Tom Darden is a retired biologist who received his PhD from the University of California and then spent two years as a post-doc at the University of Washington. His research efforts during those years focused on the European Starling and the White-crowned Sparrow. Following the post-doc, Tom taught introductory and graduate level courses at the university as well as Evergreen State College.
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Board
Jenn witnessed BirdNote's birth while working as an intern at Seattle Audubon Society. She's been a fan of the show ever since, and was thrilled to rejoin the flock as a board member in 2012. Jenn has served in a variety of professional and volunteer roles for arts and environmental organizations, and has extensive experience in environmental research and consulting, media production, business development, and small business management.
Board Member at Large
Andrea joined the BirdNote board in 2010. She is a venture capitalist and start-up professional with grounding in natural sciences and information technology work. Her work has included stints with the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, and Birds of North America – both print and digital launches. After coming to Seattle to join family in 2007, she began to focus professionally on clean energy marketplace issues. Andrea’s formative years were spent on the Illinois prairies, resulting in a special fondness for Red-winged Blackbirds. Her academic training includes a BA in planning and landscape architecture from the University of Illinois Urbana and an MPA from the University of Washington. In her free time, she enjoys exploring nature in the Great Northwest and spending time with her Seattle and Austin families.
Board Member at Large
Tom is a retired senior manager from The Boeing Company, who holds a Ph.D. in materials science. He has over 30 years experience in program management, strategic planning, and organizational leadership. Prior to Boeing, Tom was a research scientist at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York. During his professional career, he published extensively in scientific journals and built partnerships with government sponsoring organizations.
It was while living on rural Eastern Long Island that his passion for birding was ignited. One day in mid-winter, he saw an unexpected brilliant flash of red against a sunny, snow-covered field. Upon identifying this migrant visitor as a rare Hoary Redpoll, his life’s adventure in birding began!
Tom has served in volunteer leadership positions both in professional associations and in his neighborhood. He enjoys tutoring young people in science, hitting the links when the weather permits, and pursuing adventure travel.
President
Liam is general counsel for Valve, a video game company. When BirdNote was first set up, he provided pro bono assistance. He joined the organization’s board in 2010 and became president in 2012. At his prior employers Zillow.com and the law firm K&L Gates, he advised many media companies on distribution and intellectual property matters. He received an A.B. degree from Harvard and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. “Amid the bustle of news and entertainment today, I am delighted to help bring listeners BirdNote. BirdNote provides a daily dose of contemplation and education to nature lovers everywhere.” In his free time, Liam enjoys coaching sports for his children’s teams and spending time with his family.
Treasurer
Alan has been a member of BirdNote since 2012, when he joined the board as treasurer. He’s a certified public accountant, member of the WSCPA and AICPA, and works as a manager at Moss Adams LLP, a public accounting firm headquartered in Seattle.
Secretary
Tom has been board secretary since 2006. After moving to Seattle in 1981, Tom worked as legislative assistant to a Seattle City Council member for three and a half years. He then joined the Battelle Seattle Research Center in 1986. He spent the next 16 years working as a policy analyst/consultant on a variety of public policy issues in the areas of energy, environmental, and nuclear security. In his spare time, Tom volunteers as a naturalist at Discovery Park and serves on the board of the Friends of Gas Works Park. He loves to travel and recently toured many of the Gothic cathedrals in France. Why BirdNote? “It’s always been a bright and hopeful way to start my day. And, as an environmentalist, I value BirdNote for inspiring people all over the country to improve the environment.”
Board Member at Large
Dan joined BirdNote’s board in 2011. He previously worked with Chris Peterson and other BirdNoters at Seattle Audubon when the idea of BirdNote began to take shape. Dan has worked in management at other non-profit land-use and environmental organizations. He practiced environmental law for a decade. He brings experience as a nonprofit board member to the BirdNote board.
Board Member at Large
Chris has been with BirdNote from the start. He’s a strategic thinker with 25+ years of experience helping businesses and organizations grow and flourish. His employment history includes: vice-president of strategic planning for a major West Coast advertising agency, and partner in consultancy in catalog and internet marketing, distribution, and operations. He is a former Seattle Audubon board member.As a junior in high school, Chris got his first job in radio when he happened to stumble across a new FM rock station in his hometown of Arlington, Texas. He immediately got a job as the janitor and worked his way up to running a Sunday morning shift and manning the station when other personnel wanted to attend a rock band concert. His favorite bird is the Blue Jay because it’s so evocative of his growing up in Texas. Chris enjoys working with computers, cooking, travel, and riding trains.
Board Member at Large
Gerrit joined the BirdNote board in 2009 after moving from Ithaca, NY to Seattle. He is a conservation photographer and a natural history multimedia producer at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. He has led expeditions to film, photograph, and record wildlife species throughout North America and beyond. Gerrit’s images appear regularly in books, magazines, websites, and multimedia productions. Over 300 of his avian images appear in the authoritative reference, The Birds of North America On-line. He is an affiliate of the International League of Conservation Photographers. Gerrit is also an accomplished natural sound recordist. He has produced and authored two CD compilations, Voices of North American Owls and Bird Songs of the Pacific Northwest. In addition to BirdNote, his audio work has been featured on NPR’s Morning Edition and PRI’s Living on Earth. In his free time he enjoys hiking and playing the banjo.
