Our Team
Fighting everyday for clean water and healthy communities.
Brett VandenHeuvel, Executive Director & Riverkeeper
bv@columbiariverkeeper.org | (503) 348-2436
Brett approaches Columbia Riverkeeper’s work through the eyes of a scientist, educator, lawyer, and avid river user. Prior to joining Riverkeeper, he conducted research on climate change during field expeditions to Antarctica and Alaska. For four years, Brett worked for the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry as a naturalist and educator at field stations outside of Fossil and Bend, Oregon. He also started a solo law practice representing environmental groups in Oregon and Washington and then served as Columbia Riverkeeper’s staff attorney from 2006 to 2008. Brett has litigated and won cases challenging illegal pollution discharge, LNG terminal land use approvals, failure to disclose public information under the Freedom of Information Act, and destruction of salmon habitat. While leading nearly a dozen kayaking trips on the Hanford Reach, Brett has swum next to mothballed nuclear reactors more times than anyone he knows. He holds a B.S. in Geology from Hope College, an M.S. in Quaternary Science and Climate Change from University of Maine, and graduated with Honors from Lewis and Clark Law School. Brett lives in the Columbia River Gorge where he also enjoys swimming and boating on the Columbia, fruit from the Hood River Valley, salmon, cross-country skiing, and wildflowers. His work with Riverkeeper has been featured in numerous publications, including The Daily News, On Earth, and the Lewis & Clark Chronicle.
Dan Serres, Conservation Director
dan@columbiariverkeeper.org | (503) 890-2441
Dan works to engage diverse communities along the Columbia. Dan was the lead organizer in our successful campaign to protect forests and farmland from Bradwood Landing Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) pipelines. Dan is an expert on the impact of energy projects on water quality and communities, including LNG, coal export terminals, and power plants. He is also a member of the Hanford Advisory Board, where he speaks up as a public voice demanding faster and more robust cleanup. Dan is a fifth-generation Oregonian, born and raised outside of Oregon City. Dan’s background is in Earth Systems science, and he received a B.S. and M.S. from Stanford University. When not traveling around the Columbia River watershed in his work for Riverkeeper, Dan can be found on the basketball court or hiking through the desert.
Lauren Goldberg, Staff Attorney
lauren@columbiariverkeeper.org | (541) 965-0985
Lauren focuses on Columbia Riverkeeper’s environmental justice and toxics reduction work. This includes working with Columbia River tribes to improve water quality and reduce toxics in Columbia River fish. Lauren also works with Riverkeeper members to enforce the Clean Water Act and hold polluters accountable for violating the law. In addition, she regularly works on Riverkeeper’s Hanford and Liquefied Natural Gas campaigns. Lauren graduated with honors from Lewis and Clark Law School with a certificate in Environmental Law. Lauren joined Riverkeeper full time after working as Riverkeeper’s law clerk for two years. Lauren’s work is informed by her experience as an environmental educator and organizer. In her spare time, she enjoys heading outside to hike in the Columbia Gorge and eastern Oregon or drift boating on the Columbia’s scenic tributaries.
Miles Johnson, Clean Water Attorney
miles@columbiariverkeeper.org | (541) 272-0027
Miles Johnson is delighted to become the latest edition to Columbia Riverkeeper’s legal team. In his role as Clean Water Attorney, Miles works to reduce water pollution and toxic contamination by vigorously enforcing the Clean Water Act and providing legal counsel for Riverkeeper’s campaign to stop dirty coal exports on and along the Columbia. Miles recently graduated from Lewis and Clark Law School, where he specialized in environmental litigation and natural resources law. Prior to law school, Miles received a B.A. in Biology and Environmental Studies from Whitman College, and worked as a fisheries researcher in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. Miles grew up in Newport, Oregon, where fishing is a staple of the local economy and a crucial part of the community’s identity. An avid fisherman, Miles is dedicated to promoting and recovering sustainable commercial, sport, and subsistence fisheries throughout the Columbia Basin. As an enthusiastic fish-eater, Miles is personally invested in ensuring that we can eat fish caught in the Columbia without endangering the health of our families.
Lorri Epstein, Water Quality Director
lorri@columbiariverkeeper.org | (541) 399-0769
Lorri coordinates Riverkeeper’s volunteer Water Quality Monitoring and Adopt-a-River programs. She has a B.A. in Environmental Studies from UNC-Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in biology from the University of Montana. Her graduate research focused on juvenile salmon on a remote river on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. Prior to joining Riverkeeper, Lorri worked on river restoration issues on the Klamath, Yakima, and Umpqua Rivers. She also taught outdoor education in the California Redwoods. Lorri loves being on the river, especially in her whitewater kayak, and hopes to see you on the water.
Christina Skirvin, Program Administrator
christina@columbiariverkeeper.org | (503) 784-5324
Christina works to ensure all Riverkeeper communications and outreach is strategic, efficient, and comprehensive. She is also the behind-the-scenes organizer of Riverkeeper events making sure everything runs smoothly. Christina holds a B.S. in Business Management from University of Oregon and a Master’s degree in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School. She brings to this position a strong and diverse background in communications and marketing after working at several advertising and public relations firms in Portland. Before joining Riverkeeper, Christina worked for Defenders of Wildlife where, among other responsibilities, she spent a considerable amount of time evaluating the environmental, political, legal, and economic implications the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement and Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement would have on the Klamath River and the fish, wildlife, and human communities dependent on it. A native Oregonian, Christina has spent time living in many different areas of the state enjoying all the natural riches the state has to offer. A fond appreciation for the Pacific Northwest, and all its natural beauty, is what inspires Christina every day to work hard to protect and conserve the rivers, forests, wildlife, and diverse ecosystems in our backyard.
Theresa Labriola, Hanford Coordinator
theresa@columbiariverkeeper.org | (541) 490-2411
Theresa brings to Columbia Riverkeeper a strong advocacy background, pursuing legal and grassroots solutions to environmental pollution and the over-exploitation of our natural resources. Most recently, she worked with the Pew Environment Group, building successful campaigns to restore our oceans by protecting forage fish like menhaden and anchovy. As an environmental litigator, she prosecuted lawsuits against some of the most egregious polluters of our air and water, including those who illegally released millions of pounds of pollutants from oil refineries into our air, discharged excess metals from coal plants into our water, and failed to properly treat municipal stormwater and sewage. Theresa received her law degree from Vermont Law School. While there, she edited the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, published several editorials on genetically modified salmon and toxics in fish, and contributed to several law review articles on environmental justice. She also holds a B.S. in Education and Ecology from Cornell University.
Robin Engle, Development Coordinator
robin@columbiariverkeeper.org | (503) 896-9967
Robin spends her time making sure Columbia Riverkeeper has the financial support from citizens, grants and businesses that it takes to run great campaigns, as well as promoting Riverkeeper’s work to the public. A native Northwesterner, Robin grew up in Seattle and has lived in Oregon for the three years after a brief stint in Los Angeles. Prior to working with Riverkeeper, Robin ran citizen outreach offices to educate the public and build political support for progressive causes, ran field offices in swing states to elect environmentally friendly candidates in 2008, and worked as the development associate for a local environmental group. Growing up on the Puget Sound instilled her with a passion for Northwest waterways, and she’s happy to have been a key part of successful campaigns to reduce ocean plastic and ban offshore oil drilling on the Oregon Coast. Robin got her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Washington, and currently lives in Portland. She was inspired to work on environmental issues by her grandmother, a longtime environmental advocate, organizer, and general muckraker. In her free time, Robin loves talking about protecting our planet and community activism, preferably at a local brewery.
Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky, Community Organizer 
jasmine@columbiariverkeeper.org | (503) 929-5950
Jasmine works in Portland to inform and engage residents about dirty coal export proposals that would transform the scenic Columbia River Gorge into a coal chute for energy export. She first worked with Columbia Riverkeeper in 2011 as the Water Quality Monitoring Intern where she collaborated with volunteers to collect water quality data informing state agencies on river and salmon health. Jasmine was raised in Salem and has a BA in General Science from the University of Oregon. She brings a dedication to environmental justice a strong background in creative campaigning to Columbia Riverkeeper. On weekends Jasmine can be found whitewater rafting, tandem bicycling, or crafting the perfect cocktail drink to represent dirty coal.
