Each year INLC conducts an annual membership meeting to elect new or returning directors and confirm directors appointed since the last meeting.
The board proposes four new board members and three renewing board members to serve three-year terms starting 1/1/2024. Brief biographies of the candidates are below.
Ballots must be received by 6:00 PM on Tuesday, December 5 to be counted.
Brian Behler is running for his second 3-year term and is the board treasurer. Brian is the CEO of Skils’kin, a nonprofit whose mission is to enrich the quality of life for adults with disabilities. Brian also brings his experience as a CPA and an entrepreneur. During the summer months you will find him on his sailboat on Lake Coeur d’Alene. Brian says “I am driven to protect the open spaces that were so important to me growing up and to ensure my grandkids have the opportunity to enjoy nature close to home.
Ann Fennessy is running for her first 3-year term on the board. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1974, she moved to Spokane and became a regular soloist in local musical organizations such as the Spokane Symphony, Connoisseur Concerts, and the Northwest Bach Festival. Ann served on the Rockwood Neighborhood Council for several years, has been an on-air pledge drive guest for over 30 years on Spokane Public Radio, and now serves on the Spokane Symphony Endowment Board.
Toni Pessemier is running for her second 3-year term and is the board vice president. Toni is Avista’s American Indian Relations Advisor. “I am honored to work with regional Tribes as they protect important natural and cultural resources.” It has been a privilege to learn from staff and community members over the last 3 years while serving on the Board as we collectively support INLC’s crucial mission. Toni enjoys many outdoor activities such as hiking and camping. She brings to the board her long professional experience in our community.
Kris Ryan is running for her first 3-year term on the board. She is a location controller at Boise Cascade in Spokane. She is responsible for the accounting function at the branch, as well as involvement in many other facets of branch management. Kris is a Gonzaga University graduate and a licensed CPA and enjoys the local outdoors with her family – particularly boating, camping, hiking, and snowshoeing.
Debra Schultz is running for her second 3-year term on the board. Debra remembers the beginning days where conservation–minded folks sat around a kitchen table and dreamed of what INLC could become. She is knowledgeable in soil science and environmental constraint planning and has been an educator, business owner, and community volunteer. “I am excited to work with a board and staff that are so competent and forward thinking about preservation of our local land and water.
Tim Sweet is running for his first 3-year term on the board. Tim retired in 2016 from a landscape design/build firm that he founded in 1983. He has served in board positions with the Associated General Contractors, the Lands Council, and the Unitarian church. Tim is a member of Rotary Club 21 and is involved with the West Plains Water Coalition which is advocating for the residents impacted by PFOS contamination in the groundwater. He has a love for wild places, wherever they may be found.
Jonathan Teeters is running for his first 3-year term on the board. Jonathan serves as Policy Director for Empire Health Foundation and director of the Empire Health Community Advocacy Fund where he shapes policy programming and government affairs strategies to support power shifts and political and systems change within local BIPOC, LGBTQ2IAS+ and rural underserved communities. He’s a board member of the University District Development Assn. and Hunters of Color. Jonathan has an MBA in Sustainable Business Systems and degrees in conservation biology, natural resource ecology, and Spanish from the University of Idaho.