physiology research at UCLA. The birth of four children and a move to Oregon in 1976 took her out of the research laboratory and into local schools where she volunteered supporting elementary science education. This experience led to her employment as Education Director for Friends of Tryon Creek State Park where she supervised an education program with over 10,000 participants annually. She is presently working for PSU’s Center for Science Education as the Director of the Masters in Science Teaching program. She also teaches Connect2Science through Nature classes for in-service elementary teachers; giving kindergarten through fifth grade teachers the tools to incorporate outdoor experiences into their science curriculum. Stephanie has served as an active volunteer with the City of Lake Oswego serving as a member of the Parks and Recreation and Natural Resource Advisory Boards.

  • Thomas Bland, Treasurer

    Tom BlandThomas Bland, Treasurer, (tom@oswegowatershed.org) is a Certified Public Accountant. He has extensive experience in financial operations, taxation, board relations, corporate governance, risk management, operational administration, treasury and human resources. He is the Chief Operating Officer for Cascadia Green Building Council, a green building organization headquartered in Portland’s Pearl District. Tom is also president of Sequoia Financial Consulting, PC a Tax and Accounting firm. He has a BS from the University of California and an MS from the University of Arizona. Tom has lived in Lake Oswego for 19 years. He is on the board of directors for Friends of Springbrook Park, the Uplands Neighborhood Association as well as being on the board of the Oswego Lake Watershed Council.

  • Mike Buck, Secretary

    Mike BuckMichael Buck (mike@oswegowatershed.org) is a business person who has lived in Lake Oswego for twenty-eight years. He has served on numerous community task forces and commissions including the Lake Grove Comprehensive Plan, the Lake Grove Village Center Plan, and Advisory Committee for further refinement studies on Boones Ferry Road. He chairs the Friends of Iron Mountain, local neighbors and citizens who actively work to restore native habitat to public park land. The City and his fellow citizens have acknowledged his service to the community through numerous citations including Unsung Hero Award.

  • Mary Ratcliff, Director (Lake Oswego Sustainability Network Representative)

    Mary RatcliffMary Ratcliff (mary@oswegowatershed.org) has a Masters in Computer Science with an expertise in large databases and worked with IBM for 9 years. She has owned a home in Lake Oswego since 2001. Mary volunteers for a number of organizations: she is the co-chair of the Lake Oswego Sustainability Advisory Board; a steering committee member for the Lake Oswego Sustainability Network, and is the Liaison for the Network’s Water Action Team of which the Watershed Council is an important stakeholder. Other organizations where Mary volunteers are the Audubon Society of Portland where she is the co-chair for the Wild Arts Festival Book Fair, leads occasional bird outings and works in the Nature Store, and OPB where she has helped with website development and membership drive coordinator/facilitator.

     

    Dwight Sangrey, Director, Vice Chair (Mountain Park Homeowners Association Representative)

    Dwight Sangrey has lived in Oregon since 1988 and moved to Mountain Park, where he is a member of the Board of Directors and President, in 2002. He and Karla have grown children and five grandchildren who all live in other parts of the country. Dwight is an engineer who spent 30 years in higher education as a teacher, research director and academic administrator. He also has worked in engineering design and management and in leadership of several technology companies. He has been very active in international volunteer work, especially since retirement, and remains involved as a consultant.

    Dwight and Karla came to Oregon from upstate New York when he became President of the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology. Following his retirement from the university he was CEO of Santa Fe Technologies Inc. and a Principal with Golder Associates, an international environmental and technology firm. He has been an active contributor to economic development programs, primarily focused on technology companies, and has been a member or director of several major university/industry/government organizations including the Ben Franklin Partnership Program, the South Africa Project for the Ford Foundation and the Oregon Council on Knowledge and Economic Development (OCKED). Participation as a Trustee on public and private governance boards has included service to Pacific University, Saturday Academy, the Portland Opera and other volunteer groups. He has also served as a Director or Chairman on six public and private corporate boards.

Tom Berridge, Director (Westlake Homeowners Association Representative)

Tom BerridgeTom Berridge has lived in Oregon since 1999 and is retired from a career in journalism. He is the liaison between the Oswego Lake Watershed Council and the Westlake Homeowners Association on the restoration of 17 acres of native Oregon oak woodland that belongs to the homeowners association. He also is the chair of the Westlake Oak Woodlands volunteer group. Tom has been drawn to nature since childhood and has been a backpacker, whitewater guide, canoeist, kayaker, and birdwatcher.                                              

Gabe Winfrey, Jurisdictional Partner Liaison: Lake Oswego Corporation

Gabe Winfrey (Gabe.winfrey@lakecorp.com) Is a natural resource planner and reservoir operator. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a bachelor’s degree in urban and natural resource planning in 2008, and shortly after began working for the Lake Oswego Corporation as a seasonal operations crew member. He worked in this role while also completing a graduate degree in Geographical Information Systems from Portland State University. He became the Operations Manager for the Lake Oswego Corporation in 2013. He is a member of Oregon Lakes Association and the Western Aquatic Plant Management Association. His experience in aquatics, riparian and natural area restoration has informed his work to improve habitat and restore function to the watershed. Gabe joined the Watershed Council in 2021 to represent the Lake Oswego Corporation as a stakeholder and apply his natural resource planning experiences to help coordinate other stakeholders and watershed restoration projects. 

Larry Zurcher, Jurisdictional Partner Liaison: Lake Oswego School District

Larry ZurcherLarry has been involved with OLWC since he became the Lake Oswego School District STEM teacher on special assignment in 2016. Starting Fall of 2021, he will become the district’s Sustainability TOSA. Working with Oswego Lake Watershed Council, school green teams, and students have been key to building a growing sense of stewardship for our students.

A lifelong Oregon resident, Larry has taught in the Lake Oswego School District for 31 years. His roles ranged from elementary classroom teacher, math specialist, middle school science & engineering teacher, and coach. While not in the classroom he enjoys being outdoors, trail running, being out on the water, enjoying music, and spending time with his family.

Council Partners

The Council also partners with neighborhood organizations, businesses, government agencies, landowners and concerned citizens.  Council partners support the Council’s watershed protection mission in the community in a less formal sense.  Partners volunteer at OLWC events, support OLWC project efforts and grant applications, and help strengthen OLWC community connections, as they are able.

For more information on becoming an OLWC member or partner contact us at info@oswegowatershed.org or call our message phone at 503-479-5560

Council partners include:

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