Meet the WREN Board
Mike Shippey
President, WREN Board of Directors
mike at coyotecreekes.com
Background and Professional Affiliations: Landscape Ecologist and owner of Coyote Creek Environmental Services, Inc.; Society of Wetland Scientists, member; International Association for Landscape Ecology, member; Society for Ecological Restoration, member; co-author of the Guide to Wetland Issues for Transportation Designers for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. He earned his Bachelor and Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Oregon.
Vicki Singer
WREN Board Member
vicki.singer at invitrogen.com
Global Head of Out Licensing for Life Technologies; American Society for Microbiology, member; American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, member; Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, member; American Society for Human Genetics, member. She earned a B.S. in General Science from the University of Oregon, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and was a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School, in the Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology.
Eric Nill
WREN Board Member
eric at aesrenew.com
Background and Professional Affiliations: Chief Information Officer and Corporate Secretary of Guaranty RV and Guaranty Chevrolet of Junction City, Oregon. Eric is a native Oregonian, active in environmental causes since joining the Ecology Club at South Eugene High School. He has a B.A in International Relations from Pomona College, an M.A. in International Studies (with a focus in resource management) from the University of Oregon. He is also a recent graduate of the Oregon Executive MBA program during which time he devised an investment fund dedicated to financing renewable energy projects.
Dena Zaldúa-Hilkene
WREN Board Member
dzalduahilkene at nclrights.org
Background and Professional Affiliations: Professional fundraiser since 1998, and has been with the National Center for Lesbian Rights’ development department since 2002, where her focus is individual giving, particularly major gifts. Dena is passionate about philanthropy and the ways in which it can bring about social change, in particular through community-based fundraising. She sees her passions for preserving our few remaining wild places and raising money for good causes converging perfectly in serving on the WREN board. Originally from the Bay Area, Dena graduated from Williams College with a degree in art history. Dena lives in Eugene, Oregon with her husband and their dog, and telecommutes to NCLR's San Francisco headquarters from home.
John Mercier
WREN Board Member
John.Mercier at grandronde.org
Background and Professional Affiliations: Director of Operations in the Executive Office for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde; former Land Surveyor with a State of Oregon Land Surveyor in Training (LSIT) Certificate; background in Forest Engineering Technology. John is a native Oregonian and a Tribal member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. An outdoor enthusiast, John enjoys hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, and is an avid runner who has participated in running events distancing from 10 K (6.2 miles) to full marathons. John is team captain for a local Hood to Coast Relay team which is an annual running event from Mount Hood to Seaside for a distance of 197 miles. John hasn’t decided what he wants to do when he grows up so he has a considerable amount of college education but no degree……...yet.
Kevin Matthews
Board Member
matthews at artifice.com
Kevin was born in Eugene, grew up outside Boston, did college around California, and returned to the Willamette Valley about 20 years ago. A Deep Srings alumnus, he has an environmental planning degree from UC Santa Cruz, and a Master of Architecture degree from UC Berkeley, where he stayed to teach after graduation on the way to master-minding design systems for the Superconducting Super Collider. These days, with the help of five dogs, two cats, and a whole bunch of smart people, he runs the new media architectural publishing company that produces ArchitectureWeek, the leading design and building magazine online, and the Artifice transformational media network, with several million monthly visitors. Lurking as a kind of free-range cultural activist, drawing on background in architecture and environmental planning and specializations in politics and engineering, he's collaborated in business, academia, government, and the non-profit sector over three decades to support
the realization of human possibilities through design with nature.
Mark Horney, Ph.D.
WREN Board Member
mhorney at uoregon.edu
Background and professional affiliations: Dr. Horney is the Senior Research Associate for the University of Oregon Center for Advanced Technology in Education. His areas of teaching and research cover all aspects of the uses of computers in schools. He teaches the introductory courses on technology in both the Elementary and the Secondary Teacher Education programs in the College of Education. Dr. Horney's research focuses on the uses of hypertext in various learning contexts. Education: Ph.D., Education, University of Oregon, 1991; M.S., Mathematics, University of Colorado at Denver, 1987;
M.A., Education, University of Colorado at Denver, 1982;
B.S., Mathematics, Colorado State University, 1974.
Paul Machu
WREN Board Member
machu at 
Background and professional affiliations: Paul Machu writes, produces and directs video productions for Chambers Productions, the video and film production division of Chambers Communications. He has produced commercials, marketing videos, event videos and corporate communication pieces for many companies, agencies, and educational entities throughout the Willamette Valley.
Machu has produced for network and cable television, web sites, fund raising events, retail kiosks and large screen venues at sporting events. His work has been recognized with numerous local, national and trade awards.
Machu was born in Beverly Hills, where his surroundings gave him a keen insight and appreciation for film and other media arts. He studied communications and earth sciences at Santa Monica College and continued his photography studies at U.C.L.A. He also worked at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art assisting in both the Film History and Museum Operations departments. Machu’s interest in environmental preservation began with a keen interest in the unique ecology of the Santa Monica mountains where he would hike, photography and explore. He moved to Oregon in 1978. His maintains a strong interest in still photography, music, and golf as well and a devoted affection for dogs. He is married to Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction Susan Castillo-Machu.
Michael Roberts
WREN Board Member
chicagomcr at yahoo.com
Background and Professional Affiliations: Marketing Manager for the International Society for Technology in Education, Michael has been in non-profit marketing and fundraising since 1996, with organizations such as United Way, Jewish United Fund, and National PTA. He has worked as a volunteer on trail restoration, strengthening fish habitats, and outdoor education for youth, prior to his affiliation with WREN.
Michael grew up near Seattle, and received his B.A. in business administration from the University of Washington. While working for international non-profits in Chicago, Michael earned his M.B.A. with concentrations on non-profit marketing and management from North Park University. He is happy to be back in the Pacific Northwest, closer to his family.
Susan Castillo
Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction
West Eugene Wetlands Education Center Capital Campaign Chair
Susan Castillo began her second term as Oregon’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction in January 2007. First elected to a four-year term in May 2002, she oversees more than a half-million students in over 1,200 public schools.
Susan has launched major academic initiatives to improve performance for all students and to help close the achievement gap, including launching a comprehensive literacy plan so students not only learn to read but also read to learn; increasing the number of families in Head Start and expanding full-day kindergarten to every school in the state; revamping the high school diploma to ensure that graduates get a more rigorous, relevant education to prepare them for college and/or careers; improving guidance and counseling at high schools; and cultivating new leadership in schools and district through training and mentoring.
In addition to her duties as an elected official, Susan is a fellow in the American Leadership Forum, which is dedicated to bringing leaders together to strengthen their skills and better serve the public good. She is a board member of Birth to Three, a nationally recognized non-profit parenting education and support program dedicated to strengthening families. In 2007, she was named their “Champion of Children” award winner. She is an active board member of the Council of Chief State School Officers. In 2004, she was named one of the “100 Most Influential Hispanics” in America by Hispanic Business.
Susan is the grandchild of Mexican immigrants. Growing up, she saw the challenges her mother faced due to a lack of formal education. As a result, Susan feels a deep commitment to ensuring that all children, regardless of their personal struggles or circumstances, receive the quality education that will give them opportunities in life.
Susan received a B.A. in communications from Oregon State University. Prior to entering public office, she enjoyed a long career as an award-winning television journalist for KVAL-TV in Eugene, Oregon.
The first Hispanic woman in the Oregon Legislative Assembly, she served in the Oregon State Senate from 1997 to 2002, where she was vice-chair of the Senate Education Committee. As a statehouse champion for schools, she worked to foster educational innovation and to remove barriers to achievement.
Thank you to Jim Anderson 
for his years of service on the WREN board! As of November, 2009, Jim continues his dedication to WREN in an ex-officio role.
jimanderson725 at yahoo.com
Background and Professional Affiliations: Retired northwest regional sales manager for Ferry-Morse Seed Co. with a background in economics and agricultural development. Retired financial advisor for several local firms and currently is on the Steering Committee for Beyond War. He has recently become interested in green roof design, environmental education and wetland ecology.
A big thank you for Bill Mason's years of service as
Treasurer, WREN Board of Directors! Bill continues his dedication to WREN in an ex-officio role.
Background and Professional Affiliations: Oregon Registered Professional Geologist; former Regional Coordinator for Governor Kitzhaber’s Community Solutions Office, a state department whose purpose was to collaboratively resolve policy conflicts between state, local, and federal agencies, and to help local communities navigate the sometimes complicated regulatory structure; former Oregon point-of-contact for the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Cooperation work group; currently a Senior Groundwater Hydrologist, Oregon Dept. of Environmental Quality.
Thank you to Susanne Twight-Alexander 
for six years of service on the WREN board! As of March, 2009, Susanne continues her dedication to WREN in an ex-officio role.
ouzel at teleport.com
Background and Professional Affiliations: Currently-Outreach and Development for Tamarack Wellness Center; formerly Easter Seals Pool; member Lane County Audubon Society. Previous positions include: Northwest Youth Corps, development director; county commissioner, Trinity County, California; Northcoast Regional Water Quality Control Board member, California; Member Lane County Parks Advisory Committee; Emerald Valley Development Professionals, Board member and secretary; proofreader and reporter; B.A. in Wildlife Conservation from UC Berkeley and M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon.
