Staff
Mary Brueggeman (she/her) - Executive Director
Mary grew up in the Midwest and spent her free time in nature: fishing, swimming, and camping with her family of avid fishermen. Mary graduated with a BA in Anthropology from the University of South Florida and a MA in Medical Anthropology from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. After finishing her course work for her PhD in Medical Anthro, Mary spent eight years assisting Native American tribes in the SW establishing culturally sensitive, tribally owned health care programs.
Mary has extensive experience in nonprofit management and fundraising. Her move to the PNW in 1992 was to lead Hospice and Home Care as Executive Director. Her last position before joining SSS was Executive Director of Shoreline Community College Foundation and Vice President of Advancement for SCC.
Mary feels a special connection to the salmon and Southern Resident Orcas and hopes to make a difference in reversing their decline by working with SSS. On evenings and weekends, you can find Mary walking or hiking with her dog, Boomer, gardening organic veggies and flowers, reading a good book, or sitting around a campfire with her daughters and friends.
mary@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Jennifer Spritzer (She/her) - Finance Manager
Bio coming Soon!
jspritzer@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Kim Coker (She/her) - Finance Specialist
Kim grew up spending her summers, with her grandmother, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado where she was introduced to the love of the outdoors. Moving to Washington and now living in Skagit County for over 25 years, she earned her first degree in horticulture, studying native plants of the NW, which instilled her passion of being in nature. Her life’s work took her in a different direction where she found that accounting could provide a comfortable living where she could work remotely while continuing her adventures in travel. With the advances of technology, Kim can be found working on a laptop among the trees or cactus depending on what time of year. She loves camping, hiking, baseball, riding motorcycles, kayaking, the study of plants and essential oils, while spending time with family, her husband, and 2 chocolate labs; Indiana and Kentucky.
finance@soundsalmonsolutions.org
JENNIFER MAYNARD SELL (she/her) - FINANCE MANAGER Assistant
Jennifer grew up loving nature and the outdoors. Her family had many happy summers camping and fishing in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. She was born in Missouri but grew up experiencing the beauty of several Western states before landing in Washington in 1988. Jennifer fell in love with the many outdoor opportunities the PNW has to offer and after fifteen years away, is excited to return to the area. In her spare time, Jennifer loves spending time outside; hiking, camping and exploring. She enjoys gardening and growing her own organic produce. Jennifer also trains and competes with her dogs in Agility, Barn Hunt, Coursing Ability Tests, Nose Work, Obedience and Tracking.
jen@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Breanna Finch (She/her) - habitat Program Manager
Bre grew up in Wisconsin and found her love for the outdoors camping and hiking almost every weekend as a child in many of Wisconsin's state parks. After graduating with a B.S. in Anthropology, she worked with the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in Borneo, Indonesia researching primates in the East Kalimantan rainforest. When she returned to the United States, she moved to Washington State and worked with the Washington Conservation Corps with Snohomish County doing habitat restoration, which she has been doing at SSS since 2019. In her free time, she enjoys wandering through antique shops, traveling, and exploring the outdoors.
breanna@soundsalmonsolutions.org
KAELIE sPENCER (She/her)- hatchery and Education Program Manager
Kaelie grew up in Bend, OR and has always loved the ocean. She went to college at Oregon State University where she got her B.S. in Zoology with an emphasis in marine biology. She then furthered her marine biology passion by going to the Aquarium Science Program in Newport OR where she got her certificate in Aquarium Science. She spent four years in San Diego working as an aquarist at Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography doing a myriad of diving and animal husbandry practices. She is excited to be back in the PNW and lives here with her husband, dog and two cats. During her free time Kaelie loves hiking, knitting and finding new places to eat!
kaelie@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Brittany Ahmann (she/her) - Development & Stewardship Specialist
Brittany grew up in rural Alberta, Canada, but always loved the ocean. She received her B.S. in biology with an emphasis in marine science from the University of Victoria. During university, Brittany began teaching scuba diving and realized she had a passion for sharing her love of the ocean with others. Since graduating, Brittany has worked in many roles in marine conservation, education and outreach. She previously spent a year working as a Field Scientist in Belize monitoring coral reef health and assisting with lionfish population management which solidified her love for cold water ecosystems. She is thrilled to be back in the PNW where she lives with her husband and two dogs. In her free time, Brittany enjoys backpacking, diving, and reading.
brittany@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Annalise Hill (she/her) - Habitat Project Coordinator
Annalise has always had a passion for the environment but discovered her calling for restoration when she moved to Redmond, Washington, from Houston, Texas, at the age of 10. Annalise immediately fell in love with the lush green conifers, and salmon filled waterways. She spent every moment possible in the forests or at stormwater ponds. Unfortunately, as she grew older she watched her beloved ponds become office buildings, storage facilities, and housing. Annalise became devoted to helping restore our natural systems for future generations. She recently graduated from Western Washington University with a bachelor's degree in environmental science with an emphasis on freshwater and terrestrial ecology. While completing her degree, she had the opportunity to work for Washington Conservation Corps in Snohomish County helping restore riparian habitats. Annalise is thrilled to be joining the SSS team and to be applying her knowledge and skills to help restore our salmon populations. In her spare time, she can typically be found hiking, reading with a cat in her lap, or identifying plants and clams at her local estuary.
annalise@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Olivia Cavalluzzi (she/her) - Educator
Olivia grew up in the Pacific Northwest with a passion for wildlife conservation. She received her B.S. in wildlife conservation biology with a minor in quantitative science from the University of Washington where she independently researched avian scavenging succession at ungulate carcasses in Washington and barred owl diet in the Seattle area. Her research included analyzing over 370,000 images of roadkill carcass sites for avian activity and collecting and dissecting over 600 urban barred owl pellets. She also worked in a noninvasive genetics lab studying the diets, health, and distributions of coyotes through DNA and dissections. Olivia had the privilege to begin her wildlife conservation career at the Lajuma Research Centre in South Africa and Hoja Nueva in the Peruvian Amazon. Olivia frequently combines her love of wildlife with her artistic skills, such as drawing, painting, embroidery, jewelry making, and sewing ball gowns. She believes that art and science are most powerful when combined, and loves to do scientific watercolor painting for wildlife nonprofits and making her field guides for her Etsy store. Olivia loves getting children outside, exploring, asking questions about their environment, and being silly. In her free time, Olivia loves spending time with her wonderful partner Rebecca and their two kittens, mountain biking, creating any kind of art, and learning as many animal fun facts as possible.
olivia@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Alexandria Pinney (she/her) - Lead Habitat Technician
Alex grew up in Bothell, WA and has always had a passion for wildlife and conservation. She received her B.S. in Biology and a minor in Ecological Restoration from the University of Washington Bothell, where her studies emphasized sustainability, conservation biology, and restoration ecology. She first discovered her passion for research and fieldwork during her summer marine botany course at Friday Harbor Laboratories, where she collaborated on a research project that investigated the effects of rising oceanic temperatures on a ubiquitous genus of green algae. During her senior year at UWB, she worked as an intern for the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife on their pinto abalone recovery project, where she was responsible for analyzing over 45,000 time-lapse images from abalone outplant sites throughout the San Juan Islands. Since then, she has worked as a wetland monitoring intern for the Washington State Department of Transportation, where she conducted surveys of vegetation, hydrology, and wildlife at various WSDOT wetland mitigation sites throughout western Washington. In her spare time, she enjoys going hiking and backcountry camping with her partner and their dog.
alex@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Netania Rivera (she/her) - Habitat Technician
Netania grew up in Lynnwood, Washington and recently graduated from Western Washington University, earning her bachelor’s degree in environmental science with an emphasiss in marine ecology. She then served two terms with Americorps working for the Washington Conservation Corps, constructing and improving trails in Reiter Foothills and Tahuya State Forests. and restoring riparian habitat in the Hood Canal region. Netania is psyched to be able to improve her hometown waterways for fish and wildlife.
When she’s not stomping through blackberry thickets, Netania can be found watching for whales, drawing in her sketchbook, and playing D&D (her DM says she’s very good at it).
netania@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Leo Currie (he/They) - Habitat Technician
Leo grew up in Redmond, Washington, on the traditional homelands of the Duwamish tribe. They lived between the urban Eastside of Seattle, and the rural farmland of Carnation Valley. There, Leo fell in love with the bountiful Douglas fir forests and wetlands, while also watching with sadness as they were bulldozed and developed over the years. This instilled in them a passion for environmental rights and protection and led them to attend Western Washington University. In 2023, Leo earned an environmental studies degree and two minors that centered on the socioecological and indigenous histories of the Salish Sea region. During their senior year they spent 30 days traveling across the Salish Sea and learning from indigenous communities, scientists, professors and more, about local natural history and indigenous resource management. For a capstone project, Leo helped start a community compost and garden revitalization project on campus. During their last quarter they also started a blog to share their knowledge, experiences, and personal stories about the Salish Sea. As a strong believer in environmental stewardship, Leo is beyond thrilled to be applying their knowledge and passion at Sound Salmon Solutions in order to restore riparian habitat. In their free time they enjoy nature walks, creating multimedia art, caring for their plants and fish, and identifying plants and animals with the app, iNaturalist.
leo@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Bridget Hall (she/Her) - Habitat Technician
Bridget grew up in Washington and has always loved the outdoors, especially the ocean. Her interest in marine life led her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in environmental science with a marine science emphasis at Western Washington University, along with a minor in Spanish. During her time in college, Bridget had the opportunity to work with the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association as a River Steward intern. Through educating the community about salmon and their importance in our ecosystems and culture, Bridget grew her passion for salmon recovery and is very excited to contribute even more to this cause with SSS. In her free time, Bridget can be found practicing or competing with the SFU Pipe Band as a tenor drummer. She also enjoys hiking, reading, and caring for her collection of house plants.
bridget@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Virginia Davidson (she/Her) - Habitat Technician
Virginia first discovered a love for the natural world running around her backyard in Texas, finding bugs and snakes and toads to show to her parents. This was solidified when she moved to Washington at age 8, and fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. She graduated from the University of Washington in 2022 with a degree in earth & space sciences and a minor in writing. During her time there, she was involved in the Puget Sound Foraminifera Project, researching the link between benthic foraminifera populations and the health of Puget Sound. After graduation, she served a term with the Washington Conservation Corps, restoring habitat in Bellevue and Seatac. Now she’s thrilled to be doing conservation work with Sound Salmon Solutions, in a new place and in a new way. In her free time, Virginia can be found outside rockhounding, inside reading, or around Seattle looking for fun bookshops and new food to try!
virginia@soundsalmonsolutions.org