Council staff gathers for a quick photo at the 2009 Columbia Slough Regatta. From left, Nathaniel Talbot, Haley Dillon (2009 Intern), Jane Van Dyke, Sheilagh Diez and Melissa Sandoz.

Jane Van Dyke, Executive Director
jane.vandyke@columbiaslough.org
Jane became executive director of the Columbia Slough Watershed Council in September 2006.  She has over ten years experience working for non-profit organizations, including the Clark County Bar Association and Volunteer Lawyers Program and Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center. Jane is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara with a degree in environmental studies and Lewis and Clark College, Northwestern School of Law.   She is a member of the Washington Bar Association.

Sheilagh Diez, Education Director
sheilagh.diez@columbiaslough.org
Sheilagh joined the Columbia Slough Watershed Council staff in September 2008.  She has over ten years experience as an outdoor educator having worked with such organizations as Multnomah County Outdoor School, Audubon Society of Portland, and the Friends of Tryon Creek State Park.  Sheilagh has an undergraduate degree in Geology from Whitman College and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Portland State University.  Sheilagh is thrilled to be working with students and other community members from across the Slough.

Melissa Sandoz, Outreach Director
melissa.sandoz@columbiaslough.org
After working with the Council as the '06-07 AmeriCorps member, Melissa Sandoz is happy to be back, this time working on events and workshops.   She developed her background in environmental education by working with the Audubon Society of Portland and the Columbia Gorge Ecology Institute. Melissa has a degree in Environmental Studies from Linfield College, and when she’s not in the office she secretly longs for a life on the stage as an actress (or at least a costume designer).

Nathaniel Talbot, Community Stewardship Coordinator nathaniel.talbot@columbiaslough.org
Nathaniel is the Columbia Slough Watershed Council’s returning AmeriCorps member for the '09/10 season. He earned a degree in Biology with a minor in music from the University of Oregon in 2006. Since college, Nathaniel has hopped up and down the Pacific Northwest as an environmental educator, working in areas such as Homer, Alaska, Oregon’s Opal Creek Wilderness and Portland’s Tryon Creek State Park. He is an avid naturalist and is passionate about the restoration of Oregon’s native ecosystems.

Sophie Perillo, Education Intern
intern@columbiaslough.org
Sophie graduated from the University of Oregon with a BA in Environmental Studies in 2009. She is inspired by nature and excited to teach and inspire others. She will work on children’s education programs with the Council in spring 2010. She hopes to build a career out of her passion for teaching and environmental conservation.