MEET THE TEAM
Serving Southeast Alaska rain or shine since 1995.
⸙ stAFF
⸙ MARGARET CUSTER | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Margaret brings a wealth of experience to the important work of the Southeast Alaska Land Trust, having focused her career on collaborating with state and federal agencies, tribes, nonprofits, and the private sector to safeguard environmental, economic, cultural, and subsistence resources. From 2008-2021, she managed the region’s oil spill response team and provided prevention and preparedness services in 14 different communities in Southeast Alaska. That engagement with community stakeholders and industry partners in the waters and waterfronts of Southeast Alaska inspired her in countless ways to cherish the region she calls home. Since joining the land trust in 2021, she is honored to partner with communities, businesses, and individuals to conserve wild spaces that are vital to their long-term interests.
Margaret is passionate about building community, environmental stewardship, and developing partnerships that benefit the greater good. She loves volunteering, travel, finance, cooking, hiking, asking the right questions, and reading great books. Email: margaret@sealt.org
⸙ STEPHANIE LAWLOR | CONSERVATION MANAGER
Stephanie grew up in Ketchikan (Go Kings!) and spent most of her adult life traveling around the world with her Air Force husband and children until landing in Florida. In Florida, she worked as a research scientist at the University of South Florida investigating wetland hydrologic connectivity. Stephanie graduated with a BS in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology from the University of West Florida and received her MS in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of South Florida. Missing the beautiful lands and waters of the Tongass and having two of her four adult children living here, Juneau was the perfect place to return to her roots. Experienced in wetlands, grant writing, and private fundraising, Stephanie is eager to work with landowners to ensure the wildlands of Southeast Alaska are conserved for future generations. Her favorite pastime is spending time with her family while exploring and enjoying everything Southeast has to offer. Email: stephanie@sealt.org
⸙ DAN HYSELL | STEWARDSHIP MANAGER
Having grown up on the east coast, Dan loved to explore the forests, mountains, and rivers of northern New Jersey. His love for nature led him to pursue a degree in Biology at Boston College, where he grew his passion for environmental conservation. After coming to Juneau in 2017 as an AmeriCorps volunteer, Dan wished to spend time engaging with youth and families in the community and spent several years coordinating educational, social, and nutrition-based opportunities at the local and State level. Dan joined the SEALT team in 2023 in land stewardship, and has been grateful to work alongside the community to care for the cherished lands of Southeast Alaska.
Outside of work, Dan loves to hike up mountains, bake (and eat) lots of bread, get lost in a good game of cribbage, and wander in the woods with his pal, Goofy. Email: dan@sealt.org
⸙ BAILEY WILLIAMS | OUTREACH + DEVELOPMENT
Bailey is a backcountry enthusiast from West Virginia. She’s been a ranger, horse wrangler, backpacking guide, climate resilience researcher, and writer. At some point she picked up a Master’s in Environmental Policy.
She lives in a small cabin with a large dog and every day appreciates that she can hunt, forage, hike, and backpack from her front door. You’ll often find her climbing at the Rock Dump.
Bailey believes in mountains, music, community, and the power of stories. (She/they) Email: bailey@sealt.org
⸙ TRISTAN HANSEN, ENVIRONMENTAL CONNECTIONS COORDINATOR
Tristan, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, holds a biology degree from John Carroll University, which has fostered a deep curiosity for the natural world and the human experience. In 2024, a year of service with AmeriCorps solidified his passion for environmental conservation, leading him to a second year of service. As the new Environmental Connections Coordinator for the Southeast Alaska Land Trust, he will be mapping and cataloging local plant and animal species and collaborating on digital storytelling to enhance community engagement.
In his free time, Tristan enjoys long hikes, often sketching or journaling his observations. For a more relaxed pace, he delves into a good science fiction book. A lifelong learner, he is eager to embrace new knowledge and opportunities throughout the coming year. Email: tristan@sealt.org
Goofy | Tennis Ball Supervisor
Goofy grew up exploring the trails and waters of Juneau and is always excited to get out on his next adventure, rain or shine. His favorite things include chin scratches, dropped croissants, rolling in alpine patches of snow, and meeting new friends of all kinds (except squirrels).
Pilot | Welcome Committee
Pilot was born in a desert and is very happy to find his forever home in Alaska. He has a goal of making friends with all the people (also other dogs, cats, small children, and the occasional raven), and would love to greet you at the SEALT office.
⸙ BOARD OF DIRECTORS
⸙ MATT ROBUS, PRESIDENT
Matt arrived in Alaska from New York in 1974 to attend graduate school in Fairbanks; later, he worked there as a biologist for the Bureau of Land Management and then the Alaska Department of Fish & Game. He and his family moved to Juneau in 1991 where he assumed duties as ADF&G’s wildlife management biologist for northern Southeast Alaska, and he remained with the department until he retired in 2007 after serving as the Director of the Division of Wildlife Conservation. Post-retirement, Matt worked for several years as an environmental inspector for large pipeline projects across the western U.S. His work with wildlife and habitats during his career as well as his experience with the effects of construction activities have made him especially aware of the importance of conserving important habitats. Matt never tires of Southeast’s scenery and enjoys reading, hiking, birding, and waterfowl hunting, and has a special passion for hand-carving wooden decoys and other birds. Matt has been a Board Member since 2022.
⸙ MARIA LISOWSKI, VICE PRESIDENT
Maria Lisowski has lived in Juneau for nearly forty years. She is a retired federal attorney and administrator, spending most of her career focusing on natural resources law and land acquisitions for the Forest Service Alaska Region. Maria joined the SEALT Board in 2024 and enjoys walking, crime fiction, foreign travel, and Polish cuisine.
⸙ ANNIE CARPENETI, SECRETARY
Annie Carpeneti came to Juneau from California in 1970 with her husband who had accepted a one year job. With a few absences for law school and a year sabbatical in Italy with their children, they have been here ever since. Annie worked in the Criminal Division of the Alaska Department of Law for most of her legal career. She has been hiking, biking, walking her dog, skiing, gardening and loving Alaska and Juneau for a long time. Annie joined the Board of the Southeast Alaska Land Trust in 2017.
⸙ RORY DARLING, TREASURER
Rory Darling has lived in Juneau since 1982. Building on degrees from Yale (mathematics) and Syracuse (information management), his profession centered on custom software development, database design, and modeling technical architecture. Now retired, he continues a long established adventure and wilderness travel lifestyle. This includes kayaking as the primary mode of travel in Alaska and the Yukon, and hiking in the intermountain western US. He bicycles worldwide and is an avid reader of history. Extending earlier public service with the Juneau World Affairs Council and the State Parks Advisory Board, his dedication to conservation motivates his current work with SEAL Trust.
⸙ BETH PENDLETON
Beth Pendleton served in the public and private natural resources sectors for more than 35 years, the majority with the U.S. Forest Service in Alaska, California, and Washington, DC. As the Alaska Regional Forester from 2010-2018, she focused on community and forest resiliency, employee and public safety, engaging youth in outdoor activities, young growth forest management, and recreation on the Tongass and Chugach National Forests. Serving on the Southeast Alaska Land Trust Board aligns with her core values around conserving land and sustaining healthy, vibrant communities. A resident of Juneau for nearly 30 years, Beth and her husband, Grey, have one son. They are frequently seen hiking the trails around Juneau with their Gordon setter, Gypsy. Beth joined the Board in 2023.
⸙ Bill HANSON
Bill moved to Ketchikan in 1981 to work as Ketchikan Area Forester for the Alaska Division of Forestry, implementing forest practices on State and private lands. He arrived in Juneau in 1992 when his wife, Kate Troll, moved to work for the Southeast Alaska Seiners Association.
Bill supervised biologists for the Division of Habitat and Restoration, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (1997-2003); and for the Juneau Field Office, Ecological Services Division, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2003-2014). He worked with stakeholders in implementing the USFS Tongass Plan, improving fish passage on road systems, and conservation of fish and wildlife, and their habitats.
Bill and Kate have two children, born in Ketchikan, raised in tidepools and rainforests. They share their love for Southeast Alaska, deep bonds to communities, and commitment to a sustainable future.
⸙ ALEX WERTHEIMER
Now retired, Alex was formerly a fishery research biologist for the National Marine Fisheries Service. He has spent over four decades studying the ecology, management, and enhancement of Pacific salmon in Alaska. This work has given him a deep appreciation of the fundamental role of habitat for sustaining the diversity and productivity of fish and wildlife populations. A longtime member and supporter of the Southeast Alaska Land Trust, Alex joined the Board of Directors in 2012.
⸙ OLIVIA GLASSCOCK
Olivia has called Juneau home since 2018. She is an attorney and works at a nonprofit law organization, focusing on environmental issues across Alaska. As Olivia has deepened her roots in Juneau, she has come to appreciate how intertwined land and community are for Southeast Alaskans. Rain, snow, or shine, Olivia is always looking for a way to get outdoors and is a hiker, runner, biker, and (very novice) cross-country skier. Olivia has been a Board Member since 2021.
⸙ NEIL STICHERT
Neil Stichert moved to a series of coastal Alaska towns beginning in 1996 and permanently to Juneau in 2002. With an academic background in fisheries and water resources, he worked for 18 years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service developing conservation partnership with municipalities, village corporations, and other NGOs to conduct habitat restoration and preservation projects across Southeast Alaska. Neil is currently the Regional Fisheries and Aquatic Habitat Program Leader for the US Forest Service. He and his family cherish the diverse people, wild places, and open waters of Southeast Alaska and joined the Board of the Southeast Alaska Land Trust in 2021.
⸙ ALEXANDRA PIERCE
Alexandra Pierce grew up in Juneau and spent fifteen years in British Columbia doing tourism and recreation planning both on behalf of the 2010 Olympics and as a consultant. She returned to Juneau in 2016 to write a Parks & Recreation Master Plan for the City and Borough of Juneau. She served as the city Planning Manager before moving into a newly-created tourism position in 2021, focusing on local and regional visitor industry management issues. Alexandra spends most of her free time in the mountains and on Juneau’s amazing trail network skiing, running, and mountain biking. Alexandra joined the Board in 2023.
⸙ DEB RUDIS
Deborah’s introduction to Alaska was a short stint assisting with bird surveys in Denali National Park. She was hooked on Alaska! She left Maryland and moved to Juneau in 1989 with USFWS as an Environmental Contaminants Specialist. Two months later the Exxon Valdez Spill happened and she worked on a variety of field investigations determining injuries to seabirds. Working on mining projects, contaminants on the Aleutian Islands from WWII, developing and instructing classes for USFWS, response to a host of small oil spills and the Gulf Spill in Louisiana filled her career through retirement in 2014. She is an avid birder, sometimes with travel to exotic locales. Hiking, skiing, botanizing, gardening and ceramics all fit into her retirement time.
⸙ TONI MALLOTT
I’ve lived in Southeast for more than 50 years and consider it my home. I’m originally from the Interior, attended Lathrop High School and graduated in 1971 from UAF with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. In summer 1972, I married my husband Byron, raised our children here and currently have two sons who reside here. I taught in both Juneau and Yakutat School Districts for 20+ years. After the passing of my husband 5 years ago, I currently live primarily in my Juneau home and spend many summer days at the Yakutat home with my family. I currently serve as a board director of my village corporation of Rampart, a small village on the Yukon River. This will be my 29th year as a director. Recently we’ve been involved securing our 14C lands and conveying land to the Rampart Village Council for a new power plant. We currently are collaborating with a couple nearby village corporations on the proposed right of way for LNG Pipeline that crosses traditional hunting and fishing Indigenous lands. I’m proud of the success of our small Corporation of 200 shareholders and the guardianship of our traditional lands.
