Christianne Wilhelmson and Mindy Roberts to Present 'Solutions for the International Waters of the Salish Sea' Jan. 31 at WWU

Christianne Wilhelmson, executive director of the Georgia Strait Alliance, and Mindy Roberts, program director for the Washington Environmental Council, will present "Solutions for the International Waters of the Salish Sea" as part of the WWU Huxley College of the Environment Speaker Series at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 31 in Academic Center West room 204 on the Western Washington University campus.

The presentation, which is part of the Huxley Speaker Series, is free and open to the public; complimentary parking is available in Lot 12-A after 4 p.m. on Thursday.

Mindy Roberts joined the Washington Environmental Council (WEC) in 2016 to lead the People For Puget Sound program, where she can dedicate time to improving and maintaining the health of the region's unique ecosystem. Her previous work focused on identifying sources of contamination to Washington’s waters – streams, rivers, lakes, and Puget Sound – and designing management plans for the Department of Ecology. She has a bachelor's degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley (BS),  a master's dgree from MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and a doctorate from the University of Washington. Mindy’s specialties are tackling complex problems and communicating solutions with decision-makers. In her spare time, she can usually be found teaching mountaineering, climbing the high peaks of the Cascades and Olympics, kayaking Puget Sound, managing a forest preserve on the Kitsap Peninsula, or traveling and diving around the world with her husband Jim. 

Christianne Wilhelmson has been the executive director of the Georgia Strait Alliance (GSA) since 2010 after spending six years as the organization’s Clean Air and Water Program Coordinator. She is an Ontario transplant who came to BC in 1995 to pursue a master's degree in Ecology at UBC and, like so many, stayed on after graduation. Past experience includes time as a lab technician and freelance science writer. Wilhelmson leads Georgia Strait Alliance’s government and media relations efforts, along with supporting GSA’s strategic campaigns and programs. She has a deep passion for social change and connecting with people across sectors to build a better future for our communities. Wilhelmson sits on the advisory board of the Salish Sea Institute and is a founding board director and vice president of The Elbow Theatre Society. She was a 2018 nominee for the YWCA Women of Distinction Award – Metro Vancouver (Environmental Sustainability). In the past, she has been a director of the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, Canadian Women Voters Congress, and the Conservation Voters of BC. In her time off, she enjoys yoga, cooking/baking, kayaking, gardening, reading and sailing with her husband. 

The Huxley College Speaker Series, sponsored by Western’s Huxley College of the Environment, is intended to bring together environmentally-minded members of the WWU and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized leader in producing the next generation of environmental professionals and stewards. Huxley’s distinctive, interdisciplinary curriculum reflects a broad view of the physical, biological, social, and cultural world, and has earned international recognition for quality.