The EMSWCD Board of Directors is the governing body of the District. The Board of Directors set policy, adopt the budget, set program and strategic priorities, supervise the Executive Director and oversee the management of the EMSWCD’s affairs to ensure legal compliance and fiscal responsibility.
Read on to learn about our five Directors and Director Emeritus. You can also learn about recent and upcoming Board meetings, find out about the eligibility requirements for Board candidacy, and explore the three Board Zones that comprise our District.
Our Board
Laura Masterson
Zone 2
Laura Masterson received her B.S. in cellular biology from Reed College and is now a widely respected organic vegetable farmer. Described in the local press as an "Urban Über-farmer," she manages farms in East Multnomah, Clackamas and Yamhill counties for a community supported agriculture (CSA) operation that feeds over 200 families year-round. She advocates on behalf of sustainable agriculture by serving on a variety of committees and citizen advisory groups, and on the Oregon State Board of Agriculture. Cultivating with a team of horses and an electric tractor, making use of rotational grazing, beneficial insect conservation, cover cropping, and utilizing a wide variety of other innovative or re-discovered techniques, Laura is a much-sought-after speaker and local expert.
Laura serves on EMSWCD’s staff-led Equity Team. The Team consists of representatives from each program area, the management team, and the board. Together they work to elevate EMSWCD’s awareness, sensitivity, and response to the equity concerns of our communities related to natural resource management and environmental justice. Reach out to Laura with questions or concerns about our equity work.
Laura was elected as Director with EMSWCD in 2004, and again in 2008, 2012 and 2016. She is serving a full 4-year term, and her seat is up for election next in November 2020. Laura currently serves on the Budget, Land Legacy, and Personnel Committees.
Mike Guebert
Zone 3
Mike Guebert earned his B.A. degree in geology from Humboldt State University and currently works for Metro as a Program Manager at the former St. Johns Landfill in North Portland. There, he works with a small staff to monitor and improve environmental quality, operate and maintain a landfill gas extraction and re-use system, and make habitat improvements on the reclaimed grassland that makes up the cap of the landfill. When not at his day job, Mike and his wife own and operate a small farm in Corbett, where they raise a variety of pasture-based livestock including dairy cows, goats, chickens, and turkeys. Their goal is to improve soil and water quality by practicing intensive rotational grazing, using chicken tractors (a portable chicken coop structure without a floor) to spread their fertility around the property, and excluding livestock from riparian areas.
Mike is very active in the small farm community, serving on several committees and panels, often testifying to the state legislature in support of bills to help family farmers, and is always willing to offer assistance and advice to beginning farmers.
Mike was appointed as an Associate Director in 2012, became the Zone 3 Director in 2015, and was last elected in 2018. He is serving a 4-year term, and his seat is next up for election in November 2022. Mike serves on the Budget, Land Legacy, Personnel, and Grants Committees.
Jim Carlson
At-Large 1
Photo and bio coming soon!
Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky
At-Large 2
Jasmine received her B.A. in General Science from the University of Oregon and is earning her Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit and Public Management at Portland State University. Jasmine currently works as the Working Lands Engagement Coordinator at 1000 Friends of Oregon, a statewide land use planning advocacy organization. Prior to 1000 Friends of Oregon, Jasmine served as the Senior Organizer at Columbia Riverkeeper where she co-directed two regional coalitions to stop the construction of new, large-scale fossil fuel infrastructure in the Pacific Northwest.
Jasmine is a volunteer firefighter/EMT with the Corbett Fire District, and she and her husband manage a small blueberry farm on their property in Corbett. Jasmine is also an avid whitewater rafter and has rowed over a dozen different rivers, including the Colorado, Snake, and Rouge Rivers.
Jasmine was elected as At-Large Director with the EMSWCD in 2020. She is serving a 2-year term, and her seat is up for election in November 2022. Jasmine is the Vice-Chair of the EMSWCD Board and serves on the Budget, Land Legacy, Grants and Personnel Committees.
Dianna Pope
Director Emeritus
Dianna received her nursing degree from the Emanuel Hospital School of Nursing, Oregon Health Sciences University Division of Continuing Education, and has worked as a nurse in hospital, educational, and home care settings. Dianna served on the Oregon Soil and Water Commission from 1989 to 1999 and has served on EMSWCD's board since 1984. During that time she has filled nearly every office and served on numerous committees as well as represented the District in various national, regional conservation and inter-agency coordination efforts. She is dedicated to the principle that conservation districts are local people working together to achieve consensus on natural resource issues, ensuring that all viewpoints are considered.
Dianna Pope began her service on the EMSWCD’s Board as an Associate Director in 1982. Elected as a full Director in 1984, Dianna was re-elected every four years through 2010. After 32 years of service to EMSWCD, Dianna stepped down in December 2014 from her Board Director Position. Residing in Corbett, Oregon, Dianna represented residents of the EMSWCD’s Zone 3, which comprises all of Multnomah County lying east of the Sandy River. During her 32-year tenure at the EMSWCD, Dianna served as Board Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary, as well as on numerous EMSWCD committees.
There are currently no Associate Directors.