In April and May, the Coalition welcomed two new staff members: Naomi Botkin (left) as membership associate and Frances Dinger (right) as marketing and communications associate, which is a new position at the Coalition.
Frances is previously from Deer Park, a small town north of Spokane where her family lived on 35 acres of woodland. They saw everything from moose, coyote, white-tailed deer, and foxes cross their yard.
“When I was a teenager, living in the woods seemed like an inconvenience because I was far away from friends. But when I moved to Seattle for college, I really began to understand the value of that place,” Frances said. “Our neighbors were really passionate about preserving their land for wildlife habitat as well as personal use, but the neighborhood is zoned for smaller parcels and there’s a lot of development pressure. I’m excited to work with the Coalition to ensure that everyone in our state continues to have access to wild spaces.”
Frances is a graduate of Seattle University where she majored in strategic communications. She has previously been a community journalist and worked for the Seattle International Film Festival, 826 Seattle and other non-profits.
Naomi has a Masters in Public Affairs from the Daniel J. Evans School at UW. Prior to joining the Coalition, she completed an Outreach Specialist contract with EarthShare Washington and a six month internship in Brussels with the United Nations Environment Programme.
“I’m very passionate about the intersection of urban life and natural beauty,” Naomi said. “As a Puget Sound native, I place a high value on protecting open spaces and engaging my community. One of the things that made me a conservationist was realizing that so many people were unaware of the issue of untreated stormwater flowing directly into the Sound. Nonprofits play such an important role in educating and mobilizing the public on local issues.”
Naomi has been a snowboarder for 15 years and frequents Washington’s peaks in the winter. She grew up on the Hood Canal where her family went crabbing and fishing. She is also a bike commuter, which has enhanced her appreciation for urban trails.
These two have hit the ground running as the Coalition continues to advocate for WWRP funding in the state legislature’s special session.
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