Advisory Board

Throughout 2020 and 2021, people from across the region helped chart the course ahead for the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area. Guided by a Management Plan Steering Committee and several working groups, this process culminated in a Management Plan that outlines the vision, goals, strategies, and policies for Maritime Washington.

Now, a new Maritime Washington Advisory Board—alongside a standing Tribal Working Group—takes the helm as Maritime Washington begins to implement that vision. The Advisory Board strives to be representative of the many perspectives, communities, geographies, areas of expertise, and organizations participating in the National Heritage Area, providing ongoing insight into the needs and priorities of Washington’s diverse maritime landscape. Advisory Board members serve two- to four-year terms and meet regularly to provide strategic guidance on the programming and administration of Maritime Washington.

Aletia Alvarez

Maritime Planning Department Senior Manager, Port of Seattle

Aletia Alvarez blends high-level infrastructure strategy with a lifelong commitment to maritime heritage. Currently leading the Port of Seattle’s Maritime Capital Development and Planning Department, she spearheads transformative waterfront projects, drawing on her experience with the Port of Olympia and her early role in establishing the Fort Worden Public Development Authority. Aletia’s deep community roots include serving as a current board member and founding Executive Director for Northwest Maritime, as well as her years as Director with the Wooden Boat Foundation/Festival. A USCG 100-ton licensed captain and former US Army Rotary-Wing Aviator, she has navigated the world’s seas on both traditional, educational and contemporary vessels. This unique fusion of technical stewardship and operational expertise allows Aletia to bridge the gap between Washington’s storied maritime legacy and its expanding and complex maritime horizon.

Kevin Bartoy

Chief Sustainability Officer, Washington State Ferries (WSDOT)

Kevin Bartoy has worked for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) since 2009, and Washington State Ferries (WSF, a division of WSDOT) since 2016. Kevin is the first Chief Sustainability Officer for WSF and recently helped to establish the Office of Sustainability and Environmental Services within WSF. Kevin’s work includes being lead author of WSF’s first Sustainability Action Plan, published in 2019, and its second plan which was published for the 2021-2023 biennium. Kevin’s work in establishing a sustainability program at WSF and leading WSF’s efforts to help recover the critically endangered southern resident killer whale was recognized with the Washington State Governor’s Leadership in Management Award in 2021. Kevin holds a BA in history from the University of Oregon, an MA in anthropology with an emphasis in historical archaeology from the College of William and Mary in Virginia, and a PhD in anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley.

Mayor Cassie Franklin

Mayor of Everett and Association of Washington Cities Representative

Mayor Cassie Franklin became Everett’s first elected female mayor in 2018. As mayor, her top priorities include violence prevention, public safety, and creating a prosperous city. During her tenure, Mayor Franklin has issued several mayoral directives to advance key initiatives, including reducing violent crime; expanding housing for all; strengthening behavioral health systems; promoting climate action; supporting economic development; enhancing community engagement; addressing the City’s structural budget deficit; and advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Franklin is a leader at both the local and regional levels. She founded and co-chairs the bipartisan group Mayors for Public Safety, and she serves on the Puget Sound Regional Council, the Economic Alliance Snohomish County Board of Trustees, the Executive Council of Greater Seattle Partners, and the Sound Transit Board of Directors. Mayor Franklin holds a bachelor’s degree from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, and completed graduate studies in psychology at the University of Munich in Germany, specializing in family systems therapy.

Amy Frost

Executive Director, Lopez Island Historical Society

Amy Frost has served as the Executive Director of the Lopez Island Historical Society since 2019. Growing up in Michigan, she developed a love of maritime history and being on the water from a young age. Moving to Seattle in 2004 for a graduate degree in Museum Studies at the University of Washington, she was thrilled to learn to sail and was the proud owner of a classic Pacific Northwest Thunderbird 26. Wooden boats hold a special place in her heart, and Amy is now involved in efforts to turn Frank Prothero’s Glory of the Seas into a community tall ship. In her position as Executive Director of Lopez Island Historical Society, Amy is dedicated to an equitable and truthful telling of the complex maritime history of the Salish Sea.

Kim Gant

Historic Preservation Programs Manager, Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation

Kim Gant is the manager of historic preservation programs and staff related to the built environment at the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP). Her programs include Certified Local Government, NHPA and GEO 2102 compliance, Rehabilitation Tax Credit, National/State Register, Survey & Inventory, and capital grant programs. She has a MS in Historic Preservation and 18 years of experience advising on local, state, and federal historic preservation programs and practices.

Fred Goldberg

Founding Partner, Saltchuk Industries

Fred Goldberg is the managing partner of Goldberg Investments and vice chairman of the board of trustees for The Evergreen State College. He is currently a board member for the Gates Foundation Advisory Board, Supply Chain. Fred is the co-founder, principal, and retired director of Saltchuk Resources, Inc. He formerly served as a board member for the Initiative for Global Development and St. Peter Hospital. Fred is the retired director of Columbia Bank and Key Bank of Washington, retired chair of Tollycraft Yachts and the Civil Service Commission in Olympia, and previous advisor to USP, a pharmacological nonprofit watchdog group for world drug safety. Fred is a member of the Olympia Rotary Club, Founding Director of the Washington Center for Performing Arts and the Governors Festival of Arts, Founding President of POSSCA (Patrons of South Sound Cultural Activities), and a board member for Washington State Historical Association and Washington Trust for Historic Preservation. Fred has also published in Nature Reviews magazine with a focus on developing incentive for new antibiotic development.

Commissioner Carol Hasse

Port of Port Townsend Commissioner and Washington Public Ports Association Representative

Carol Hasse sailed into Point Hudson in the early 1970s with her commune on the boat they built. She was immediately smitten with the town and rather quickly moved here. Carol had grown up in a small town on the Columbia River. One year of college was enough to convince her that activism on global issues was her path. By the time she hit Port Townsend, she had traveled extensively– hitchhiking through 23 countries. Sailing was her passion, so she worked as crew on global adventures. Once she arrived in Washington, Carol soon opened Hasse & Co, a sail loft in Point Hudson. She was one of the early forces behind the creation of both the Wooden Boat Festival and the Northwest Maritime Center. Over the years she has served on the board of both organizations. She sold her business to the Shipwright’s Coop in 2021. She’s now channeling her incredible energy into her position as Commissioner for the Port of PT. She wants to preserve our working waterfront and is determined to make it happen.

Dylan High

Statewide Partnerships Coordinator, Washington State Historical Society

Dylan High works as the Statewide Partnerships Coordinator at the Washington State Historical Society, providing field services to history organizations and promoting capacity-building efforts for public history work. Dylan also manages the Dialogue in Place (Monuments) project, working to address monuments placed by the Washington State Historical Society to tell a more accurate, holistic historical account. Previously, Dylan served as the Executive Director for the Greater Kent Historical Society, and worked as the Graduate Advisor for the University of Washington Museology Graduate Program. Dylan has an MA in Museology from the University of Washington, and a BA in Music and Anthropology from Muhlenberg College.

Mike Moe

Director of Strategic Partnerships and Tourism Development, State of Washington Tourism

Mike Moe is the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Tourism Development for State of Washington Tourism (SWT). He manages the new Destination Development and Travel Trade programs for SWT, building tourism infrastructure in rural communities in-state and promoting Washington as a tourism destination internationally. Mike has worked with SWT and its previous incarnation, the Washington Tourism Alliance, since shortly after its conception in 2011. A lifetime Washington resident, Mike lives in Seattle with his wife Shannon and two children Kieran and Mazie.

Dr. Joshua Reid

Associate Professor (History & American Indian Studies) and Director of the Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest, University of Washington

Joshua L. Reid, citizen of the Snohomish Indian Nation, is an associate professor of American Indian Studies and the John Calhoun Smith Memorial Endowed Associate Professor of History at the University of Washington, where he directs the Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest. His publications include: The Sea Is My Country: The Maritime World of the Makahs (Yale 2015) and the co-edited inaugural special issue, “Histories of Resilience,” of the American Historical Review (2024). Reid currently researches Indigenous explorers in the Pacific of the long nineteenth century.

Devon Emily Thorsell

Vice President of Operations, Washington Maritime Blue

Devon Emily Thorsell is Vice President of Operations at Washington Maritime Blue, where she oversees nonprofit management functions including finance, HR, communications, facilities, membership, and more. Devon works to build a thriving and sustainable organization that is effective, efficient, and grounded in values of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Before joining Maritime Blue, Devon was the Operations Manager for the Washington State Academy of Sciences. She holds an MBA, Masters in Marine Affairs, and Masters in International Studies from the University of Washington. Devon also sits on the Board of Earth Economics.

Dr. Stephanie Toothman

Board Member, Washington Trust for Historic Preservation

Dr. Stephanie Toothman retired in June 2017 as Associate Director of Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science after 39 years with the National Park Service. In May 2018, she returned to NPS as a Special Assistant to the Acting Associate Director under a special appointment authority for retired employees whose skills and knowledge can continue to benefit NPS. Before serving as Associate Director, Stephanie was the Chief of Cultural Resources for the Pacific West Region and also served as Regional Historian and Chief of Cultural Resources for the Pacific Northwest Region. She entered NPS as a historian with the National Register of Historic Places and spent two years with the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service before it was folded back into NPS in 1981. Stephanie brings a multi-disciplinary perspective to resource management, with degrees in American Studies from Smith College and American Civilization from the University of Pennsylvania. She received the Distinguished Service Award in 2017. She is a member of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation board of directors.

Steve Walker

Board Member, Working Waterfront Coalition

Steve Walker resides in Bellingham. His career in recreation and land management includes stints as a ranger with Washington State Parks, the adviser for Western Washington University’s Outdoor Center, the steward for Whatcom Land Trust, and two terms as Executive Director for the Community Boating Center. He currently serves on the City of Bellingham Parks Advisory Board and the boards of the Working Waterfront Coalition and Working Waterfront Foundation.

Commissioner Katie Walters

Kitsap County Commissioner and Washington State Association of Counties Representative

Commissioner Katie Walters represents Central Kitsap as a Kitsap County Commissioner and joins the Advisory Board as the representative for the Washington State Association of Counties. With over 30 years of leadership experience in nonprofits and education, Katie is deeply committed to preserving maritime heritage and fostering community engagement. She holds a Masters in Communication from Washington State University and a Certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Washington. Katie has interned at the Harbor History Museum in Gig Harbor and, in 2023, helped launch Kitsap’s first “Pop Up Ferry” featuring the historic Carlisle II Mosquito Fleet vessel. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the National Association of Counties Arts & Culture Commission, advocating for arts, economic development, and historic preservation. We look forward to welcoming Katie’s diverse experiences and informed perspectives to the Advisory Board!