Paul Brainerd, President

Paul is the founder of the Brainerd Foundation. He relies on foundation staff to make funding recommendations, but stays closely involved in the environmental community by attending conferences, meeting with activists and joining staff on site visits.

Paul is also a founding member of Social Venture Partners, an effort to encourage professionals to give back to their communities. In 2002, he and his wife, Debbi, launched IslandWood, an environmental learning center on Bainbridge Island for schoolchildren in the greater Seattle area. Paul has also spawned a nonprofit group called Conservation Strategies to build political capacity within the conservation community in the Northwest. Its goal is to create a pro-conservation majority in key local, state and federal governing bodies. He enjoys hiking, backpacking, skiing (cross-country and downhill), collecting photographs and traveling to remote places in the world.

Sherry Brainerd, Vice President

As vice president and a member of the board of directors of the foundation, Sherry (Paul's sister) regularly assists foundation staff and participates in site visits. Prior to her work with the foundation, she spent many years in the business world co-founding and running two technology based companies in the science and medical device arenas. She now combines her nonprofit interests with work as a management consultant.

Sherry also serves on the national board of directors of Trout Unlimited and on the board of Conservation Strategies. In her spare time, she volunteers at an animal shelter, helping people and dogs with the adoption process. She also has served as an officer and director of her local fly fishing club -- focusing attention on conservation and the ways people can improve both their recreation opportunities and quality of life in an urban area.

Sherry visits the Northwest whenever possible in order to maintain the connection with the people and the land that developed during her childhood in Oregon. She often can be found hiking trails, talking to folks about local conservation issues or standing in the middle of rivers with her fly rod in hand.