Team Members
Samantha Chang, Interim Executive Director
Samantha is a longtime GPI Board member and volunteer, consulting forester, active member of the Society of American Foresters, and a past SAF Washington State Chair. She retired from the USDA Forest Service as a certified silviculturist, where she developed prescriptions for forest thinning and restoration with an emphasis on forest resilience and habitat improvement.
In addition to GPI, Samantha is a regular volunteer with the Western Washington Fruit Research Foundation in Mount Vernon and enjoys tending her small farm, beekeeping, hunting, fishing, and foraging in the great outdoors.
Justene Angeles, Operations Director
Hi, I'm Justene. My story begins in the small, rural community of Darrington, where I learned the value of tenacity, work ethic, and creative problem-solving early on.
Noticing the impacts GPI Youth Programs & Workforce Development had on my own children propelled my motivation to join the GPI Team.
In our spare time, my family and I enjoy various activities like trail riding on our quads, wheeling, camping, hunting, and so much more!
Marlena White, Workforce Programs Director
A Wisconsin native, Marlena now lives in Concrete and works in both the Darrington and Concrete communities. She's spent her career working in environmental sustainability and public health in various capacities, most recently focusing on youth substance abuse prevention in Concrete. She's excited to bring her diverse background to GPI.
In her free time, Marlena enjoys getting outside with her friends and family and referencing things she heard in a podcast in casual conversation.
Dylan Wilkerson, Workforce Program Manager
Hi, Im Dylan. The feeling of community and the love for the great Pacific Northwest brought me to Glacier Peak Institute. I enjoy spending time with my Wife and tending to the animals on our farm.
Julie Stone, Education Project Manager
Julie hails from nearby in the Skagit Valley where she has spent more than a decade in environmental education. More recently, Julie earned her Masters in Elementary Education and started teaching indoors- a first for her! She has returned to GPI to finalize our forestry curriculum and lay the groundwork for future education endeavors. A mother of two, Julie spends her "free" time foraging, running, knitting, and baking sourdough.
Maia Walston, Darrington Collaborative Coordinator
Maia moved to WA to attend Eastern Washington University, and never looked back. Majoring in environmental science with an emphasis in Biology, she found passion in restoration and environmental stewardship. Maia and her family moved to Darrington at the start of 2023 and have happily found their place in the community. Glacier Peak Institute plays a significant role in the Darrington Collaborative as the fiscal sponsor for Maia’s coordinator position. Through GPI, Maia finds fulfillment in working to create a better environment, in and out of the forest, for future generations.
Board of Directors
Garret Gladsjo, PE
President, GPI Board of Directors
Principal Engineer, proHNS LLC.
Samantha Chang
Interim Executive Director, GPI Board of Directors
Silviculturist, USDA Forest Service (Retired)
North Puget Sound Chapter Chair, Society of American Foresters
Raylene Arntzen
Director, GPI Board of Directors
Vice President, Carlanna Construction Inc. (Retired)
Dr. John Wesley Lauer
Secretary, GPI Board of Directors
Civil Engineering Associate Professor and Director of Environmental Sciences, Seattle University
Lisa Mahr
Director, GPI Board of Directors
Owner, Northwest Mining Solutions, LLC
Anjolene Ngari
Director, GPI Board of Directors
Collaborative Forestry Manager, Hampton Lumber
Marree Perrault
Director, GPI Board of Directors
Darrington Prevention, Intervention, and Community Coalition Coordinator, North Counties Family Services