Staff and Board

Scott Brinton
Co-founder/Executive Director

Scott has over two decades of nature education experience. He has mentored hundreds of students in practical wilderness skills and nature awareness. He co-founded the Riekes Nature Studies Department in California, has taught Environmental Science for Peninsula College, and taught Islandwood’s graduate students in the Natural History and Ecology program. Most recently, Scott founded CedarRoot to help continue natural history and rural skills education. 

Scott is passionate about applying ecological lessons discovered in nature to areas of regenerative design, sustainable development and agroecology. Education: B.A. in Agriculture and Alternative Energy, The Evergreen State College; M.A. in Natural History and Education, Prescott College. Certifications: Current Wilderness First Responder and Level 3 Track and Sign certificate trackercertification.com

Tim Lawson
Board President

Tim moved to Port Townsend in 2004 and set up shop as a furniture maker. In 2007 he co-founded the Port Townsend School of Woodworking and in 2011 became the Executive Director. Since retiring in 2017, Tim continues to teach at the school and helps organize the annual Port Townsend Woodworkers Show.

In prior lives Tim worked as a field geologist in the UK, has done mineral exploration in NW Queensland and led software engineering teams in the UK, Japan, and the U.S.

Tim is Chairman of the Board of Managers for the Chimacum Ridge Community Forest and Vice President of Jefferson Land Trust. He is also a member of LEO (the League of Extraordinary Observers) that works to photograph and document conservation projects throughout Jefferson County.

Rachael Van Laanen
Board Member

Rachel runs Mystery Bay Farm, a micro-goat dairy on Marrowstone Island. She received a BA in Ecology and Education which led her to teach environmental and garden based education for 10 years. She then followed her passions to the world of farming and co-ran a diversified organic vegetable farm for three years. While working on her dairy business plan she worked with Mt Townsend Creamery during their first two years in operation and helped nurture a school garden at Islandwood. She is kept on her toes by her two growing children and over 25 goats!

Rachael also teaches basketry for CedarRoot.  She was mentored for 4 years by Miwok elders in Yosemite Valley Ca, where she learned to twine willow into all different shapes, sizes and patterns.

Katy Bowman
Board Member

Katy moved to the Olympic Peninsula in 2011 and discovered CedarRoot school a few years later via a flier at the grocery store. After her young family took a weekend-long nature education class, she was all in on outdoor cooking, wildlife tracking, and making cordage. She served two years on the board of another nature school before joining the CedarRoot board in 2024. Professionally she is a biomechanist, founder of the movement education company Nutritious Movement as well as the author of many books on natural human movement. Personally she is a long-time CedarRoot parent, book-lover, and long-distance walker. When not speaking or writing on the importance of movement to the body, community, and environment, she is probably doing something with her kids, walking to get somewhere, or washing dishes.

Vanessa Castle
Board Member

Vanessa was born and raised in Port Angeles, WA on the Lower Elwha Reservation. She grew up fishing with her mother and witnessed the decline in salmon populations due to the two hydroelectric dams that were on the Elwha River. The Elwha dams were removed in the first ever and largest dam removal project in North America. For 5 years, Vanessa worked for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe as a Natural Resource technician where she braided her traditional ecological knowledge with Western scientific practices. Now, she is pushing on to pursue her education to back her traditional knowledge with Western science. 

Vanessa’s goal is to continue to fight for the lands, waters and all living things.

Michelle Fox
Program Coordinator

Michelle recently moved here from SW Washington and is thrilled to live on the Olympic Peninsula. She is most at home in the forest and is finding a deep love for the Salish Sea. For the last ten years, Michelle was the founding director of a non-profit nature awareness organization very much like CedarRoot, work that prepared her well for her new position as Program Coordinator. Michelle also led the youth nature immersion programs during those ten years and looks forward to getting involved in CedarRoot’s work with children.

Jadyne Reichner
Superstar Volunteer!

Jadyne has a long history with CedarRoot:  founding board member, instructor and advocate for a strong educational program that mentors adults and children in life skills that embrace their local biome. She is continuing her support of CedarRoot as an outreach volunteer… always ready to spread the good news about our school.   

Jadyne followed 25 years of teaching Biology and Science in Washington with several other careers.