Team Members
Oak Rankin, Executive Director
Oak has dedicated his professional career to helping institutions create meaningful outcomes in education and environmental stewardship. He has over 10 years of supervisory experience overseeing staff, interns, graduate students, recent college graduates, and volunteers, and has led teams for the University of Arizona, Seeds of Compassion, The Wilderness School and Wild Rivers Expeditions. Additionally, he has hands-on professional experience in our natural world working for the North Cascades National Park as a biology technician, logger, emergency forest firefighter and as a naturalist river guide. As a Fulbright scholar, he launched a new English teaching program in a remote part of Brazil.
Ginger Castleberry, Director of Special initiatives
Ginger has worked with GPI since 2015. Her vast experience in project coordination and operations management have been essential to GPI and a valued resource to our team. She chairs our Finance and Facilities committees and leads the development and implementation of the GPI Strategic Plan. She worked previously as a stage manager specializing in opera, including 5 years at Seattle Opera. Ginger is from Darrington and holds a BA from the University of Washington and a MFA in Management and Producing from California Institute of the Arts.
Marlena White, Outdoor Workforce Manager
A Wisconsin native, Marlena has lived in Concrete for the past 5 years and has worked in both the Darrington and Concrete communities in that time. 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 as the Outdoor Workforce Manager. In her free time, Marlena enjoys getting outside with her friends and family, and referencing things she heard in a podcast in casual conversation.
Jesse Kimball, Fleet and Facilities
Born and raised in Darrington, Jesse Kimball graduated from Darrington High School in 2014, the year of the Oso slide. This experience made him realize he wanted to use his technical and mechanical skills to help others and found his path at the Sno-Isle Skills Center through their Electronics and Robotics program when the nursing program brought in a broken patient lift for repair. He went on to get his associates degree in Biomedical Equipment Technology and Healthcare Technology Management. Through a variety of experience gained in hospital, industrial, and public settings and from learning auto repair and maintenance as a shadetree mechanic he has gained wide ranging knowledge on machinery and technology. He is excited to add this knowledge to GPI and apply it to their programs and the community.
Maia Inniss, Project Coordinator
Maia Inniss grew up in Southern California and attended Eastern Washington University on a soccer scholarship. She graduated from EWU with a degree in Environmental Biology and began volunteering and interning for local environmental organizations. She eventually got a staff position with The Lands Council, an environmental nonprofit in Spokane, for 3 years doing riparian restoration, education and outreach, and running TLC’s urban canopy project. New to Darrington in 2023, she’s excited to get involved and make an impact in the community.
Stacey Goeckeritz,
4H Program Assistant
Stacey grew up in Utah and graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Environmental Studies. She has worked with multiple environmental entities, such as AmeriCorps, the Forest Service, and the Center for Natural Lands Management, in positions that focused on habitat restoration, wildlife, land management, and public environmental education. She is excited to contribute to the work that GPI does for the community and explore the town of Darrington and everything outdoors in the area.
Liz Thome, AmeriCorps Horticulture and Nutrition
Instructor
Liz grew up in Wisconsin and attended college at Willamette University in Salem, OR. She recently joined the GPI team as the AmeriCorps Greenhouse and Nutrition Instructor. In a previous AmeriCorps position, she worked on wetland restoration projects in Eugene, OR. She has also worked as a biological science technician at Rocky Mountain National Park and on organic vegetable farms in both Wisconsin and Oregon. In her free time, Liz enjoys backpacking and hiking with friends, foraging for mushrooms, and game nights.
Emmett Linklater, AmeriCorps Outdoor Education Instructor
Originally from Spokane, Washington, Emmett graduated from Western Washington University with a BA in Environmental Studies. Throughout his university studies, Emmett worked and served with multiple environmental groups, including the Lands Council as a Riparian Buffer Technician, WWU L.E.A.D as a Volunteer Work Party Coordinator, and the Winthrop USFS as an AmeriCorps Silviculture Intern. After graduation, Emmett found a second passion for education, working as a Substitute Paraeducator with Bellingham Public Schools. Emmett is excited that here at GPI, he gets to combine his experience and passion for working with youth and the environment.
Kezar Berger, AmeriCorps Outdoor Education Instructor
Kezar grew up in Vermont and attended Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina. He graduated with a degree in Outdoor Leadership and a degree in Environmental Education. He has previously served with Aemricorps as an Environmental Educator with Northwoods Stewardship Center in rural Vermont, and has several years of experience running outdoor programs through different summer camps in the northeast. In his free time, Kezar enjoys soccer, ping pong, and climbing trees.
Imani Webster, AmeriCorps Outdoor Education Instructor
Imani Webster is from Portsmouth, Virginia. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2022 with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Russian. She has worked as a substitute in Virginia in the past two years and enjoys working with youth. Her hobbies include art, reading, and walking.
Siobhan Connolly, AmeriCorps Outdoor Education Instructor
Born and raised in Maine, Siobhan attended college at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. They have previously served as an Americorps Field Team Leader in the Maine Conservation Corps, as well as having worked for several years as a summer camp counselor in the Maine woods. In joining the Glacier Peak Institute, Siobhan is excited to synthesize their passion for working with children, serving local communities, and strengthening bonds between people and the environment. In their free time, Siobhan enjoys quality time with friends and family, watching movies, and exploring the outdoors.
Board of Directors
Daniel Rankin
President, GPI Board of Directors
Mayor, Town of Darrington
Kat Haywood
Treasurer, GPI Board of Directors
Accounting Manager, PMI Worldwide
Samantha Chang
Director, GPI Board of Directors
Silviculturist, USDA Forest Service (Retired)
North Puget Sound Chapter Chair, Society of American Foresters
Anthony Gromko
Director, GPI Board of Directors
Director, Washington State University Extension Snohomish County
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
Garret Gladsjo, P.E.
Director, GPI Board of Directors
Principal Engineer, proHNS LLC.