Advisory Board

Jim Waldo, Board Chair

Jim is a Partner at Gordon Thomas Honeywell (GTH).  He joined GTH as a Partner in 1980, after working for the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He focuses his practice on complex negotiations, project permitting and implementation, representation of public and private entities in multi-party negotiations, with an emphasis on environmental issues including natural resources, energy and tribal law.   He earned his law degree from Willamette University School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from Whitman College.

His commitment to the environment extends to his life outside the office.  In addition to serving on the board of directors of Urban Waters, he is a member of Ruckelshaus Center for Public Policy.  He also serves on the Advisory Board of the University of Washington Tacoma.

Bruce Martin

Bruce currently works as the Energy Resource Manager for WestRock Tacoma, having spent his career in Energy and Environmental Management. He describes his work as being at the crossroads of environmental performance and sustainable energy management.

“I enjoy the variety, to learn and be engaged in all there is to know regarding energy and environmental opportunities. Every day I get to be involved in new issues that will shape the future of our region.”

A Tacoma native, Bruce attended Wilson High School and studied Chemical Engineering and Pulp and Paper Science at the University of Washington. He’s worked in the Wood Products, Environmental Consulting, and Power industries his entire career.

Early in his career, during work for an environmental consulting firm in Portland he served multiple terms as Chairman of the Air and Waste Management Association’s Oregon Chapter, while also attending two years of law school in the evenings.

In time Bruce returned to the pulp and paper industry, working for various Northwest companies as Energy or Environmental Manager, while also serving on the Boards for various regional manufacturing trade groups, – the Northwest Pulp and Paper Association, Northwest Industrial Gas Users Association, Industrial Customers of Northwest Utilities, Energy Action Northwest, and the Alliance of Western Energy Consumers. Most recently Bruce has been an active member on the Integrated Resource Planning stakeholder committees for both the Power and Water divisions of Tacoma Public Utilities.

Catherine Rudolph

Catherine Rudolph serves as the Strategic Advisor for Economic Development to Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier. Her previous experience includes Government Affairs Director for the Tacoma Pierce County Association of Realtors, Executive Director of the Australia New Zealand American Society in Seattle, and a variety of marketing and research positions with technology firms. She holds a B.A. from St. Martin’s University and a Certificate in Executive Leadership from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University.

She has served on the boards of Northwest Sinfonietta, Asia Pacific Cultural Center, and Tacoma Architectural Foundation.

Chad R. Wright

Since 2007 Chad R. Wright has served as the CEO of Marine View Ventures, Inc., the economic development arm of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, one of the largest Indian tribes in the Pacific Northwest.  As CEO he successfully restructured MVV, positioning it to be a market leader within Indian Country as the focus shifts from gaming to non-gaming business ventures.  He is a current Trustee at Charles Wright Academy.  His degrees include a B.S., Boston College, a J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law and an M.B.A. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Conor McCarthy

Council Member Conor McCarthy is a dedicated private attorney, devoted husband and father of two small children, and committed public servant. He formerly worked in the trenches with City and Tacoma Public Utilities staff for over seven years, first as an attorney and then as a manager. His combination of private-sector and municipal government experience, along with his passion for community service, makes him uniquely qualified to be an effective City council member. He is proud to serve the City as an at-large council member, recognizing the tremendous value and unique contributions from all of our different neighborhoods, business districts and residents.

Born and raised in Tacoma, Council Member McCarthy is a Lowell Leopard, Jason Lee Bobcat, and Stadium Tiger. He is proud of our City and dedicated to making Tacoma even better. While he loves our City, he recognizes that Tacoma continues to face significant challenges which we must work tirelessly to overcome. To that end, he is focused on fixing our road infrastructure, increasing job growth, helping local businesses thrive, improving public safety, supporting schools and students, and protecting the most vulnerable in our community.

Council Member McCarthy believes that good City government and exceptional public service can make a positive impact on the quality of life and opportunities for everyone in Tacoma. He is dedicated to working diligently to ensure that our entire community thrives.

Constance T. Bacon

Connie Bacon served on the Port of Tacoma Commission from 1998 through 2017.  She also served on the Board of Directors for the Asia Pacific Cultural Center, Fuzhou Advisory Committee, Water Partners of Tacoma Board, the City of Tacoma’s Mayor’s Commission on International Relations, and the Port of Tacoma Endowed Chair at the University of Washington Tacoma.  She served two terms on the Washington Economic Development Commission.  Bacon also served as Vice Chair of the Port of Tacoma Audit Committee.  She is a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum.  Bacon is a former Executive Director of the World Trade Center Tacoma and served eight years as special assistant to former Washington Gov. Booth Gardner.

She is a graduate of Syracuse University and earned a master’s degree from The Evergreen State College.

Dan Cheney

Dan Cheney is a Senior Scientist emeritus at the Pacific Shellfish Institute (PSI) where he also served as Executive Director from 1995 to 2009. He specializes in aquaculture production systems, water quality analysis, aquatic ecosystem analyses, and coastal resource management and inventories.

Dan is the principal investigator for on-going federally and state-funded applied research studies to examine the application and environmental interactions of shellfish production practices, develop methods to control and monitor bacterial contamination and reduce the public health risk of raw shellfish.

Dan is also owner of BioAquatics International LLC (BAI) and continues to support this company's coastal permitting; economic, environmental and biological assessment and natural resources practice. Dan's consulting work has involved field and laboratory studies, including diving and video surveys, investigative reviews and analyses, and descriptive reporting for clients in Washington State, and elsewhere in the U.S. and Canada, the tropical Pacific and the Middle-East. Clients include private industry, public agencies and universities, and legal representatives.

Dan earned his B.S. and Ph.D. in Fisheries from the University of Washington and his M.S. in Zoology from the University of Hawaii.

Derek I. Sandison

Derek I. Sandison was appointed director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture by Gov. Jay Inslee in June 2015.

As state agriculture director, Sandison supports and promotes Washington’s rich and diverse agricultural industry both nationally and internationally. He currently serves as chair of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture’s Marketing and International Trade Committee.

Sandison, a lifelong Washington resident, has worked in both the public and private sectors for more than 40 years. Before his current appointment, Sandison served as director of the Office of Columbia River within the state Department of Ecology. There, he was responsible for developing water supplies vital for the state’s agricultural community.

He has received many awards throughout his career, including the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s John W. Keys III Award for building partnerships and strengthening relationships and the Washington State Water Resources Association’s Water Resources Leadership Award.

Sandison has a Master of Science in natural resource management and a bachelor’s degree in biological science, both from Central Washington University.

Jim Parvey

Jim Parvey has 32 years of experience in civil and environmental engineering. He holds a bachelor's in civil engineering from the University of Washington. He is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Washington and an accredited professional with the United States Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.  Jim has worked with the state, community groups, and others to develop rehabilitation programs and secure funding for the Murray Morgan and Hylebos moveable bridges. He has worked for both public and private enterprise. His project experience includes the Center for Urban Waters, the Cheney Stadium Renovation, the Hylebos Bridge Rehabilitation, the Murray Morgan Bridge Rehabilitation, and Broadway Local Improvement District.

At the City of Tacoma he manages the Office of Environmental Policy and Sustainability where he works on improving the city’s overall environmental performance and livability.

John McCarthy

John McCarthy is a Commissioner of the Port of Tacoma. A former Pierce County District and Superior Court judge for more than 22 years, he recently retired from the bench. He worked as a longshoreman for 10 years and served previously on the Port of Tacoma Commission from 1983 to 1992.

McCarthy has been a member of the Washington State Bar Association since 1975 and volunteers at Mount Rainier National Park. He is an honorary life member of the Washington Public Ports Association. He also serves on the Pierce County Regional Council and as the Port of Tacoma’s Tribal Liaison. He was the first member of the Boys and Girls Club of South Puget Sound’s to be selected to their Alumni Hall of Fame, and he continues to officiate high school football.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in Science with a minor in Mathematics from Seattle University and a law degree from the University of San Francisco.

Kate Snider

Kate Snider is Co-founder and Principal of Floyd|Snider, a Seattle-based multi-disciplinary engineering and environmental consulting firm with B-Corp certification. Kate is a professional civil engineer with over 26 years of experience in site engineering and site cleanup. Kate’s strengths and reputation are in management of complex project teams, agency negotiations, multi-party facilitation and strategy development for cost-effective remedial design coupled with design for future redevelopment and aquatic habitat restoration. She is also a certified mediator and has significant skills in facilitating diverse or multi-jurisdictional teams to reach solutions optimizing group objectives.

Kate has been one of the leaders in developing and implementing area-wide solutions to contaminated site management, both in upland and aquatic environments, including decades of work on the Thea Foss Waterway. Kate provided project management and facilitation assistance to the executive teams of Ports of Tacoma and Seattle in formation of The Northwest Seaport Alliance. Kate’s work addresses Puget Sound water quality through industrial stormwater management, sediment source control, and policy development. Kate has facilitated multiple multi-party workgroups associated with Washington State Department of Ecology regulatory policy development for stormwater permitting and low impact development requirements.

Kate holds an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering and a graduate degree in Landscape Architecture from Cornell University. She is a registered Professional Engineer in Washington and Oregon. Kate also serves as Board President at the Whidbey Institute, a 108-acre home for transformative learning on south Whidbey Island.

Kurt Beckett

Kurt Beckett is the deputy CEO of The Northwest Seaport Alliance. He oversees the organization’s internal operations, including port operational efficiencies, port infrastructure development, public affairs, finance and administration, human resources and legal.

Prior to joining the NWSA, Beckett served two years as deputy CEO of the Port of Seattle with management duties including capital development, police, public affairs and the office of social responsibility. He joined the Port of Seattle in November 2007 as the external affairs director and in 2010 was promoted to chief of staff.

As chief of staff, he led successful efforts to strengthen organizational performance and managed strategic issues and port-wide initiatives for the CEO and executive team. As external affairs director, he oversaw public affairs, government relations, tourism, and regional transportation, as well as worked closely with the port’s five elected commissioners.

Prior to joining the port, Beckett served as chief of staff for Sen. Maria Cantwell from 2004 to 2007, and as her deputy chief of staff from 2001 to 2004. From 1991 to 2000, he worked for Rep. Norm Dicks, including serving as district director for all 6th District operations.

Beckett has served on a number of policy committees and panels in Washington state, King County and the Puget Sound region. His successful track record with issues management crosses a broad range of industries, including international trade, aerospace and maritime, natural resources, economic development and clean energy.

He has a Master of Business Administration and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Washington.

LaTasha Wortham

LaTasha Wortham is the Regional Relations Manager for Tacoma Public Utilities.

LaTasha recently served as Lieutenant Governor Cyrus Habib's Chief of Staff. She worked with Congressman Norm Dicks for eight years and spent several years working with Congressman Denny Heck. She is an active and impactful member of the Tacoma community, also serving on the boards of Hilltop Artists and the Tacoma Urban League.