Board of Directors
Marcel LaPerriere, President, is an accomplished sailor, scuba diver, and a Sitka business owner.
Marcel and his wife Connie moved to Southeast Alaska in 1982 in pursuit of a shared dream, and they knew instantly that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives here. They moved to Sitka in 2033, where Marcel worked for Sheldon Jackson College as the Head of Maintenance until the school closed. He currently owns and operates Southeast Cedar Homes, a small contracting company that specializes in custom construction and quality woodwork. Marcel has been on the SCS board since 2010.
Spencer Severson, Vice President, is a commercial diver, carpenter, global sailor. He used to dive for herring roe in Prince William Sound until the Exxon Valdez spill ruined the fishery. But according to Spencer, “only the foolish indulge in despair. I’ve been blessed with an occupation and friends I love and a struggle we must win to save and protect the home we all love. Don’t give up the fight.” He has been on the SCS Board since 2003.
Kitty La Bounty, Treasurer, is a wandering naturalist who specializes in botany and mycology. “I’m happy to serve on the board of SCS because the two underlying threads in my life have been exploring the natural history of Southeast Alaska and being an active part of the community,” says Kitty. She has been on the SCS Board since 2007.
Richard Nelson is a subsistence hunter- fisher-gather er, anthropologist, and former writer laureate of Alaska. His books include The Island Within , Make Prayers to the Raven, and Heart and Blood: Living with Deer in America. He is also the Producer of Encounters a public radio program exploring wild Alaska, broadcast on stations throughout the state. Nels says that, “Volunteering for conservation is my way to give something back, in return for the pleasures and rewards that come to us from this beautiful place. Involvement with the Sitka Conservation Society has been an important part of my life for many years. We are a local group with a national constituency, working with people all over America to protect one of the world’s great natural treasures. I hope everyone who cares about the wild coast of Alaska and the Tongass National Forest will consider joining SCS in this vital effort.” Nels has been on the SCS board since 1983.
Click here for more on Richard Nelson.
Jack Ozment is a retired engineer, recreational boater and fisherman who is a Sitka Parks and Recreation board member, Park Service volunteer, active in Sitka Trailworks
“When my grandchildren visit, I want the Wild environment of Alaska to remain intact so I can share it with them. We don’t want this country to be turned into bare hills devoid of wildlife. This vision keeps me working to conserve Alaska wildlands for coming generations to experience.” Jack has been a board member since 2001.
Marian Allen is a longtime Southeast resident, former fisherman, current English teacher, and a serious sockeye slayer. She has been a board member since 2006.
Steve Fish rode Alaska ferry Malaspina to Petersburg at age 19 in 1974, traveling from his native San Francisco bay area. Somehow, he ended up buying a plywood, gas powered boat the following year, and soon after caught his first halibut, knowing nothing about halibut fishing, and little enough about anything else.
Well, life should be an adventure, and the greatest adventure has been trying to be a good husband, father and person.
Steve met Kari Johnson in Petersburg, where they lived before moving to Port Alexander and finally Sitka in 1991. They have three children including Lexi, Eva and Erikson.
Steve served on the board of the Alaska Marine conservation council including two years as Chair. He is currently president of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association. He has been on the SCS board since 2010.
Sam Mulopulos is the Society’s youngest and newest member joining in 2011. A former environmental policy intern, Sam is currently a sophomore studying political science at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. Sam, a Dean’s List student, is very active in numerous school organizations including campus politics, environmental groups, and working as a Student Supervisor for the College’s Dining Services. As someone passionately committed to social justice, Sam is deeply interested in the connection between people and the environment and how environmental policies can be implemented in effective but respectful and social just ways. Sam, who has fallen in love with Sitka and Southeast Alaska, is deeply honored to serve on the Board of such a wonderful organization, and plans to remain active in environmental and social justice issues for the rest of his life. He has been on the SCS board since 2011.
Brendan Jones was born in Colorado and raised in downtown Philadelphia. In 1997 he moved to Alaska, where, over the years, he worked jobs on fishing boats, fish processors, dive tenders, the carpenters union, the Daily Sitka Sentinel, and spent a winter living in the woods. He received his formal education at Columbia and Oxford Universities, graduating from Oxford with a B.A. and M.A. in French and English literature. In 2006 Brendan started Greensaw Design & Build, specializing in building with reclaimed materials. In 2011 he returned to Sitka for good, purchasing an old wooden tugboat just in case he had second thoughts about wanting to go anywhere else. He is honored to play a role in SCS’s deep thought on how to exist in a sustainable manner as a community in the woods. He has been on the board since 2011.
Lexi Fish grew up in Port Alexander and Sitka, Alaska where she learned the importance of taking care of the land that provides everything for us. Lexi graduated with honors from Willamette University, double majoring in Spanish and International Studies. Lexi spent significant time in Latin America and Spain, which inspired her to pursue environmental work in order to create more equal and healthy societies for everyone. Since graduating in 2007, Lexi has worked for the Washington Environmental Council, Washington Student Public Interest Research Group, and directed Seattle’s Community Voters Project leading up to the 2008 Election. From 2009-2011, Lexi worked as the Community Sustainability Coordinator at SCS, which she left to go back to school. For the past 10 years, she has worked commercial fishing with her family as well. Outside of work, Lexi lives for outdoor adventures, and loves yoga, hiking, traveling, farmers markets, and spending time with friends and family. Lexi has been on the board since 2011.
