Welcome Jessica Schafer, Executive Director for FLSSP

Please join us in welcoming our new Executive Director, Jessica Schafer. Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park President Jayme Jonas states “Jessica is exceptionally qualified for this role and will help elevate FLSSP to a new level for our next decade of service.”

Jessica has over fourteen years of experience working with non-profit environmental and conservation programs and organizations within the Pacific Northwest. Prior to being named Executive Director, Jessica worked as the Pacific Program Director and Director of Strategic Initiatives for a non-profit organization working on conservation and large landscape connectivity issues across North America. She worked with that organization to start and build the organization’s Pacific based programs in California, Oregon, and Washington. In the last few years, Jessica helped lobby for state legislation to plan for wildlife connectivity in several states including California, New Mexico, Oregon, and Virginia. She has helped host several conferences on large landscape connectivity and conservation in the Pacific Northwest and worked to improve funding for wildlife conservation and landscape restoration.

Jessica moved to the Seattle area in 2014 and is looking forward to this opportunity to spend her time and energy with a local organization that has a tangible impact on the community in which she and her family live, work, and primarily recreate. When not working with Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park you can find her walking or riding bikes with her three kids and husband or working in her yard and vegetable garden. She and her family enjoy being outside hiking, camping, roasting smores and visiting our public lands so please say hi if you see her on the trail!

Jessica’s appointment is perfect timing as FLSSP celebrates its 10th anniversary on February 14. Founding members created the Friends group to advocate for the ailing park. The park has come a long way in the past ten years, as has FLSSP. FLSSP has been a small but mighty organization with a talented working board. Jessica is excited to work with Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park to continue the growth, partnerships, and on the ground success of the Friends group. Jessica can be reached at director@flssp.org