Board of Trustees

Board Chair

Jim Peskuric

Jim lives in Coupeville and spends much of his time volunteering for non-profit organizations that focus on environmental science, education and habitat restoration. He is an Island County Master Gardener and a Sound Water Steward with ties to several other local non-profits. Jim has volunteered at Pacific Rim Institute since 2019 and brings his connections to the community, environmental stewardship, forestry and program management to the board.

Vice-Chair

Ron Bodamer

Ron Bodamer joined the PRI board in Fall of 2024

Treasurer

Michele Hines

Michele was PRI's bookkeeper from 2023 - 2025, but stepped back to focus on her work at SPiN Cafe while also agreeing to join the PRI Board of Trustees.

Secretary

Alicia Choi

Alicia Choi [she/her] works for the City of Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods’ P-Patch Community Garden program. Alicia is a PNW transplant, having lived in Seattle since 2014. With a professional background in non-profit leadership, volunteer engagement, and outdoor and environmental education, Alicia is drawn to work that connects humans to the land, and believes that environmental justice and building accessible, inclusive, and vibrant human communities go hand-in-hand. Alicia first visited Pacific Rim Institute in 2014, and is excited to be able to support PRI’s work as a board member starting in Fall 2024.

Trustee

Ioana Popescu, Ph.D.

Ioana is a Biology professor at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri since 2001 and was a visiting professor at Whitworth University in Spokane in 1999-2000. She taught Field and Systematic Botany at Pacific Rim several summers between 2004-2010. For 15 years Ioana and her husband George Gibeau volunteer 1-3 months every summer PRI helping with a variety of projects, while enjoying great times with the people, plants, and places on Whidbey Island and the Puget Sound. Ioana is the curator of PRI's Herbarium Collection.