Staff
Brendon Cechovic, Program Director
Kerri Cechovic, Outreach Director
Joan Crooks, Executive Director
David Gorton, Membership & Grants Manager
Becky Kelley, Campaign Director
Mo McBroom, Policy Director
Kerry McHugh, Communications Manager
Allison Schulte, Development Manager
Clifford Traisman, State Lobbyist
Tarrell Wright, Development Director
LEEA BRADY, Administrative Director
Leea serves as the joint administrative director for Washington Environmental Council and Washington Conservation Voters. She comes to WEC with a strong administrative background, formerly working in the airline transportation industry. Leea attended the University of Washington where she focused her studies on urban issues and landscape architecture, receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Community, Environment & Planning in 2008. She became involved with WEC through the Local Farms - Healthy Kids campaign as a volunteer and liked it so much that she decided to join our staff. Being native to the Seattle area as well as growing up on a farm, Leea has a love and an appreciation for nature and the outdoors. She loves camping, biking and swimming. When she isn’t working at WEC ,Leea can be found taking care of her vegetable garden or training for triathlons with her husband Shane and their dog Wally.
email: leea at wecprotects.org
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BRENDON CECHOVIC, Program Director
Brendon oversees the new Voter Education Program, the civic engagement and capacity-building arm of WEC. He has worked for several progressive organizations including the PIRGs and the Sierra Club, has taught Political Theory at the University of Montana, and is a veteran of state-level political campaigns. Brendon has a B.A. in History and Political Science and a M.A. in Political Science. Brendon is also the Program Director of the Washington Conservation Voters, where he coordinates voter research, targeting, field outreach, and political strategy.
email: brendon at wecprotects.org
KERRI CECHOVIC, Outreach Director
Kerri is responsible for implementing outreach strategies for WEC's legislative policy efforts and campaigns. She comes to WEC from Montana where she conducted grassroots organizing and community outreach efforts for numerous state and local political campaigns. She received her Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Montana in 2002. Growing up in Montana, Kerri developed a love for the outdoors and spent many summer weekends camping with her entire family. Now she enjoys hiking and exploring Washington’s gorgeous mountains and forests.
email: kerri at wecprotects.org
JOAN CROOKS, Executive Director
A long-time leader in Washington’s environmental community, Joan started working at WEC in 1992 and has served as Executive Director since 1995. Joan was instrumental in developing the now nationally recognized Environmental Priorities Coalition, the successful collaborative of over 20 groups that works together for strong state environmental protections. Joan is often sought out for her insight and judgment on environmental issues by state policy makers, other advocacy groups, and foundations. Her guidance and vision have helped WEC combine its 40 years of experience with innovative strategies resulting in strong environmental protections for Washington state. Prior to joining WEC, Joan served as Administrative Director of Earth Share of Washington. Joan has a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Middlebury College, as well as a master's degree in public administration from the University of Washington Evans School of Public Affairs. She has served on numerous boards including Sierra Club Seattle Inner City Outings, the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition, the State Environmental Leadership Program, and two terms as Board President for ONE/Northwest. In addition to working for environmental protection, Joan also enjoys spending time outside, be it hiking or skiing with her husband and 6-year-old, or chasing her twin toddlers around the park.
email: joan at wecprotects.org
DAVID GORTON, Membership & Grants Manager
David handles WEC's membership program and other fundraising duties. Prior to joining the WEC team, David worked in fundraising at Earthjustice and at advertising agencies in San Francisco and Michigan. He has a bachelor's degree in History from Eastern Michigan University. David tries to spend as much time as possible outside. He is rather fond of telemark skiing, riding his bicycle, growing very local foods (aka gardening), and backpacking with his wife Susan.
email: david at wecprotects.org
BECKY KELLEY, Campaign Director
Becky joined WEC in 1994 and has led successful campaigns on sustainable forestry and helping to defeat the irresponsible development initiative—Initiative 933. Working closely with architects, developers, and educators, she led WEC's 2005 campaign to pass Washington's first-in-the-nation law requiring public buildings to meet green building standards. Currently, Becky leads the 1Sky Washington campaign, WEC’s joint campaign with Climate Solutions to pass strong policies to reduce global warming pollution, as well as staffing our ongoing sustainable forestry work. She feels lucky to have a job where she can bring people together to create solutions to complex problems, even though it involves an unnatural number of meetings. She has a bachelor's degree in International Studies from the University of Oregon, and prior to joining WEC, taught English in rural Japan. Becky lives in Seattle with her husband and 2 year old daughter, and enjoys gardening, eating her husband’s excellent cooking, singing, and visits to the “doggie park” with her family.
email: becky at wecprotects.org
MO MCBROOM, Policy Director
Mo oversees WEC's policy positions and campaign strategies, as well as works to craft and shape specific issues. She has a broad range of environmental interests and experience, including significant expertise in pollution and land use issues. Prior to joining the WEC staff in 2005, Mo was the Policy Advocate and Staff Attorney for WashPIRG. Her advocacy experience also includes directing MoveOn PAC's North Carolina operation in the 2004 election. Before joining the non-profit community, Mo worked as an associate attorney with the law firm of Perkins Coie. She received her bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University and her law degree from the University of Chicago.
email: mo at wecprotects.org
KERRY MCHUGH, Communications Manager
Kerry coordinates WEC’s communications work: providing media support, writing and editing for external and internal publications, and supporting the communication needs of the WEC staff. A native Northwesterner, after college she worked as a congressional staffer in Washington, DC. Prior to joining WEC, Kerry spent a year teaching English to high school and university students in Hue, Vietnam. She has a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University. She enjoys reading, taking various international dance classes, and is an enthusiastic fair-weather hiker. Having exhausted herself investigating Seattle’s pho options, she is now on a quest for the best bakery in the Puget Sound area.
email: kerry at wecprotects.org
ALLISON SCHULTE, Development Manager
Allison promotes WEC's development efforts by planning events and working on major donor development and cultivation. Prior to working at WEC, Allison lived in sunny California - after earning a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from UCLA, she served as a Teach For America corps member in LA and San Jose, and later taught kindergarten in San Francisco. She enjoys spending quality time with small children and adorable dogs, frequenting farmers’ markets in search of local Kombucha, camping in the summertime, and exploring Seattle’s incredible live music scene.
email: allison at wecprotects.org
CLIFFORD TRAISMAN, State Lobbyist
Clifford has been the state lobbyist for both Washington Environmental Council and Washington Conservation Voters since November 2002, responsible for the lobbying programs for both of these statewide environmental organizations. Clifford has almost 25 years of public and private sector government relations experience both in Washington State and Washington, D.C. During his 11-year tenure in D.C., Clifford held positions as a political consultant; a staff member and congressional investigator for the House Energy and Commerce Committee; and as a federal lobbyist in the private sector. Since arriving in Seattle, Washington in 1995, Clifford has held senior level local government posts as a legislative assistant for Seattle City Councilmember Martha Choe and as the City of Seattle's Director of Intergovernmental Relations under Mayor Paul Schell. Clifford is a graduate of the University of Kansas and lives in Seattle with his wife, four children, and two dogs.
email: clifford at wecprotects.org
TARRELL WRIGHT, Development Director
Tarrell comes to WEC with 15 years experience in fundraising, primarily in the health and human services arena. That perspective from outside of the environmental community provides an asset as we work to connect with a wider array of people across the state. Some of her employers have included: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the American Lung Association, and the NW Burn Foundation. As a member of the American Association of Fundraising Professionals she is recognized as an expert in her field and has extensive background in grants, major donor and capitol campaigns, and donor relations. For the past 8 years, she has run her own consulting business – most recently prior to joining WEC she provided a key role in the $8.2 million capital campaign for TVW’s new Media Center in Olympia. Tarrell has two kids (boys ages 8 and 11) and lives in the lovely Sunset Hill neighborhood of Ballard.
email: tarrell at wecprotects.org
