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Instructors

Cathie Conolly, PWS
Wetlands Program Manager, ESA Adolfson

Conolly, who has more than 19 years of experience in the field of wetlands ecology, has been an advisory board member and instructor with the certification program since its inception in 1995. Her background is in environmental education and botany. She is a consultant specializing in wetland assessment, delineation, permitting, mitigation, and inventory work, as well as rare plant survey, preparation of Biological Assessments under the Endangered Species Act, and wildlife habitat assessment. Conolly has co-authored papers on riparian and wetland buffer use and function, and has assisted local jurisdictions in meeting the requirements of the Growth Management Act through sensitive areas inventory and code revisions.

Kristie Dunkin, Ph.D., CPSSc
Soil Scientist, AMEC Earth and Environmental

Dunkin is a soil scientist and wetland ecologist with expertise in hydric soil function and characterization. Her 18 years of experience includes work throughout the Pacific Northwest evaluating both managed and unmanaged soil systems. Dunkin uses her expertise in applying sustainable technologies for soil and water protection, and for restoration of disturbed soils. She effectively communicates an understanding of soil, water and landscape relationships, and explains the chemical and biological processes underlying hydric soil development.

Kim Harper
Wetland Ecologist, Washington State Department of Ecology

Harper is a wetland ecologist with over 15 years of experience studying and and managing aquatic resources in the Pacific Northwest. She has worked as an environmental consultant for several private firms and as a resource manager for both the Washington Department of Ecology and the Corps of Engineers. Harper has a masters degree in environmental studies and has taught in the Wetland Science and Management Certificate program since 2001. Her areas of expertise include freshwater wetland ecology, wetland restoration design, and policy development for managing wetlands. She currently works at the Corps of Engineers developing policy for wetland mitigation banking and serving on the state's banking review team.

Diane Hennessey
Biologist/Environmental Scientist, Herrera Environmental Consultants, Inc

Hennessey is a biologist/environmental scientist with 12 years of experience in environmental studies, natural resource planning, biological assessments for listed species, mitigation planning, critical areas policy review and development, permitting, and environmental impact analysis. She has a Masters of Science degree in conservation biology. Hennessey has performed environmental studies that involved wetlands, stream habitat, fisheries, water quality, and wildlife, and prepared technical reports in support of environmental impact statements, environmental assessments, and permit applications on these subjects. She has extensive experience delineating wetlands and streams, developing mitigation plans, preparing wetland mitigation and restoration plans, and implementing monitoring programs on numerous palustrine and estuarine wetland and stream systems. Hennessey has conducted critical areas and shoreline inventories and ordinance revisions based on Washington state’s best available science for local cities and counties. She has prepared biological assessments, biological resource reports, habitat characterizations, and environmental permit documents for Endangered Species Act (ESA), SEPA and NEPA compliance. She has managed projects from private and public large-scale wetland and stream delineation projects to on-call environmental services for the cities of Burien and Kirkland. She also has experience with global positioning system (GPS) units for natural resource field mapping and geographic information system (GIS) mapping and analysis.

Tina Miller
King County Park System

An instructor with the certificate program since its inception in 1995, Miller has more than 20 years experience in wetland ecology. Her specialty is wetland and stream restoration projects. Miller works with local government, supporting a large volunteer program that implements restoration projects.

Dyanne Sheldon
Natural Resources Manager, Otak

Sheldon has taught in the Wetland Science and Management Certificate Program from its inception in 1995. Her consulting firm, which specializes in aquatic resources management issues for public and private clients, recently merged with Otak. Sheldon's areas of expertise include fresh water and tidal systems; researching and writing environmental policy and regulations; and wetland restoration design and installation. Her background as an ecologist and experience implementing and writing regulations give her a broad perspective on the intricacies of land-use management issues in the Pacific Northwest. Sheldon received a UW Extension Teaching Excellence Award in 2004 for her instruction in the Wetland Science and Management Certificate Program.

Charles A. Simenstad
Research Professor and Coordinator, UW Wetland Ecosystem Team (WET)

Simenstad has been an advisor and instructor in this program since its conception. He is a research scientist who studies estuarine and coastal ecosystem structure and dynamics from central California to the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. He and his colleagues in WET conduct ecological research on the role of natural wetlands in directly and indirectly supporting fish and wildlife, from habitat to ecosystem landscape scales. Through long-term research, WET also investigates the ecological performance of various wetland restoration, creation and enhancement sites throughout the region.

Stephen Stanley
Wetland Specialist, Washington State Department of Ecology, Shorelands and Environmental Assistance

Stanley has more than 30 years experience in wetland and watershed management and regulation. He has worked in Washington as both a consultant and regulator, conducting and reviewing wetland delineations and assessments, developing wetland enhancement and restoration plans, and preparing a wetland management plan for the Snohomish Estuary. At the Department of Ecology, Stanley has developed guidance for characterizing and analyzing watershed processes and assisted in the development of wetland assessment models for the Columbia Basin.

Instructors are subject to change.