David Burger, Executive Director, has been the Executive Director of Stewardship Partners since 2000 and brings with him fifteen years of experience working on community-based salmon recovery and managing non-profit organizations. Mr. Burger has worked both locally in Puget Sound as Executive Director for Mid Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group restoring salmon habitat with landowners and statewide as Program Manager for People for Salmon building capacity of organizations statewide to engage community citizens in salmon recovery. He knows the importance of working cooperatively with a variety of stakeholders and developing and fostering relationships with private landowners to protect and restore fish and wildlife habitat while maintaining the economic viability of farms and forest land.

Stacey Gianas Sowers is Stewardship Partners’ Program Manager. Stacey manages the 12,000 Rain Gardens campaign to help reduce stormwater pollution in Puget Sound. Since 2008, Stacey has led rain garden installations and classroom workshops throughout the region, providing community outreach and technical assistance to homeowners, jurisdictions, contractors, and other non-profits. Her background in ecological restoration spans urban and rural environments, working for the Cascade Land Conservancy, Seattle Audubon, and the Woodland Park Zoo.

Deborah Oaks - Snoqualmie Program Manager
I studied ecological restoration in college and knew that I wanted to put theory into practice before continuing on with any further academic pursuits. I am here with stewardship partners for several reasons: to be an active participant in the betterment of our world, to gain firsthand knowledge and to say thank you to this planet that so generously provides us all that we need to fuel both body and spirit. The last and most important reason I do this work is for my daughter who deserves to have trees to climb and clean rivers to swim in as long as her body will allow.

Alex Ko, Special Projects Manager, provides support and assistance for the Salmon-Safe, Snoqualmie Stewardship, and Rain Garden Challenge programs. He is excited to use his knowledge of resource management and sustainable development from his studies in university, abroad, and on a farm to inform, inspire, and excite citizens throughout the Puget Sound. Alex is a native to the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle, and delighted to return to the beautiful northwest. He graduated in 2010 with a degree in Environmental Science and an emphasis on sustainable development from Emory University in Atlanta. In his spare time he enjoys dancing, gardening, Ultimate Frisbee, and other outdoor activities.

Ellen Southard has 20 years experience working with engineers, architects and planners in the Northwest. After serving as a volunteer for the Salmon Safe program for three years, Ellen joined Stewardship Partners in leading their efforts for community outreach in Western Washington and developing new municipal wide programs. Southard has been involved with a large number of community-based initiatives that supports farmland preservation, historic resources and cultural corridor formation. She is particularly interested in developing conservation district guidelines, zoning overlay, and Main Street programs in small towns and urban corridors to support cultural sustainability.