Columbia Springs

Wendy Smith joined the Columbia Springs Board in 2017 and serves on the Finance Committee. Wendy is the Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer of Columbia Credit Union, Clark County’s largest credit union. Wendy is a Certified Internal Auditor and Certified Fraud Analyst, and holds various other professional certifications in addition to her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree. Wendy’s passion for enjoying the outdoors includes biking, hiking, camping, sport kiting, boating, gardening, and walking with her two dogs.

Ed Barnes joined the Columbia Springs Board in 2005. He serves on the Property/Hatchery Committee. Ed is currently retired but had a very successful career in the union electrical industry that spanned over four decades. During his service on the IBEW Local 48 Executive Board, Ed served as Vice President, President, Business Representative, and Business Manager. As the Business Manager his accomplishments included improving labor-management cooperation, increasing employment for members, implementing a successful job targeting program, and the creation of an innovative joint industry advertising and promotional campaign. In 1995, Ed was appointed to the Washington State Department of Transportation Board. He has been a member of several local organizations including the Washington State Building Trades Council and the Northwest Labor Council Board. He has also served on the Board of Directors for the Union Retirement Association. Ed has always believed in giving back to his community through volunteer work, beginning at an early age. His contributions to the community include serving as the first PTA president at Truman Elementary along with his wife Luanne, involvement in school booster clubs, YMCA programs, Boy Scouts, and Little League. Ed lives in Vancouver with his wife Luanne and has three sons.

As Vice President of QHSSE at Tidewater, Bill has 25 years of experience managing QHSSE programs related to multi-modal transportation of petroleum products, agricultural chemicals, fertilizers, and grain via water, rail, truck and pipeline. He is steward of the company’s strategic goals of incident-free operations and achieving “Target Zero”. He oversees corporate-wide QHSSE programs for Tidewater Barge Lines, Tidewater Terminal Company, Tidewater Environmental Services, and Tidewater Canada. Prior to Tidewater, Bill managed compliance for ConocoPhillips’ bulk petroleum storage/distribution terminals and hazardous liquid pipelines in the Pacific NW. He also held positions of senior scientist/compliance specialist with several earth and environmental consulting firms in the Pacific NW where he assessed industrial facility QHSSE compliance. Bill’s post-secondary background includes a Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Science degrees emphasizing geophysics, hydrogeology, and environmental chemistry. He sits on the Board of Directors of the Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center and is a member of the American Waterways Operators’ Safety Leadership Advisory Panel. Bill is a registered professional geologist/hydrogeologist in Florida, Oregon, and Washington..

Nelson Holmberg’s day job is to share NW Natural with the Clark County community, including Columbia Springs. With NW Natural since January 2021, Nelson spends his time being active in the community as a sponsor, supporter, presenter, and advocate for the company’s initiatives. He also works with builders of new homes to accommodate natural gas installation to their projects. In his free time, Nelson loves hiking, camping, kayaking, tennis, and pretty much anything outdoors, or on/in/near the water. He lives in Vancouver with his three year old Siberian husky, Shasta.

Meredith Lynch joined the board of Columbia Springs in the fall of 2020. A lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest, she moved to Vancouver from the Tacoma area in 2016 after accepting a faculty position in Transitional Studies at Clark College. She grew up hiking and camping throughout the region and has been involved in outdoor advocacy and conservation work for many years. Meredith and her husband Bill love their new home in Vancouver and are always in search of new weekend adventures around Southwest WA.

Rian Sallee is the Southwest Region Director for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), bringing a wealth of experience in environmental protection and conservation across the non-profit, private, and government sectors. Specializing in water quality policy, Rian joined WDFW in 2023 after leading the Vancouver Field Office at the Washington State Department of Ecology, where she focused on environmental justice and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her work is driven by a passion for fostering collaboration, both within WDFW and with external partners, as well as building a culture of belonging and shared values at the agency. Originally from the Midwest, Rian’s deep commitment to natural resource conservation was shaped by her time living and working on Lake Erie. She holds a Master of Environmental Science from Miami University in Ohio and serves as Chair of the Board of the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership. Rian is energized by the opportunity to work at the intersection of people, science, and policy, as she leads efforts to conserve Washington’s fish, wildlife, and habitats, while supporting the agency’s dedicated employees.