Diane Mayer graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Natural Resources from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. In Alaska for over twenty years, Diane has enjoyed a career as a natural resource manager and environmental regulator. She has worked as a field soil scientist, coastal project coordinator, environmental facilitator and Director of the Alaska Governor’s Office of Governmental Coordination.

She has served on the Board of Director’s for the Southeast Alaska Land Trust and the Shambhala Meditation Center of Juneau. She balances the demands of her current job as Executive Director of the Trust with her love for hiking and kayaking and boating.

“Southeast Alaska’s natural treasures enjoy increased significance to me the more I kayak along its wild shores and travel around the world.”
-Gretchen Keiser

Gretchen has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Science Education from Cornell University and a Master’s of Science in Biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. In Alaska since the mid-1970s, Gretchen has worked in natural resources as a field biologist, legislative analyst, coastal program manager, city planner and water quality regulatory manager.

She serves on the Board of Directors for True North Federal Credit Union and Rainforest Yoga – two not-for-profit organizations important to the well being of the Juneau community. Gretchen brings her enthusiasm for the conservation of Southeast Alaska’s natural landscapes, coupled with her personal interests in kayaking, gardening, yoga, and travel.

Bethany comes to Juneau from Washington by way of California. In 2010, she graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology. Though she became increasingly interested in environmental issues, Bethany wanted to continue to study people. Since she was not quite ready to leave California, Bethany stayed on another year to get a Master’s of Science in Earth Systems focusing on socially conscious conservation policy. To explore this topic, she did thesis research on the local values of an undeveloped, private coastal property on the south shore of Kaua’i, Hawai’i. Through this research, she found that easements are often the most useful conservation tools to mitigate the impact of protected areas on local people. Determined to work for a land trust, Bethany spent a summer researching farmland preservation for the Peninsula Open Space Trust in Palo Alto, CA. She has also, in the past, worked on ecotourism, recycling education, and local fisheries management.  Bethany is excited to be back in the Pacific (far) Northwest and to explore beautiful Southeast Alaska!