Meet the Board of Directors
Two generations of Okanogan County community members dedicated to the health and well-being of the county.
Andy Jones : Board Co-President
For the first 10 years of Andy’s life, his life dream was to become a Forest Ranger. He was raised in a loving, active family who loved the outdoors --- camping and exploring all the wonders of the Pacific Northwest. During high school, he worked summers up in South Eastern Alaska, and after graduating from Stanford University, worked with friends to build a sailboat, intending to sail the world. He fell in love with his life partner Loli while sailing up the inside passage to Alaska, and a year later, the two of them moved to Anchorage, where Andy worked for the Alaska Center for the Environment. That time inspired the beginning of their precious family, a lifelong dedication to the education of the next generation, working for world peace, and conserving our heritage of a beautiful, life-giving planet. Learn more HERE
Estrella Weaver : Board Co-President
If you think you're going to complete your life's vision in your lifetime you're not thinking big enough
- Wes Jackson, The Land Institute
Estrella grew up in the Okanogan Highlands on communally owned land outside of Chesaw. She graduated from Tonasket High School in 2002, and Western Washington University with a degree in Environmental Policy in 2006. She earned her Leadership Executive MBA from Seattle University in 2020. Estrella serves as the Vice Chair of Administration and Finance for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Washington. "Okanogan County, and the amazing people who reside here, hold a strong and special place in my heart and a formative role in the person that I am today. I see this scholarship program as a way to give back to our vibrant community while tapping into and sharing my love for the environment.”
John Jones : Board Treasurer
“The climate crisis has already been solved. We already have the facts and solutions. All we have to do is wake up and change.”
-Greta Thunberg
John is a retired educator, peace driven combat veteran, musician and lover of world travel. He enjoys helping organizations find common ground in community grass roots startups. John is inspired daily by his wife and family while living remotely in the Okanogan Highlands. In his free time, John spends time on art, music, travel and developing his toy train world.
Sandy Vaughn : Board Secretary
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.”
-Margaret Mead
Sandra Vaughn came to the Okanogan in 1974, as part of an intentional family moving here to build homes, gardens and community. She has been a community activist for decades, being part of organizing a food Co-op, a community center, and local environmental and sustainability groups. Her work as a nurse, and as a Community College adult educator, informed her understanding of the important connection between personal and environmental health. She is a songwriter and musician; part of a thriving community of artists who joyfully share their talents in support of ecological and other community organizations. She lives in the Okanogan Highlands, gardening by using permaculture and organic techniques alongside her supportive partner of 25 years, who is a seed saver and activist in his own right. Participating in the Ecology Scholarship is one way they hope to inspire future generations to restore, respect, and enjoy our amazing natural resources.
Karen Harris : Board Member
Karen Harris came to Okanogan from California as a high school freshman. Her father wanted to offer his family the joys he had known growing up there as son of the Forest Supervisor. She later attended Whitworth in Spokane for an "education of the heart and mind", went to Paris, France to pick grapes, sing folk songs, teach English and raise a family, then in 2019 settled with her husband/music partner into the family home in Okanogan, both of them quickly becoming part of the valley’s music community. Wanting to take her commitment to the environment beyond a personal level, she sees the Ecology Scholarship as a chance to help youth become actors in the Earth's renewal. She has participated in the Okanogan Coalition for Social Justice and takes notes for Okanogan County Watch.
Ariahna Jones : Board Member
Ariahna grew up in Tonasket, developing a close connection to the land and the community. After graduating from Tonasket High School in 2004, she took her passion for the environment to Western WA University where she graduated with a degree in Natural Resource Management and Environmental Education in 2008. Throughout school and beyond she worked as an outdoor guide and Wilderness Therapy instructor on the rivers and in the mountains throughout the Pacific Northwest. She received an M.Sc. in Integrated Water Resource Management from McGill University in 2011. She has since worked in various environmental organizations and as an educator for all ages with her last position teaching Natural Resource Management at Wenatchee Valley College. Transitioning from academia into community environmental action, Ariahna and her husband Colin started a small nonprofit (Waste Loop) to address the waste challenges where she resides in Leavenworth, WA. For Ariahna, one of the gifts of growing up in the Okanogan was to see and be a part of passionate community action that served to not only protect natural resources but to also connect people to the land and each other. This has been a foundation in Ariahna’s personal and professional life and she hopes to inspire new generations of youth in the county in the same way.