Leadership

Elizabeth Tobin, Ph.D- President

Elizabeth (Liz) is the Shellfish Program Manager for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s Natural Resources Department and is actively involved in management of treaty shellfish resources, as well as shellfish research, restoration, and aquaculture. She joined the PSI Board of Directors in 2020. Liz received her PhD in biological oceanography from University of Washington after earning her bachelor’s degree in marine ecology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Prior to joining Jamestown, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Juneau Fisheries Division investigating the ecology of harmful algal blooms and toxin dynamics in shellfish. There she helped train Alaska Native communities in phytoplankton and shellfish biotoxin monitoring as part of Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research. Liz also serves as the Vice-Chair of the National Shellfish Association - Pacific Coast Section. She is lives in Port Townsend, WA and spends her free time on the water or in the mountains with her husband and canine companions.

Bill Dewey- Vice President

Bill has served on the PSI Board of Directors since 1995 and formerly served as the board president. Bill brings over a quarter century of shellfish public policy and farming experience to PSI. He is currently the Manager of Public Affairs for the Taylor Shellfish Company and he is the owner and manager of Chuckanut Shellfish. He is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Fisheries, but he also completed a portion of his undergraduate study at the University of New Hampshire. Bill is originally from Massachusetts but currently splits his time between the communities of Shelton and Bow, Washington. He is extremely active in the community, serving on the Puget Sound Partnership Ecosystem Recovery Board, the NOAA Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee, the Western Regional Aquaculture Center Industry Advisory Council and the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association Government Relations Committee. Bill also serves on the Board of Directors for the National Aquaculture Association and the Skagit Conservation Education Alliance, and is Chairman of the Mason County Planning Advisory Commission. He is an avid skier and backpacker and is passionate about clam farming. In addition to his interest in shellfish public policy, Bill is interested in the environmental effects of shellfish culture and human health issues associated with shellfish.

Laura Butler- Treasurer

Laura is WA’s Aquaculture Coordinator at the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). She joined PSI Board of Directors in 2022. Laura began working at WSDA as policy staff in the Director’s Office. Prior to working for WSDA, Laura was the legislative director for the Washington State Grange. Her background includes working in government affairs with a private lobbying firm in Washington State. Laura holds a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Agriculture from The Evergreen State College in Olympia. In her free time, she enjoys gardening and spending time outdoors with her family.

Betsy Peabody

Betsy has served on the PSI Board of Directors since 2006. She is the Executive Director and founder of the Puget Sound Resortoration Fund, and was previously employed by the Puget Sound Water Quality Authority. She is a graduate of Stanford University, with a bachelor of arts, and a former member of the Bainbridge Island Harbor Commission and the Puget Sound Alliance Board of Directors. She has a longstanding interest in mollusks, as well as biogenic habitats in general and the services they provide in the marine ecosystem. Betsy grows oysters and clams in a shellfish garden on Bainbridge Island, where she lives, and she looks forward to eating, celebrating and restoring locally grown shellfish for many years to come. Ms. Peabody grew up in New Mexico, Colorado and Australia – where she first learned to swim and snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef.

Chris Eardley

Chris joined the PSI Board of Directors in 2018. Chris works on a range of shellfish management challenges as Puget Sound Shellfish Policy Coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Prior to joining WDFW, he worked in shellfish management for the Skokomish Tribe from 2013-2017, especially enjoying work in intertidal harvest management. Originally from Boston where he grew up lobstering, Chris headed to Oregon State University for his M.S. in marine resource management after collecting a B.S. in the same field from the University of Rhode Island. His professional interests relate to aquaculture science and policy, native species and habitat restoration, and marine-based recreation. He has enjoyed living abroad and free time is spent chasing waves and mountains, and travelling.

Erin Martin

Erin Martin is a professor of Earth System Science in the Graduate Program on the Environment at the Evergreen State College, where she has been working with masters students for almost 10 years. Erin is a biogeochemist, studying carbon cycling in rivers ranging from the Amazon to the Mekong, and more recently on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. She has measured carbonate chemistry parameters in aquatic systems, gas exchange fluxes of carbon between the atmosphere and river surfaces, as well as the organic composition of sediment found in rivers. At Evergreen, Erin serves as the thesis reader for masters students working on a diversity of ecological topics in both freshwater and marine settings, and teaches all of the core courses in the Masters of Environmental Science program. She studied biology at Carleton College, whereas her MS and PhD were awarded in chemical oceanography at the University of Washington. She loves hiking, spending time on the beach with her three kids, experimenting in the garden, and baking (especially perfecting chocolate chip cookie and brownie recipes).

Dani Toepelt

Dani works on a wide range of shellfish issues for the Washington State Department of Health Shellfish Program. She started at DOH in 2018 as a shellfish inspector and was promoted to Licensing and Certification Section Manager in March 2020. In addition to working for the Shellfish Program, Dani has worked in food safety for Lewis County and Tacoma-Pierce County. She graduated from Washington State University with her B.S. in Biology and is a Registered Sanitarian with the Washington State Board of Registered Sanitarians. She enjoys spending time outdoors with her family.

Jonathan Davis, Ph.D

Jonathan (Joth) has been actively involved in shellfish research and culture activities for the last 30 years on both coasts of the U.S. and internationally. He has served on the PSI Board of Directors since 1995. Joth is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Hybreed, focusing on broodstock genetics and sustainable culture methods. He is also owner and operator of Baywater Inc., a small family clam and oyster farm on Hood Canal where he spends weekends and off-time communing with shellfish. He received his bachelor of arts from Colby College, a master's in environmental studies from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in fisheries science from the University of Washington – where he is an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. Joth is active in environmental affairs and research, and works closely with PSI on a number of research projects focused on environmental effects of shellfish culture. He also works closely with University of Washington researchers on similar issues and assists restoration ecology projects for native oysters and pinto abalone with the Puget Sound Restoration Fund. He is a member of the Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee and is active locally in environmental issues affecting Bainbridge Island, where he lives.

Ralph Elston, Ph.D

Ralph is the owner and Chief Scientist of AquaTechnics, an environmental consulting company specializing in shellfish and fish health management and assessment. Ralph has serv ed on the PSI Board of Directors since 2006. He received his Ph.D. in veterinary medicine from Cornell University, and both a master of ecology and a bachelor of fisheries biology from the University of California at Davis. Currently, Ralph's research interests revolve around animal health management in both aquaculture and natural aquatic environments. He is an Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington, and a member of numerous shellfish related organizations and committees. He is also a valued review editor for The Journal of Shellfish Research, Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, and The Journal of Fish Diseases. Prior to establishing AquaTechnics, Ralph worked at Battelle Marine Sciences Laboratory. He currently lives in Sequim, Washington.

Kate Litle

Kate is the interim director of Washington Sea Grant (WSG), where she is responsible for program planning and reporting; oversees WSG competitive processes, including research and program development grants; and coordinates integration of WSG program components. Kate currently serves as the citizen science representative and vice-chair of the Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program steering committee. Previously, Kate served as Program Coordinator for the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST), a citizen science program based in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington. Kate received bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Environmental Policy from Colby College and a master’s degree in Marine Affairs from the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs at the University of Washington.

Chris Langdon, Ph.D

Chris is a professor for Oregon State University in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and the Hatfield Marine Science Center. He has served on the PSI Board of Directors since 2003 and brings a vast knowledge and interest in shellfish nutrition, genetics and breeding, polyculture and microencapsulation. Chris received his Ph.D. in marine science from University of Wales, where he also completed a master's degree in marine science. Prior to that, he received a bachelor of ecological science from the University of Edinbrough, also in the United Kingdom. Chris is originally from Britain but currently lives in Newport, Oregon.

Kathleen Nisbet Moncy

Kathleen is a second generation owner and operator of Nisbet Oyster Company and Goosepoint Oyster Incorporated. In 1975, David and Maureene Nisbet began farming a mere 10 acres of tideland in the southwest corner of Washington known as Willapa Bay. Selling totes of iced oysters out of the back of a single pickup truck, the Nisbet Oyster Co., Inc. quickly captivated the taste buds if not the hearts of local seafood connoisseurs from Seattle, WA to Portland, OR and beyond. Today, daughter Kathleen helps guide the day-to-day operations at Goose Point, which is now a much larger operation.

Joe Schumacker

Joe is a marine scientist with the Quinault Indian Nation, Department of Natural Resource. Joe also serves on the Board of the Grays Harbor County Marine Resources Committee. Joe has managed many of the tribe's fisheries including salmon, groundfish and shellfish. Joe works with all of the Washington coastal tribes on marine science issues including; benthic habitat characterization, harmful algal blooms and toxin analysis, improving fisheries assessments off the Washington coast, improving management of coastal crab fisheries and assessments of intertidal coastal habitat. Joe was appointed by the Secretary of Commerce to represent U.S. Tribes on the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee in 2009 and still holds that position.

Tyler Johns

Tyler is the Operations Manager of the Squaxin Island Tribe's shellfish farm, Island Enterprises located in Shelton, Totten Inlet. Tyler joined the PSI Board of Directors in 2018.