Board of Directors

Board Secretary

Lynn Schorn

Being outside in nature is where I find my peace, my inspiration, my creativity, my challenge and myself.

Now, as I look through my life experiences, I realize that my memories revolve around my adventures outside kayaking, hiking, back-packing, skiing, sailing, travelling, and taking walks in the woods and on the beach. As a Physical Therapist for 40 years, being in nature is one of the 6 things that I prescribe for my patients in their balance of health and fitness, as I believe that it is imperative that we humans not only acknowledge our own connections with nature but appreciate the importance of our inter-connectivity and dependence on our environment for our mental and physical well-being.

For the past 15 years, I have been working to help save more wild and natural spaces in my community in the Kitsap Peninsula, Washington so that present and future generations can have access to nature. I have learned that public process of change takes time, energy and patience.

Having just completed my Wilderness First Responder Course, I am again reminded that the connections with nature can also link us with our fragile human status requiring more attentiveness to safety, having the right equipment, and staying current with emergency back country management.

There is nothing more memorable for me than sharing those moments in nature with friends and family and sharing my love with anyone who is interested in the excitement of exploring old and new places with me. Its like the best treasure hunt imaginable!

Board Member

Shawn Larson

Shawn launched the Seattle Aquarium conservation research program in 1995. Her work spans a variety of areas—she leads conservation research projects in the Salish Sea, Hawai’i, and (soon!) Indonesia; oversees all water quality testing for the aquarium exhibits; and leads the wildlife rehabilitation program. Shawn’s research is cross-disciplinary, including projects focused on marine mammal physiology, shark genetics, reef fish population biology and ecology, and orca population trends. She has published several scientific papers, book chapters on marine mammals, and a book on sea otter biology and conservation. More recently, Shawn has been involved in environmental monitoring of toxic pollutants and microplastics in the Salish Sea and elsewhere. In 2016, she also become a contracted Research Curator for the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor where she focuses on longterm datasets on Southern Resident killer whale sightings, the impact of whale watching vessels on the Southern Residents, and 20 years of orca calls from hydrophones. Her passion is conservation of the oceans and the animals that live in and around it. 

Board President

Carolyn Hartness

Carolyn, Eastern Band Cherokee / Norwegian, is a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Educator and Consultant committed to a life of service assisting individuals, families and communities to create spiritually based wellness for themselves and future generations. She has been working with diverse communities, tribes and nations in the US, including Alaska and Hawaii, since 1991. She works extensively in Canada, including the Yukon Territory and has presented and consulted internationally in Australia, New Zealand and Norway. Carolyn grew up in the Northwest camping and hiking with her family and friends from the time she was a small child. Her father and elders in the Native American community taught her the importance of connecting with the beauty, wildness and wholeness and interconnectedness of the natural world. She has a deep spiritual connection to the mysteries held within this incredible landscape.Carolyn was part of a program through United Indians of All Tribes exposing youth living on the streets of Seattle to nature by bringing youth to the ocean for a week of camping and exploration. Carolyn conducts workshops on cultural diversity and wellness and works with clients privately. She has recently been featured in a book by Lisette Garcia, Poderosas: Conversations With Extraordinary, Ordinary Women.

Co-founder, Board Member

Myrna Keliher

Myrna co-founded Wild Society with Forrest Nichols in 2014, thanks to a lifelong passion for spending time in the Olympic Mountains and a grave concern for the future conservation of our wild public lands. She is deeply committed to mentoring both in her role as Director and as a guide. Myrna brings years of experience in teaching, community building, and business administration as well as expertise in communications strategy, implementation, and design. She is an artist and printer and also runs Expedition Press, a letterpress print shop in Kingston, WA focused on poetry and type.

Board Member

Caroline Dempsey

For as long as she can remember, Caroline’s favorite spaces have been those without four walls. These special outdoor places have varied throughout her life. As she grew up playgrounds and sports fields were the perfect place to romp around with friends. From this chapter, the power of games and play still stick with Caroline as her preferred mode of interaction. She learned a lot about herself from athletics, as she played soccer through college at Washington University in St. Louis. After college, the desert became a sacred place to learn alongside teenagers at an outdoor therapy company where she worked as a guide for two impactful years.

Currently, Caroline is a Health and Fitness Specialist at The Meridian School in Seattle where she celebrates building community through movement with her students! 

Board Treasurer

Holly Pentek

As a parent, public health advocate, and nature enthusiast, Holly’s diverse array of interests and passions each contribute to her mission to create healthier, safer communities. Drawing upon her background in public health data analysis, Holly collaborates with local organizations, healthcare providers, and policymakers to raise awareness, educate, and advocate for effective prevention strategies.  With a deep commitment to safeguarding communities, Holly works to develop and implement initiatives aimed at preventing substance abuse and addiction. She is dedicated to ensuring that adolescents and families have access to resources and support networks to make informed decisions and resist the dangers of opioid misuse.

Outside of her professional endeavors, Holly finds solace and inspiration in the outdoors. Born and raised in the Kingston/Port Gamble area, she’s proud to be raising her family in the same region where she grew up. She’s often in the woods and waters of the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas with her family seeking moments of tranquility amidst life’s busyness. She believes in the healing power of nature and views it as a vital component of holistic well-being, especially in the context of addressing substance abuse issues.

Board Member

Chris Ziobro

Principal Porduct Designer at Cargado. A natural leader with the ability to combine business acumen with design idealism, Chris is passionate about turning ideas into action and ambiguity into results. As a Wild Society parent, Chris knows firsthand the positive impact of our programs and joined the board to make sure they keep happening! He lives in Edmonds with his family and likes to get outside as much as possible, especially surfing.