Board of Trustees

Chair

Joeseph K. Sheldon, Ph.D.

Joe retired after 36 years of teaching and research at Eastern University and then Messiah University. He served on the summer faculty of Au Sable institute from 1987 – 2009. Joe and his wife Donna moved to Whidbey Island in 2007 where they built and now live in an award-winning green home adjacent to the Pacific Rim campus. His published works are on insect ecology and Christian environmental stewardship (two books and numerous articles). When Au Sable Institute launched their Pacific Rim campus in 1997, Joe taught the Field Biology of the Pacific Northwest from 1997-2009. He served as founding Vice Chair of the PRI board from 2009 – 2015 and returned to the PRI board in 2023. Joe loves leading field trips to enjoy Creation – birds, insects, and…. See you in the field!

Vice Chair

Eric Steinkamp

Dr. Eric Steinkamp is a professor of Environmental Science at Northwest University in Kirkland, WA.

Trustee

Teresa Ellis

Teresa, a long term volunteer at PRI has served as Treasurer in 2019 and 2020. She is a member of the Coupeville Lions Club and is active in many community based and charitable events on Whidbey Island. Teresa also served as the President of the Penn Cove Water Festival.

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.

Trustee

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.

Treasure

Ron Bodamer

Ron Bodamer joined the PRI board in Fall of 2024

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.