Meet the Board of Directors

Officers

Aaron is a native Oregonian who has spent his life in the outdoors. From backpacking to kayaking, snowshoeing and foraging, Aaron has always found peace and enjoyment through the natural world. 

With his wife, daughters and son, he has shared his passions for everything nature, especially his passion for birds. Aaron currently volunteers for both the Oregon Bird Alliance and the Seven Capes Bird Alliance. In the past he has volunteered with The Rails to Trails Project and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. 

He resides in the beach town of Neskowin and currently works as a Housing Case Manager for the Lincoln City homeless shelter, Coastal Phoenix Rising.

Dennis is now retired having worked on health reform in government, consulting, and non-profit roles for over 40 years. He now volunteers for several non-profit organizations on the Oregon coast, most notably Friends of Otter Rock Marine Reserve (Friends) which he co-founded. Friends works on coastal advocacy focusing on interpretive programming designed to engage the community and its visitors in conservation and stewardship.

Dennis has served on our Seven Capes Rocky Habitat core team for the past four years, actively advocating for our two successful Marine Conservation Area proposals at Cape Foulweather (adjacent to Otter Rock) and Cape Lookout.

A retired Business Analyst, dawn worked for the State of Oregon for 28 years. She moved with her husband from the Willamette Valley to Lincoln City in 2009. In Salem, she had adapted her backyard to be wildlife friendly, keeping daily notes of the birds that came to her pond and feeders. Lacking much of a backyard in Lincoln City, she has spent hours exploring area parks, beaches, and open spaces.

dawn joined Seven Capes in 2011 and became a board member in 2014. She also volunteers with the Oregon Birding Association as membership coordinator and bookkeeper, and enjoys a variety of citizen science opportunities such as the northwest Winter Raptor Survey, Black Oystercatcher monitoring, and documenting area wildlife for US Fish and Wildlife.

Jessica is Executive Director of Family Promise of Lincoln County, where she works to strengthen the community by supporting children and families experiencing housing instability. She has worked in homeless and human services since 2010 and brings extensive experience in nonprofit leadership, advocacy, program development, and building strong community partnerships. Jessica is a proud member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and has a deep connection to the lands and waters of the Oregon Coast. She is also a proud mother of seven and grandmother of one, which strengthens her commitment to leaving a healthier, more sustainable world for future generations.

Directors

Growing up in the mountains, Heather developed a deep appreciation for the beauty and complexity of nature. Her first visit to the Oregon Coast over ten years ago left a lasting impression, and she knew then that she wanted to make this area her home. That dream eventually came true. After settling in, she sought ways to connect with the local naturalist community and get involved in education and conservation efforts. For the past two years, she has been an active volunteer with Seven Capes, primarily participating in weekly bird walks and various educational activities. Heather is a passionate learner who finds great joy in spending time with other curious and dedicated nature enthusiasts.

Rebecca lives in Yachats with her two dogs Mo and Woody. She finally fully retired in January 2026 from her professional work as an actuary. She loves being outdoors and has enjoyed hiking, skiing, and being absorbed by the wonder of the natural world wherever she has found herself–but Oregon is her favorite place. Volunteerism has been an important part of her life, and she intends to keep working as a community resource as long as she is able.

Growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mark has been a lifelong birder and member of several environmental organizations. He holds a B.A. in Earth Sciences with an M.S. and Ph.D. in Structural Geology. His career was in the Oil and Gas industry, primarily focusing on the study of deep-water marine deposits around the world. 

Mark has served on the Board of Houston Audubon, was a watershed Advisor for the Bayou Preservation Association, and Citizen Advisor for the Harris County (TX) Office of Emergency Management. He currently serves as President of the White Oak Bayou Association, a non-profit dedicated to habitat restoration along the bayou’s riparian corridor. 

Mark’s hobbies include birding, hiking, and playing the guitar.

Karen is a retired IT professional. The last 20 years of her career she lived and worked in Beaverton, Oregon, often escaping to the Oregon coast on weekends. In 2016, Karen moved to Depoe Bay to enjoy retirement and bask in the awe of nature. She is an avid hiker, camper and traveler eager to learn and observe birds and wildlife in their natural habitat. 

Karen was first introduced to Seven Capes Bird Alliance when she volunteered to help obtain signatures in support of Cape Foulweather becoming a designated Marine Conservation Area. Now, she hopes to help promote and share the wonders and beauty of our coastal home, so that others may learn to appreciate and help conserve our Oregon coast’s natural wonders.

Growing up on the Oregon coast and life-long resident of Netarts for 72 years, Jim has developed a personal relationship with the ocean from his front door. His experience as a commercial fisherman off of the Oregon, Washington and Alaska coasts has given him an intimate understanding of our ocean and the need for conservation and study of our Pacific Coast.

As a conservationist and nonprofit volunteer, Jim was asked to help move the idea of marine reserves along our coast. In his role as a community organizer for Oregon’s central and north coast, he was instrumental in the establishment of 5 marine reserve sites and is still involved with these protected areas. After 10 plus years of active participation in Oregon’s coastal conservation planning, Jim is honored to help Seven Capes Bird Alliance board of directors contribute to the health of our coastal waters.

Terry is originally from Michigan, where he spent most of his working life in agriculture with Pioneer Hi-Bred, Intl. After completing a five-year stint with them in Hermiston, OR, Terry moved to Lincoln City with his wife, Alice. Since then, he has worked for several local retailers and at Camp Westwind. Since retiring, he has been involved with the Lincoln County Master Gardener Program as a Demo Garden Lead, regularly assists Seven Capes bird walks, and recently began serving on our Education team. In recognition of his service, Terry was recognized as Seven Capes Volunteer of the Year at our 2026 Annual Meeting.

Evan was born and raised in Western Washington and has spent his entire career dedicated to restoring natural systems in the Pacific Northwest. After completing his undergraduate at Santa Clara University, Evan returned to Washington for two AmeriCorps terms with the Washington Conservation Corps. He received a Master’s of Environmental Studies from The Evergreen State College, and has worked in various ecosystems at Joint Base Lewis McChord, and spent 3 seasons growing plants for sub-alpine meadow restoration at Mt. Rainier.

Since 2016, Since 2016, Evan has worked for the MidCoast Watersheds Council and now serves as Executive Director, working with partners to complete major restoration projects in the Council’s nearly one-million-acre footprint on the coast. When he isn’t working at MCWC, you will likely find him tending to his backyard veggie garden, birding, or walking with his wife and dog on the beach. Or you may not be able to find him at all, as he spends as much time as possible backpacking and camping in remote locations all around the world.

Ilene is a transplant from New York City, Providence, Los Angeles, and Seattle. Ilene moved to South Beach in 2021. Ilene holds both BA and MS degrees in Geological Sciences with a specialty in seismology. Ilene is now retired from scientific and tech jobs and currently runs Ilene Samowitz Photography with works in five galleries from Lincoln City to Florence. Ilene was a pioneer in digiscoping and was regional contributor to Oregon Birds Journal in the mid 2000s. They now volunteer for both SWIFTY and Osprey Nest Watch, fulfilling a strong interest in both citizen science and conservation.

Zack was born and raised in the Portland area, where he started birding as a teenager. Following several years of working as an organic farmer on Sauvie Island, he relocated to Missoula, Montana, and completed a Masters of Science in Environmental Studies. Zack worked for seven years in the Northern Rockies with nonprofits performing restoration and noxious weed control alongside the United States Forest Service in Wilderness and Roadless areas in Montana and Idaho. In late 2025, Zack and his wife moved to Newport. After a lifetime of visiting the Oregon Coast, he feels privileged to experience the wonderful birding just beyond his front door.

Jim is a recent addition to the Oregon Coast from Colorado, having bought a house in Yachats 6 years ago. He is retired, and has a background in Renewable Energy and has been active in environmental issues over the years. When he moved to Yachats, he started building bird boxes for his subdivision and soon met other birders who had boxes and were interested in expanding our efforts in particular with Swallows.  

Hence the genesis of SWIFTY. We now have over 200 boxes in our network and are now partners with Seven Capes. This summer we will be doing a survey of the Purple Martin population in Lincoln County with a plan for next year to replace old boxes and add new ones to grow the population.

Other Volunteer Leaders

Caren is a retired elementary school teacher and has lived in Lincoln City since 1974. Birding was something she wanted to learn more about and that eventually led to an opportunity to get back into schools and pass on that birding knowledge to children and then adults through Oregon Coast Community College (OCCC).

Caren joined the Seven Capes board in 2008 and continues to serve as our education coordinator, teaching “Wild About Birds” in Tillamook and Lincoln County 5th grade classrooms, "Our Neighbor the Osprey" for Lincoln City kindergarten and 3rd graders, and “Birding Basics” for adults at Oregon Coast Community College. She retired from the Board in 2022 but continues to serve as our field trip coordinator, education mentor, and instructor.

Nora is a nature artist and science illustrator living in Lincoln City who has always loved birds. She connected with Seven Capes Bird Alliance after taking the Birding Basics class in 2014 and joins the groups on outings as often as she can. She has painted many local birds for gallery shows, as well as for commissioned work.

She changed careers after many years in high-tech (geographic information systems) after she obtained her certificate in science illustration from the University of Washington in Seattle. She and her husband live steps from the beach and right next to one of Lincoln City’s designated open spaces; the birding is great right out her front door.

Staff

Kent worked for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife as a stream ecologist prior to retiring to the Oregon coast in 2020. As the Seven Capes Coastal Conservation Coordinator, he is inspired through working with others in the Bird Alliance who share his passion for conservation. He lives at the Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge where he is the volunteer caretaker. Being immersed in the natural world with geese and other wildlife for neighbors, gives him a deeper connection with nature. Backpacking in Oregon’s wilderness areas and steelhead fishing on Oregon's coastal rivers are his favorite activities.

Aftergraduating from Beloit College in 2018, Nissa worked on environmental justice and financial assurance as an Environmental Specialist at Washington State’s Department of Ecology. During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, they switched gears to focus on their art and created a small business with their partner, moving to Lincoln City in 2021. Now, in addition to running their business and vending at the local markets, they serve as Seven Capes Digital Media Coordinator sharing our story and mission across digital platforms. While new to the world of birds, Nissa is a life-long nature lover and can often be found foraging in the woods for wild food and art supplies.

Ruth Shelly has spent a lifetime working in museums, and retired as Executive Director of Portland Children's Museum in 2020. She and her husband Kevin live on Devils Lake. They enjoy getting to know the local birding spots and fellow birders through Seven Capes field trips. Having worked in natural history museums and an aquarium, Ruth is committed to engaging children in science, community science programs, and conservation.

She considers herself a novice birder and intermediate photographer, with passion for both and great respect for how much more there is to learn!