Peter Frazier , Vice President
Peter is a user experience researcher, designer and strategist, working mostly with technology companies. He has lived on the shores of Chuckanut Bay for most of his life. He and his wife, Aimee, have raised their children there and on the waters of the Salish Sea. He is the Steward of Chuckanut Island for The Nature Conservancy. Peter has worked with many nonprofits assisting them with their communications, promotion, and development. He is dedicated to seeing Whatcom County become a forward-thinking and resilient community, living within its ecological means.

Ken Heck, Treasurer
Ken has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Colorado. He has thirty years of experience in the oil industry (Shell Oil Company) serving as a Research Manager and Technical Consultant in a variety of national and international assignments, including oil shale utilization, corporate planning and economics, oilfield and refinery process engineering, and metallurgy and corrosion projects.  Ken retired in 1998 and has served in a variety of non-profit positions since.

Jean Melious, Secretary
Jean currently is an associate professor at Western Washington University, and is a land-use and environmental law attorney.  Jean is a member of the Whatcom County Planning Commission since 2007, member of Bellingham Historical Preservation Commission, and past member of Bellingham Community Development Advisory Board.

Eric Hirst
Eric has a PhD in engineering from Stanford University, taught at Tuskegee Institute (a black college in Alabama) for two years, and then worked as a policy analyst at Oak Ridge (TN) National Laboratory on energy efficiency and the structure of the electricity industry for 30 years. Eric spent the last eight years of his career as a consultant. He retired in 2004.

Amy Mower
Amy is a retired corporate lawyer, most recently in private practice with a 14 member law firm.  Amy is interested in land use issues and has been active in protecting the environment and rural character of Whatcom County.  She holds a BA in Anthropology from Brown University, and a JD from Boston University.

Gib Morrow
Gib is a practicing internist with a medical degree from Duke.  He practiced medicine on the Navajo Reservation before moving to Bellingham in 1998, where professional activities have included serving as Medicine Department Chair at St. Joseph Hospital and on the board of directors of Madrona Medical.  His volunteer activities include coaching soccer and working on the Mt. Baker Ski Patrol.  He is a founding member and active participant in Whatcom Docs.

Jill Clark
Jill has 20 years experience in fund development and program planning, currently serving as Development Director of Kulshan Community Land Trust since 2005. She has a keen interest in deepening relationships between people and land, and in creating sustainable community. She enjoys long-distance tandem bicycling with her husband and musician Walt Burkett, and singing with Whatcom Chorale and Bellingham Chamber Chorale, where she also serves on the board.


Seth Vidana
Seth is the Campus Sustainability Coordinator for Western Washington  University where he manages the Office of Sustainability. Seth received his B.A. and M.Ed from Huxley College of the Environment.

Barry Wenger
Barry has a strong science background and has been involved in environmental planning, land use and shoreline issues for the past 38 years in Washington State. His passion for the environment balanced with a solid commitment for reasonable and sustainable planning and regulation has allowed him to be an outstanding leader in the field of shoreline management. He has mentored local and state planners and taught a multitude of land use and environmental classes at planning conferences, training sessions, universities and colleges over the past decades.

Beth Fortmueller, Advisory Board Member & HR Consultant
Beth established Fortmueller Human Resources Consulting in 2004. Her consulting practice focuses small companies and organizations, helping them establish appropriate programs and practices and build a culture that supports success. Prior to that, Beth worked at Amgen Washington as site-head for HR, until her retirement in 2004. Previous to Amgen, Beth worked at Immunex Corp. for 21 years. There, her vision and drive for implementing a progressive company culture played a key role in gaining national and statewide recognition. Beth received a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA and subsequently studied at UCLA’s School of Education to achieve a Lifetime Secondary Teaching Credential for the State of California.