Climate Roundtable Webinar

Leonard Forsman is Chairman of the Suquamish Tribe, a position he has held since 2005. As Tribal Chairman, Forsman serves as the leader of the federally recognized sovereign tribe and the government’s seven-member Tribal Council. In 2017, Forsman was elected President of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, which represents 57 Northwest tribal governments from Oregon, Idaho, Washington, southeast Alaska, Northern California, and Western Montana. In 2013, President Obama appointed Chairman Forsman to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP); he recently completed his tenure on the ACHP. More recently, he served on Governor Inslee’s Southern Resident Orca Task Force. Chairman Forsman was formerly director of the Suquamish Museum and a Research Archaeologist at L.A.A.S. Forsman holds a B.A. from the University of Washington and an M.A. from Goucher College. The Suquamish people continue to live in the Puget Sound area as they have for thousands of years. Among their historic leaders are Chief Seattle and Chief Kitsap. The name Suquamish comes from the Lushootseed term for the “People of the Clear Saltwater”.

Commissioner Robert Gelder was born and raised in a small upstate New York community where his family still resides. He received a degree in Political Science from the University of Rochester in 1988 and studied Norwegian at the University of Oslo in Norway. Through friendships made in Norway, Commissioner Gelder made the move to Seattle in January 1990.  Commissioner Gelder has called North Kitsap home for over eighteen years, with the past sixteen years residing in the Keyport area. Prior to joining the Board of County Commissioners in March 2011, Commissioner Gelder spent his career working in not-for-profit, mission-driven organizations. He believes the County exists to provide service to our community. The challenge before us is to meet the service demands that citizens require given the budgetary constraints that exist.

Charlotte Garrido is currently serving Kitsap County citizens on her fourth term as County Commissioner, representing South Kitsap. A longtime resident of the county, she is dedicated to maintaining and improving the quality of life for county residents and future generations.
Charlotte’s extensive professional career includes serving as a consultant, business owner, educator, mentor, and community organizer. She has coordinated national broadcasts for a major television network (the first woman to do so), taught research methods, and been a higher education planner with a focus on creating living wage jobs and increased access to education.
As a Kitsap County Commissioner, Charlotte and her two fellow commissioners are responsible to adopt a balanced budget of over $300 million and oversee public-facing departments. She is a tireless advocate for Kitsap County’s citizens. Her emphasis as a commissioner is coordinating neighborhood outreach and planning, enhancing workforce training programs, and seeking solutions for housing local individuals and families who have no homes.
An Oregon native, Charlotte earned a B.A. in Sociology at the University of Oregon, and her Masters and Ph.D. in Urban Planning from the University of Washington. She lives in Olalla with her husband Ray.

Mayor Becky Erickson was born in Seattle in 1954 and raised in Kent, Washington. Becky and her husband Jerry Erickson live on their farm on Noll Road in Poulsbo, Washington.
Mayor Erickson graduated from the University of Washington in 1979 with a degree in Economics. In 1995 she continued her education at the UW and accomplished 3 year-long certificate programs in data theory, programming, and network administration.
When the Erickson farm was annexed into the City of Poulsbo in 2006, Mayor Erickson began her political activity in the winter of 2006-2007, stressing a need for ecological improvements. She was elected to the City Council of Poulsbo in 2008 and to the position of Mayor in 2010. She is now beginning her 13th year as Mayor of the City of Poulsbo.
Mayor Erickson currently is a board member for the following organizations: Puget Sound Regional Council, Kitsap County Health District, Kitsap Transit, Kitsap 911, Housing Kitsap, Kitsap Regional
Coordinating Council, Kitsap Economic Development Alliance, and the West Sound Partners for Ecosystem Recovery.

Mayor Greg Wheeler began serving his first term as Mayor in 2018 and started his second term in January 2022. He is a lifelong resident of Bremerton, a Navy veteran and a retiree of the PSNS Engineering Department. Previously, he served on the City Council in District 4 from 2010 through 2017 – three of them as Council President – prior to becoming Mayor. He is a member of two service clubs and many government and nonprofit boards in the community and region. He and his wife Sunny have three adult children, a grandchild and two dogs.

Joe Deets has served on the Bainbridge Island City Council since 2018. He was re-elected in 2021 and is presently serving a one-year term as the Mayor. He sees a future that is built on resiliency and equity and powered by clean energy. In addition to exercising good governance, his second term priorities are implementing the City’s ambitious Climate Action Plan and advancing affordable housing creation.
Prior to being on Council he spent fifteen years in the solar industry, where his pioneering work in community solar enabled thousands of people across Washington to reap the benefits of clean energy. He lives with his wife, daughter, and a cat who likes to join him on Zoom calls.

Martin Gibbins grew up in West Virginia; his father was a college professor and his mother was an activist for the League of Women Voters for over 50 years. He earned engineering degrees from Virginia Tech and for 35 years worked for Boeing in design, analysis, research, and management. Now retired, he lives on a lake in Carnation and enjoys snow skiing in the Cascades, travel, theater, and flying sail planes (zero-emission vehicles) with Evergreen Soaring. 

Marty joined the LWV of Washington in early 2017 and joined the Advocacy Team to promote legislation that ensured a healthy environment for people and wildlife. He has previously worked on water issues and now advocates in the areas of climate and energy. He served on the State Energy Strategy Advisory Committee in 2020 and on the LWVUS Climate Team.