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

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

Alexandria Pinney (she/her) - Habitat Restoration Lead

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

Susan Tarpley (she/her) - Educator

Susan was destined to love nature from an early age as her very first stuffed animal was a fuzzy little penguin. From the get-go, she explored, experienced, and investigated as many wonders of the natural world whenever and wherever she could. She still continues that passion today. She grew up in England and central California. She graduated from the California State University system with a B.S. in Zoology/Ecology, and then earned a M.S degree in Marine Science from Moss Landing Marine Labs in beautiful Monterey Bay, CA. Susan has worked as a research diver, environmental scientist, ecological consultant, and educator. She loves to inspire people of all ages to get outdoors and connect with their surroundings. She is excited to be a part of the dynamic SSS team, and to promote good stewardship, resource protection, and habitat restoration through positive actions and solutions. Susan feels very fortunate to live in such an incredible region. Whenever possible, she is out with her husband boating, kayaking, hiking, birding, scenery viewing, watching colorful sunsets, or taking quiet walks in the woods or along a beach somewhere.

susan@soundsalmonsolutions.org

Bridget Hall (she/Her) - Habitat Restoration Assistant Lead

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 Restoration 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

Ash Linkem (She/Her) - Habitat Restoration Technician

Ash grew up sharing her childhood on both the east and west coasts of the United States. Spending the summers in the Adirondack outdoors with her dad’s family, Ash always knew that she wanted to work with science. However her realization that she was passionate about specifically restoration science was at Mt. St. Helens during a summer camp focused on ecology. From there she pursued and acquired a B.S. in Conservation and Restoration science from the University of Washington - Bothell. Ash spent her senior year of college focusing on the roles mosses play in the succession of conifers in local forests and fell in love with further restoration. Ash’s hobbies include crocheting, hiking, seeing live music with her partner, and taking care of her three frogs. 

ash@soundsalmonsolutions.org

Daisy Rebozo (She/Her) - Habitat Restoration Technician

Daisy has been passionate about the natural world since childhood. Growing up in the beautiful PNW helped her to realize that environmental science was the field in which she wanted to continue her education and later pursue a career. Daisy began as a habitat intern at SSS and is excited to now be on the crew to help restore riparian habitats. During her final semester at the University of Washington Bothell, she had the opportunity to visit Chilean Patagonia to study and conduct research on reforestation efforts in Torres Del Paine National Park following forest fires. Daisy is particularly interested in ecological systems and biodiversity conservation. In her free time, she can be found hiking, snowboarding, and spending time with friends and family.

daisy@soundsalmonsolutions.org