Announcements

Message from the Chairman: Jacques White Selected to be New LLTK Director

On behalf of the Long Live the Kings Board of Directors and staff, I’m pleased to announce that Jacques White will be our next Executive Director, beginning March 15, 2010.

The mission of LLTK is to restore wild salmon to the waters of the Pacific Northwest. With established footing in Puget Sound and coastal Washington salmon recovery issues, strong existing partner and stakeholder relationships, and a proven ability to manage large projects and staffs, Jacques is poised to competently and passionately lead LLTK.

Jacques has been, for the last six years, Director of Marine Conservation at the Nature Conservancy of Washington, where he has also served since 2009 as Director of the Hood Canal Program. Prior to his role at the Nature Conservancy, Jacques was Director of Science and Habitat Programs at People for Puget Sound. He holds a Ph.D. in Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Sciences from the University of Maryland, an M.S. in Marine Science from Louisiana State University, and a B.S. in Oceanography and a B.A. in Zoology from the University of Washington.

Some highlights of Jacques’ recent accomplishments include:

• Led the construction of the Nature Conservancy’s marine program that six years later boasts projects in eight Puget Sound counties and is growing to cover the entire Washington Coast;
• worked to advance conservation in the marine and riparian habitats of western Washington;
• assisted the Puget Sound Partnership in putting the Puget Sound Action Agenda into a performance management and monitoring framework;
• worked with the Regional Implementation Technical Team to do the same for adaptive management and monitoring related to Puget Sound salmon recovery; 
• helped lead the development of the community-based San Juans Marine Stewardship Area Plan.

Jacques currently serves on the Ecosystem Coordination Board of the Governor’s Puget Sound Partnership and the Steering Committee for the Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project. He has received numerous awards for his scientific research; spoken at many regional environmental conferences; and authored more than 20 scientific and policy articles and publications.

“Of all the candidates, Jacques impressed us most with his track record, intelligence, knowledge, sense of humor, ability to think on his feet; to describe what we do and why it matters, and to listen.  His references spoke to his ability to create multi-stakeholder partnerships, fundraise, and deliver results,” said Gerald Grinstein, Chair of the LLTK search committee. 

Says Jacques: “As a fisherman and lover of salmon ecosystems, I am deeply committed to LLTK’s mission and admire the organization’s accomplishments and demonstrated record of being creative, science-driven and solutions-oriented.  I am focused on how resource management gets done, and in setting examples for our community and the region on how we can do this kind of work more efficiently and effectively, recognizing that people are both a part of the problem and all of the solution.  Long Live the Kings has demonstrated, through hatchery reform and through the reframing of salmon management to be more integrated and strategic, that it is an organization dedicated to seeking and applying inventive solutions to Pacific salmon recovery.”

If you are not already on the LLTK Enews list, please sign up to receive information on upcoming opportunities to get to know Jacques.

Jim Youngren, Chairman
LLTK Board of Directors