Katie Voelke Executive Director
katiev@nclctrust.org
Katie Voelke was raised in a home under oak trees where she spent many hours collecting bugs, making mud pies with her sister, and camping and hiking with her parents in the summers. She is sure that this life-long exposure to the natural world is what led her on a path to study biology in school. Katie settled on Oregon’s North Coast with her husband Scott in 2003 and spent time doing field work with the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife before she finally found her calling: working in land conservation with NCLC. In 2005 Katie started as NCLC’s first Stewardship Director working under founding Executive Director, Neal Maine. After 3 years of learning the ropes alongside Neal, she took the helm in 2008 as Executive Director. Although her job at NCLC keeps her inside more than she would like, she manages to get her fix of the outdoors following in her parent’s footsteps: bug collecting with her son and spending the summers hiking and camping with family.
Jon Wickersham Associate Director
jonw@nclctrust.org
Jon was born in Sitka, Alaska, but spent most of his life growing up in Gearhart, Oregon. After completing a degree in Planning from the University of Oregon in Eugene, Jon worked in rural Montana as a county planner running an open space bond program to protect ranches, open space and wildlife habitat. He returned to Oregon’s North Coast in 2010 to join the NCLC staff as Conservation Director, building a strong rapport with local landowners, county officials and state and federal wildlife departmentsM. When not working to conserve coastal wildlife habitat, Jon enjoys hiking, sports, running and anything that takes him outdoors!
Melissa Reich Stewardship Director
melissar@nclctrust.org
As Stewardship Director, Melissa oversees stewardship of the properties that NCLC owns or holds conservation easements on, to ensure that the land’s natural values are protected or enhanced. Melissa grew up on Shelter Island, at the east end of Long Island, New York, site of The Nature Conservancy’s Mashomack Preserve, where she volunteered during high school and worked during summers off from college. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology at Lewis & Clark College, where she studied invertebrate conservation and ecology and assisted with field research of the threatened Oregon silverspot butterfly. After college Melissa served three years of AmeriCorps service with the Oregon Biodiversity Information Center and The Nature Conservancy, and then went to work for TNC on the Oregon Coast doing field surveys and working with coastal land owners to improve native butterfly habitat. She joined NCLC as stewardship director in March 2013. Melissa lives in Astoria, where she enjoys foraging for wild food, playing her mandolin, and getting her feet wet.
Teresa Retzlaff Outreach Coordinator
teresar@nclctrust.org|
As NCLC’s Outreach Coordinator, Teresa marries the marketing and communications skills she has honed running her small family farm with her passion for land conservation. She moved to Clatsop County in 2003 and quickly became involved in both the land stewardship and local food movements. Teresa has a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz. After decades of traveling and living all over the world, Teresa is happy to finally put down permanent roots at 46 North Farm near Astoria with her husband, Packy, where they share the land with two opinionated cats, many chickens, a plethora of migratory songbirds, lots of deer and a herd of Roosevelt elk.
Allison Wilski Administrative Assistant
nclc@nclctrust.org
Allison Wilski moved to the north coast from Portland, Oregon, where she taught vocal music at Portland Community College. She has an extensive background in non-profit administration, and has worked for dance companies and theatre companies, as well as corporations. While primarily a musician, Allison loves the outdoors and is thrilled to be working for NCLC.
