Gary is the Science Advisor for Trout Unlimited’s Wild Steelhead Initiative. Gary is a lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest, with a deep passion for steelhead. He completed his master's degree at the University of Washington studying the ecological interactions between Rainbow Trout and Steelhead on the Olympic Peninsula. Before joining the Wild Steelhead Initiative, Gary spent 11 years working for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, focusing on hatchery/wild interactions, steelhead marine survival patterns, life history diversity, and food web dynamics between juvenile steelhead and rainbow trout. Beyond steelhead, Gary is an avid fly angler and has been pursuing a quest to catch all the varieties of native trout and salmon in the United States (he’s caught more than 50 so far). Gary lives in Olympia, Washington with his wife Alexis and daughter Valerie.

Jonathan is the Washington Advocate for the Wild Steelhead Initiative, working on advocacy, policy, and communications throughout the state, with an emphasis in Western Washington. Before joining Trout Unlimited’s Wild Steelhead Initiative, he spent three years advocating for wild rivers and working on hydropower reform for American Rivers, a national river conservation organization. Prior to that, he spent three years managing advocacy campaigns and communication efforts for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. He also volunteered for 10 years on the board of directors for the Wild Steelhead Coalition, in the role of president for seven of those years. Growing up fishing and floating the high country trout streams and rivers of Colorado, he landed for a brief spell in Missoula, Montana for grad school, before finally settling in Seattle in 2008, where he was quickly seduced by the mystique of steelhead and the rivers of the Pacific Northwest. When he’s unplugged, Jonathan is usually standing in a river with a fishing rod in hand and family in tow.

Sophia is the Oregon Engagement Manger for Trout Unlimited. In addition to supporting communications and outreach work for Wild Steelheaders United, Sophia works on TU’s Lower Snake River Dams campaign and on federal protections in Oregon, such as Wild and Scenic Rivers legislation. Sophia holds degrees in Environmental Studies and Business Administration from Gonzaga University. Before coming to TU, Sophia worked in Alaska for local and regional nonprofits and a U.S. Senate campaign. She is now living in Bend, Oregon where you can often find her fishing for redband trout or skiing in the Cascades.

Born in northeastern Pennsylvania and cutting his teeth on whitetail deer and the brook trout streams of that region, Eric developed a deep appreciation for all things wild. With a stint in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York for college and a return to Pennsylvania, Eric earned a degree in Fisheries Biology. For the last twenty years Eric has worked as a Conservation Officer in Idaho before coming to Trout Unlimited. With a diversity of experiences as a Conservation Officer from apprehending mulit violation poachers to everyday interactions with sportsman Eric brings a deep appreciation and passion for fish and wildlife and TU’s mission. As the North Idaho Field Coordinator Eric works on issues affecting salmon and steelhead in Idaho including the four lower Snake River dams. No matter the time of year you’ll likely find Eric on the Snake or Clearwater chasing a variety of opportunities or on public lands pursuing big game.