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
Breanna Finch (She/her) - Grant 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
Matt distler (he/him) - Senior Project Manager
Having spent his childhood exploring the forested ecosystems of northeastern Washington, Matt was naturally drawn to biological studies and fieldwork. After a stint in the Washington Conservation Corps opened his eyes to the field of ecology and the practice of ecological restoration, he went on to complete a Ph.D. focused on wetland ecology at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY. Like a fish returning to his natal stream, Matt inevitably returned to the Pacific Northwest and has spent the last decade and a half writing land management plans, monitoring wildlife use of restored landscapes, and managing forest and riparian restoration projects. Matt joined Sound Salmon Solutions in 2025. When he’s not scoping a new restoration project or wrangling a spreadsheet, Matt can be found reading, playing guitar, or rambling through Seattle’s parks with his wife and two daughters.
matt@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Brittany Ahmann (she/her) - Development & education manager
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 also holds a certificate from the University of Washington in Nonprofit Management and serves on the board of directors for the Gorge Waterway Action Society and the Northwest Straits Foundation. Brittany is thrilled to be applying her knowledge and skills to protecting salmon and countless species that rely on them. In her free time, Brittany enjoys exploring the outdoors and camping with her family and listening to audiobooks.
brittany@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Alexandria Pinney (she/her) - Habitat Project Manager
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
Matt Larson (He/Him) - Habitat project manager
Matt grew up in Cincinnati exploring the outdoors through scouting and spending his weekends fishing in the small ponds and lakes in the area. He has over a decade of experience supporting aquatic habitat restoration, fisheries management, environmental compliance, and natural resource planning throughout the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. After developing a passion for all things fish, he went on to receive a B.S. in Fisheries Biology at the University of Vermont. Upon graduating, Matt got his first taste of fieldwork working in Alaska and spent five years working for the USFWS and University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Matt led and supported multiple fisheries monitoring projects throughout the lower Yukon River Basin and Alaskan Arctic, focusing on subsistence harvest of Chinook, summer chum, and Sheefish populations. After spending some time going back and forth from Alaska to Washington, Matt made his way down to the PNW full time, working a season on the WDFW Puget Sound test fishery before accepting a job at Mount Rainier National Park. As the Fisheries Lead for the park, he further developed his skills in fisheries and project management, mainly focusing on conserving bull trout. In his free time, Matt enjoys homebrewing, cooking, and catching a Mariners game.
matt.larson@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 received her B.S. in environmental science with an emphasis on freshwater and terrestrial ecology from Western Washington University. 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 part of 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 with her husband, curled up with her cat and a good book, or baking sourdough bread.
annalise@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Megan Moran (she/her) - Hatchery and education coordinator
Megan grew up in Lake Stevens, WA, and spent much of her childhood on the Puget Sound. She pursued her longtime passion for PNW ecosystems at Western Washington University where she graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Science. She spent most of her time at WWU studying snow science and fisheries ecology and volunteered as a group instructor with Mt Baker Snow School. After focusing her studies on the watershed interactions of the PNW, she served a term in the Big Sky Watershed Corps with Montana Trout Unlimited. She is excited to be back on the West side and helping teach the next generation about the importance of Salmon in the Pacific Northwest. During her free time, she likes reading, snowboarding, and spending time with her cat!
megan@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Denver Bradford (He/Him) - Summer Camp Educator
Denver is an intern at Sound Salmon Solutions, working towards earning his B.S. in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences from Oregon State University. Growing up in Edmonds, he spent his childhood exploring forests and beaches and became fascinated by the ecosystems within them and how they worked. A spring camping trip to Mt. Tahoma led him to trade their social work degree for conservation and develop a passion for approaching conservation through a lens of compassionate stewardship for human and wildlife communities alike. Since then, he has volunteered with Conservation Northwest to construct wildlife crossings under I-90, the Edmonds Stewards, and is a member of OSU’s Ocean11 Marine Club. In 2025, Denver was awarded the Diversity & Inclusion scholarship from The Whale Museum to complete his Salish Sea Marine Naturalist certification and spent time on the San Juan Islands learning about Salish Sea geology, intertidal life, and conservation of marine mammals such as southern resident orcas. He is excited to be a camp educator at Sound Salmon’s Salish Scientists Summer Camp this summer under the nature name Pleco!
Ashley pitts (She/Her) - Habitat project coordinator
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. Ash acquired her degree in Conservation & Restoration Science from the University of Washington in 2023 and since then enjoys fieldwork learning more about local ecology. Ash is skilled in native and invasive plant ID, soil classification, and GIS work. Ash’s hobbies include hiking, foraging, fishing, spending time with friends, and exploring the outdoors with her husband and daughter.
ash@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Virginia Davidson (she/Her) - Engagement Coordinator & Habitat Restoration Crew Lead
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 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
Margaux Currie (she/Her) - Habitat Restoration Assistant Crew Lead
Margaux grew up locally - primarily in Seattle and on Vashon Island. Lots of time spent poking around Puget Sound's beaches and forests was the start of a fascination with the intricate systems and silly joys of the natural world. She graduated from Macalester College with a BA in Biology and a minor in Data Science, with coursework that blended lines between ecology and public health. Last year, Margaux completed a restoration internship with the Vashon Land Trust and she’s excited to expand on that experience at SSS. She loves working outdoors, learning new skills, and working with communities, which previously led her to positions in regenerative agriculture, bike shops, and public health outreach. In her spare time, she’s often working on a crafty gift, doing a crossword, or picking around on guitar. When possible, she loves a good bikepacking adventure!
margaux@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Liz Zimmerman (They/them) - Habitat Restoration Technician
Liz’s passion for all things green was cemented when they moved from their hometown outside of Chicago to western Washington as a teen. While they spent their childhood catching frogs and biking through forest preserves, they were enthralled by the beauty and vastness of the west. They graduated in 2023 from Western Washington University with a degree in environmental science. After graduating, they served with Washington Conservation Corps and Snohomish Conservation District as a Restoration Project Assistant. Through their term, they discovered that getting dirty and restoring riparian areas is their passion. In their free time, Liz loves to get out and hike, ski, or collect flowers to identify and press. They’re also a fan of anything fermentation or needlework.
liz@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Taylor Hoefer (she/her) - lead fish passage technician
Taylor grew up in New Hampshire and spent four years in Ohio where she earned a B.A in Environmental Studies from Oberlin College. At Oberlin, she had the chance to conduct wastewater sampling laboratory work, manage a garden and orchard, and conduct a published research project on the impact of biochar on 3 distinct garden species. She moved to Seattle after graduating, where she spent a year in the world of environmental education, working with Nature Vision and at Discovery Park. She served for a year and a half with Washington Conservation Corps, completing riparian restoration projects for King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, and then surveyed streams with the Department of Ecology for a summer. She’s excited to bring together her experience with collecting riparian data, public outreach, and restoration field work in this position!
taylor@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Lee Dolam (she/her) - Seasonal Habitat Restoration Technician
Lee grew up in North Carolina and moved to Edmonds, Washington in 2017 to attend school at the University of Washington Bothell, where she earned her B.S. in Conservation and Restoration Science in 2023. During her studies, she developed a passion for wetlands, marine habitat restoration, fieldwork, and ecological research while working with Saint Edward State Park to study wildlife activity and human impacts on greenspaces. She also worked as a land steward at Songia Co-housing in Bothell, WA, gaining experience in invasive species removal, forest restoration, native plant identification, and sustainable agriculture. Lee is currently pursuing a Fisheries Management certification through Oregon State University to further expand her knowledge of aquatic ecosystems and resource management. In her free time, she enjoys fishing, digging for shellfish, and exploring Washington!
lee@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Hailey ray Lang (she/they) - Seasonal habitat Restoration technician
Freshly graduated from Western Washington University's College of the Environment, Hailey Ray is a Seattle area local who first discovered her passion for restoration work when volunteering with Sound Salmon at a local park as part of a high school senior project. She has spent the past 2 summers working with Skagit county noxious weeds, studying ecology and volunteering around campus in the off season. Hailey enjoys the connection to nature and sense of adventure that come from doing field work, and hopes to someday go back to school to become a field ecologist. In her free time, Hailey enjoys building model kits, playing trading card games, reading comic books, and doing other decidedly less outdoorsy activities.
hailey@soundsalmonsolutions.org
Stephen Fitch (He/Him) - Seasonal habitat technician
Stephen grew up in Colorado Springs where he spent his days fly fishing, hiking and building an appreciation for the natural world. He earned a bachelor's in Fisheries Biology at Colorado State University and worked with Trout Unlimited assessing wildfire impacts on a native trout populations. After graduation he moved to Auburn, Alabama where he spent a year working on a fish farm, before beginning his master's at Auburn University. His research examined the potential impacts of herbicides on aquatic organisms. During this time he also worked with ADCNR and University researchers to do fisheries surveys, fish passage assessments, and do telemetry work with Gulf Sturgeon. Stephen is a new resident to Washington and is looking forward to diving into salmon restoration work. In his free time you can find him fly fishing or painting
stephen@soundsalmonsolutions.org