Staff
Our office is located at 404 Commercial Avenue in Anacortes. Our office hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 10am -3pm, or by appointment. You can reach us by phone at 360-293-3725 or email us at info@friendsoftheacfl.org
Josie Henderson, Executive Director (she/her/hers)
Josie is a devoted Pacific Northwest enthusiast, having grown up in Anchorage and later residing in Portland and Seattle before settling on beautiful Fidalgo Island. She grew up exploring the Alaskan wilderness with her family, and has never been far from a hiking, bike, ski or kayak trail since. With over 20 years of experience in membership-based non-profits, Josie's passion is collaborating with members, boards, staff, and partners to grow engagement, impact, and resources. She holds a B.A. in English and a Master of Public Administration. Previously, Josie served as the CEO of Seattle’s Rainier Club, as well as the Executive Director of the Oregon Public Health Association. At home on Fidalgo Island, she shares her life with her husband Bill and two cats. Her greatest joy is spending time with family and friends, particularly her sons and their wives.
Hannah Katz, Youth Education Coordinator (she/her/hers)
Hannah grew up in upstate New York hiking, paddling and cross-country skiing with her family and friends. While completing her B.A. in Environmental Studies at Hamilton College, Hannah created her own path working with local non profits, creating a community maple sugaring operation, and organizing for the Sunrise movement as avenues to explore experiential education and community building.
Hannah has pursued her passion of connecting people to the environment through her work with The Wild Center’s Youth Climate Program, Capital Roots, and The DREAM Program. She came to Washington in 2021 taking an AmeriCorps position with Skagit Land Trust where she focused on community engagement. During her time at SLT, she worked to increase community engagement through educational events, communications, and stewardship work parties.
Outside of work, Hannah and her partner love to exploring their new home in the PNW by bike, foot, tent, or boat! Hannah is Wilderness First Aid certified.
Ellie Kravets, Community Programs Coordinator (she/her/hers)
Ellie was born and raised in New Orleans, where she first developed a passion for environmental education during the five years she spent as a volunteer/intern at the Audubon Zoo. Ellie worked variously as a costume-rearer for Mississippi sandhill cranes and as a botany field tech in Jean Lafitte National Historical Park before graduating from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill with a B.S. in biology and a minor in marine science. Her long-term passion for informal science education brought her to the Salish Sea in 2018, where she quickly fell in love with the region’s rich landscape of community-centered science learning during her two years at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center. In 2022, Ellie completed a M.A. in Museology (Museum Studies) with a specialization in museum evaluation from the University of Washington. Outside of work, she enjoys taking advantage of the spectacular PNW environment: gardening, tidepooling, and generally just soaking up the rain! Ellie is Wilderness First Aid certified.
Kendra McConnell, Development and Outreach Coordinator (she/they)
Kendra grew up in Skagit County, never being far from a hike, a beach, a campsite, or a good kayak spot. Their roots run deep in the Anacortes and surrounding forests, as her late grandfather, Robert Little, was a Washington State Park Ranger who worked at Deception Pass State Park and even proposed to her grandmother on its beach.
Kendra graduated from Western Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration - Management. She has a history of volunteering and working with nonprofits of all types, stepping into this role after two years working for Camp Fire Samish & Camp Kirby, and owning her own event and wedding planning business for seven years.
She is an artist, a proud aunt to three small monsters, queen of game night, an activist, and a self-proclaimed Crab Rangoon connoisseur. Kendra is Wilderness First Aid certified.
Board of Directors
Our eight to eleven board members are elected by the membership at large at the annual meeting. They serve staggered two-year terms. Please contact Board Members at: board@friendsoftheacfl.org
Andrea Petrich, President (she/her/hers)
A lover of most things outdoors, Andrea grew up in the Midwest enjoying lake life, flat hikes, and car camping. During grad school, her colleagues talked her into her first backpacking trip in Glacier National Park and despite hiding in the tent playing cards for most of it because of the bugs, she was hooked! Andrea’s hiking and backpacking adventures are moving at a banana-slug pace right now with three young sons (who are starting to experience Friends of the ACFL youth programming) but she enjoys their short and mud-filled adventures into to the ACFL.
An alum of Arizona State University’s Cronkite School, Andrea and her husband Tom have called Anacortes home since 2016 and love the town, people’s support for community forest lands and the accessibility it provides for so many. When she has solo time, Andrea loves doing a loop hike or (extremely slow) run on the Whistle Lake trails with her pound puppy, Derby.
Jessica Redman, Secretary (she/her/hers)
Jessica grew up in south Florida and first became passionate about nature through her times exploring the habitats of the Everglades and the Florida Keys. That passion stayed with her as she sorted out her career as an ecologist in Alaska, Cape Cod, Hawaii, and the Gulf Coast. She ultimately landed in the PNW (where she plans to stay) and has been working as an environmental consultant, with an expertise in wetland science, for the past decade. Since moving to Anacortes in 2020, she has been amazed by the beautiful recreational opportunities that Fidalgo Island provides. She is honored to be a board member of Friends to aid in the education, advocacy, and stewardship of the lands for future generations. Jessica enjoys exploring all the ACFL has to offer, via foot, paddleboard, and canoe, with her husband Isaac, and faithful trail dog, Amy.
Lin Nichols, Treasurer (she/her/hers)
Lin grew up loving the outdoors, albeit in a decidedly non-conservation-minded way. Her mindset has shifted over the years, partly through the commitment and collective passion of the staff, board, and members of the Friends of the Forest. Through them, she feels that she’s learned the value and importance of co-existing with nature and not simply co-opting it for humans’ needs.
Lin is grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community through service on the board of directors.
Charlie Collins
Charlie is a native of Washington state, having grown up in Mukilteo and graduating from the University of Washington. He and his wife Ute have been in Anacortes since 2006.
He says: Growing up in Mukilteo, I had lots of open green spaces available, which shaped my childhood, led me to pursue science in my education, and had a huge impact on my life. I hope preserving and sharing our open spaces in Anacortes will be equally impactful for others.
Charlie enjoys taking in all the Anacortes has to offer, including spending time on the trails with his wife and two dogs, Dory and Gus.
Willow Suess
Willow grew up moving between National Parks, which sparked a lifelong love for the outdoors and a deep passion for preserving natural spaces for future generations. She earned her degree in chemical engineering in Montana and has lived in several places since then, each deepening her appreciation for natural landscapes and strong community connections.
Willow and her husband, along with their dog, moved to Anacortes in July 2023 for work. Since arriving, she has developed a strong appreciation for the ACFL and is excited to give back to the community that welcomed her so warmly. She is especially enthusiastic about supporting environmental education and nature programs for children, helping to inspire the next generation of conservationists.
Aaron Katz
Aaron and his artist wife, Kate Dougherty, moved to Anacortes in April 2019 after living in Seattle for more than 40 years. They enjoy hiking, biking, pickleball, eating in the area’s great restaurants, listening to music, dancing, and traveling. When they moved into their Anacortes home, Aaron and Kate knew nothing about the ACFL, their new “neighbor.“ But they quickly gained a great appreciation of this gem during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they explored its trails and lakes.
In 2020, Aaron retired from the University of Washington School of Public Health as Principal Lecturer Emeritus at the University of Washington School of Public Health where he taught graduate level courses in health policy and conducted health policy projects and research on a wide variety of issues. During his 32 years at UW, Aaron held numerous academic leadership positions and has received various awards, including the American Public Health Association’s Award for Excellence in 2006 and the Outstanding Teaching Award from the UW School of Public Health in 2004.
Rob Skelton
As an Anacortes native growing up next to Mount Erie, Rob’s love for the outdoors was cemented at an early age. After spending over a decade working in the real estate industry in Malibu, CA, Rob returned to Anacortes to raise his own family. Through his profession, he is often the initial point of contact with newcomers moving to the area and uses that unique opportunity to introduce and educate others to the vast resources that the ACFL offer.
Jerry Ladd
Jerry grew up in Bakersfield, California, with a family that loved National Parks and taking cross-country road trips. He moved to Washington to attend Pacific Lutheran University and then went to Western for Graduate school, both for Geology degrees. Going to school and working as a geologist in Washington couldn’t have made him closer to the true natural beauty of Washington. His studies and professional career brought him to Fidalgo Island many times because of its incredible geological significance to the history of this part of the continent.
Jerry’s career path changed in 2008 when he and his wife Heather, moved from Western Washington to explore her career and raise two wonderful daughters. He never let go of his connection to nature, becoming a professional sheep shearer and always hiking and being outdoors.
Now a Woodworker, Jerry and his family have “come home” and settled in Anacortes. The first thing he did was purchase the paper maps of the AFCL to explore the gem we have right here in our backyard. He uses the system of trails to spend time with his family and train for long treks in the Cascades.