Board Members

Bradlee Welton, Nevada City, California
Mr. Welton is President of the Board of Directors. Mr. Welton is a Federal Administrative Law Judge for the Social Security Administration. Previously, he was in private practice based in Nevada City, served as Assistant Director of Save-the-Redwoods League, General Counsel of Friends of the River, Project Manager for the Trust for Public Land and attorney for a Legal Clinic in East Oakland. Mr. Welton has had a long history with the Smith River. He has been on the Alliance Board of Directors for more than a decade and prior to that was actively involved in developing the campaign that led to the establishment of the Smith River National Recreation Area. 

Jim Blomquist, Los Angeles, California
Mr. Blomquist is Vice-President of the Board of Directors. Mr. Blomquist is an independent consultant to non-profit groups specializing in campaign strategy and lobbying. He has worked on regional and national conservation issues throughout his career — with a special emphasis on National Forest and National Park issues. Mr. Blomquist worked on the legislation to establish the Smith River National Recreation Area. Finally, Mr. Blomquist is an avid fisherman. 

Donald Olson, Hiouchi, California
Mr. Olson is the Secretary-Treasurer of the Board of Directors. Mr. Olson is the Assistant Superintendent of Schools for Del Norte County. He has resided in Del Norte for forty-seven years and has served the County as a teacher for twenty-one years and as a school Vice Principal and Principal before beginning his current position. In addition to teaching in Del Norte County, Don served as a teacher leader and teacher director for the Redwood Area Mathematics Project. As a lifelong outdoor enthusiast, Don has traveled much of Del Norte County — including the backcountry — by cycling, walking or paddling. 

Juliette Bohn, Arcata, CA
Ms. Bohn is a program analyst for the Humboldt Waste Management Authority (HWMA). At HWMA, Ms. Bohn is managing a regional food waste digester project, enhancing energy efficiency at the waste transfer station, and investigating the feasibility of utilizing local landfill gas. Before joining HWMA, Juliette served in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic working on soil conservation and environmental education projects. Ms. Bohn’s graduate school experience also included the installation of a wind monitoring tower to that will help predict the wind resource in the county, as well as the design and implementation a hybrid micro-hydro/solar power generation system to provide power for the Smith River Alliance’s Rock Creek Ranch. While not working on saving the world, Juliette enjoys keeping bees, surfing, and the out-of-doors. 

Jerry Davis, Corvallis, Oregon
Mr. Davis is the former Director of the Benton County (Oregon) Natural Areas & Parks Department where he served for more than two decades. Mr. Davis’ successful tenure with the Department included acquisition, development, and management programs for parks, natural and interpretative areas, boat landings, historic parks, and trails and boardwalks. His work for Benton County was particularly distinguished through the development of many partnerships involving human and capital resources with public and private land owners. Mr. Davis is also a former Corvallis City Councilor and President of the Willamette Kayak and Canoe Club. He has been visiting Del Norte County and the Smith River for more than thirty years through recreation pursuits. 

Don Gillespie, Crescent City, California
Mr. Gillespie is an educator, counselor, and conservationist and has lived in Del Norte County for over 45 years. Mr. Gillespie has been active on all the major environmental issues in the County including wilderness, Cal Nickel's proposal for a strip mine, wastewater treatment for Pelican Bay Prison, and many others. Presently Mr. Gillespie is an educator and counselor with Bar-O Boys Ranch, a successful youth rehabilitation and service program located on the Middle Fork Smith River. 

David Katz, Santa Rosa, California
Mr. Katz is a former California Director of Trout Unlimited, the former Executive Director of the Sonoma Land Trust, and is currently the President of David Katz & Associates. Over the last thirty-five years, Mr. Katz has been involved in program planning, development, and implementation with many successful nonprofit organizations. Presently, he works as a consultant on management, strategic planning, and natural resources projects throughout California. 

Andrew T. Ringgold, Hiouchi, California
Mr. Ringgold is a former Superintendent for  Redwood National Park — where he retired in 2003 after a 36-year career with the National Park Service (NPS). During his career, he also served at Cape Cod National Seashore (Superintendent), National Park Service Headquarters in Washington, DC, New River Gorge National River, Petrified Forest National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, and Sequoia National Park. Mr. Ringgold has special expertise in natural and cultural resource stewardship; public use management; resource education; community and local government relations; interagency partnerships; public involvement; Native American relations; and NPS legislation. Mr. Ringgold was recognized as the regional Superintendent of the Year for Natural Resource Stewardship in 1993 and 1999, and National Superintendent of the Year in 1999. Mr. Ringgold also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Sutter Coast Hospital in Crescent City. 

Brian Sehnert, AIA, Sacramento, California
Mr. Sehnert is an Architect with Green Building Services in their Sacramento office. Previously, he was the Senior Architect with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. Brian is a LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Accredited Professional and is recognized as an expert in the area of green building and sustainable design and construction. Brian serves on the Steering Committee for the Northern California Chapter U.S. Green Building Council. Brian loves the outdoors and Rock Creek Ranch. 

Dean Stephens, Larkspur, California
Mr. Stephens is President & COO of Healthline Networks, developer of the world’s leading online health search website www.healthline.com. Prior to Healthline, Dean Stephens served as a management consulting Partner with Deloitte and worked with over 100 companies and government agencies around the United States. As part of his consulting efforts, Mr. Stephens facilitated strategy development for various environmental organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, the Audubon Society, and the Washington (state) Environmental Council. Dean Stephens worked to preserve the Cascade River as a wild and scenic river watershed in the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Stephens has been visiting and exploring the Smith River for over twenty-five years.