The Nisqually River Foundation Board Members come from diverse backgrounds and fields of expertise.
David Troutt, Chair
David has served as the Nisqually Indian Tribe’s Director of Natural Resources since 1987, overseeing a diverse department comprised of salmon harvest management, two large salmon hatcheries, shellfish management, data operations, environmental management, wildlife management, dive services, legal, administration, and budget development and monitoring. He was previously the Chair of the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board and the current Chair of the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Council, and has been a leading voice in numerous regional efforts for salmon recovery. David received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Washington School of Fisheries and is a proud husband and father of two teenage boys. He has served as the chair of the Nisqually River Council since 2006.
Phyllis Farrell
Phyllis Farrell was raised and educated in Iowa and moved to Washington in 1976. She retired in 2011 from North Thurston Public Schools after 35 years of teaching middle school special education and Social Studies. After retirement, she started volunteering in political and environmental organizations. In addition to serving as the chair of the Nisqually River Council Citizens Advisory Committee since 2017, she is the current chair of the South Sound Sierra Club Group representing over 2,400 members in Thurston, Lewis, Grays Harbor and Mason County. She serves on the Chapter(state) Sierra Club Executive Committee and is also the League of Women Voters of Washington Climate Change Issue Chair. She also serves on the Boards of the Washington Senior Citizens Lobby and the Washington Education Association-Retired. She has two adult daughters, twin grandchildren and enjoys advocacy work, reading, travel, and hiking.
Fred Michelson
LTC Fred Michelson retired from the US Army after serving 21 years as an Armored Cavalry Officer and Air Cavalry Commander. He was stationed on the East German / Czech Border during the height of the Cold War and served tours in West Germany and Italy. During that time he traveled to France, Britain, Switzerland Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Russia and Denmark. Fred then served 2 tours in Vietnam (1965-1966 & 1967-1968), where he was decorated for valor by being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bronze Star. Fred also served in 4 separate units and was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation Award with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Valorous Unit Citation and the Meritorious Unit Award. After retiring from the military, he served as Vice President of Marketing for an export management company in Seattle for 13 years, representing US manufacturers of Aerospace and Defense Systems and components. Upon moving to Thurston County in 1995, he dedicated his volunteer time to studying the Nisqually Watershed, particularly the Delta and reach. He has been a member of the Nisqually River Council’s Citizen Advisory Committee since 1996. He is a long time Board Member of both the Nisqually Delta Association and the Nisqually River Foundation.
Leif Hatlan
Bill Bryant
Bill Bryant is founder and chairman of Bryant Christie Inc. and has advised USTR, USDA, and the Ex-Im Bank on trade policy under both Democratic and Republican administrations. In 2007, Bill was elected to the King County/Seattle port commission and was re-elected in 2011. In 2016, Bill Bryant was the Republican candidate for governor of Washington state. Before founding BCI, Mr. Bryant spent nearly seven years as vice president of the Northwest Horticultural Council, where he worked to eliminate trade barriers confronting the Northwest tree fruit industry. Prior to the NHC, he served as the director of the Governor’s Trade Council in Washington state. Mr. Bryant is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where he concentrated his studies on Asia and Latin America.
Jim Wilcox
Jim Wilcox has lived along the Nisqually River for his whole life. He was a member of the Nisqually River Task Force that wrote the Nisqually Watershed Management Plan, and is a retired chairman of Wilcox Family Farms. Jim served on the Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership Council from 2014 through 2020.