Kasey Hovik

Executive Director

Kasey moved to Roseburg in 2011 from Minnesota and has been involved in volunteering for several causes and organizations including Umpqua Watersheds, Douglas County Museum, US Forest Service, Nature Conservancy, Partnership for the Umpqua Rivers, and Umpqua Community College. He served on the Board of Directors for Umpqua Watersheds from 2012 to March of 2017 when he stepped off the board to become Executive Director of UW.
He served as Board President for the Partnership of the Umpqua Rivers for five years and has been on the PUR Board of Directors since 2017.
He has a passion for education, critical thinking, and working collaboratively to find solutions to community and environmental issues. He has over twenty years of experience history working for large, medium, and small companies in business management and operations and has worked for nonprofit organizations over the last ten years. He has a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of St. Thomas and a Master of Environmental Law and Policy degree from the Vermont Law School.
In addition to his role as Executive Director, Kasey is also the Outreach Chair for UW and serves on the Education, Conservation and KQUA radio committee for Umpqua Watersheds.
He enjoys camping and exploring the great Pacific Northwest and beyond with his family and friends.

Melanie MacKinnon

Office Manager

Melanie grew up in Juneau, Alaska and moved to Roseburg in 2008. Even then, she was no stranger to Roseburg, as she visited her grandparents here when she was young. She received her B. A. from Western Washington University and has a passion for solar energy, energy efficiency, and our local community.

MacKinnon Energy Solutions is Melanie’s own consulting business where she is an energy consultant and grant writer. She is a certified Solar Photovoltaic Technician and is a Board Member of the Douglas County Global Warming Coalition. Melanie has been significantly involved in several volunteer groups and events including the DC Smart Energy Group, Green and Solar Tour, and Earth Day and Energy Fair.

Her office hours are 1-5 Mon-Wed and 9-1 Thurs-Fri.

Stop in and say hi!

Julie Lowe

Environmental Education & Outreach AmeriCorps

My name is Julie Lowe, and I’m delighted to be the Environmental Education and Outreach Leader for Umpqua Watersheds through the United Communities AmeriCorps program.

Born in Colorado and raised in Montana, nature has been my home and love from my earliest memories. Having lived in both the mountains and plains of Montana, nature was my first teacher, and I’ve never looked back. With a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Colorado College in Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science, I am a life-long learner and teacher. I have additional studies in Wilderness Management, and certifications as a Professional Knowledge Engineer, a Maryland Master Naturalist, and a Master Herpetologist. My expertise is with nature-based, hands-on science, and I have spent over 15 years teaching physics, chemistry and natural sciences to our youth through my own company “Cricket’s Critters.”  With a love of learning and an overwhelming enthusiasm to teach and inspire others, especially our youngest community members, I strive to embrace the quote from Naturalist David Polis in everything I do:

‘Why must we always teach our children with books? Let them look at the stars and the mountains above. Let them look at the waters and the trees and flowers on Earth. Then they will begin to think, and to think is the beginning of a real education.”

I began my professional career in Maryland as a Knowledge Engineer, then spent several years working with two national non-profit organizations, The Wilderness Society and American Rivers, learning the value of legislation on a national level as a tool to protect our most profound national treasures, our wild lands and our rivers. At the same time, I saw first-hand how working on the ground, at the grassroots level, is where the most important work can be accomplished as we reach the individuals and communities who are at the heart of any meaningful change.

I am so excited to begin my work in education and outreach with Umpqua Watersheds. Our wildlands and rivers are truly the last of our very best places – national and irreplaceable treasures – and there is no better example than the Umpqua Valley. I feel I’ve come full circle as I return to my old stomping grounds, and I can’t wait to make a difference.

Patrick Schneider

Programming Director

Patrick joined Umpqua Watersheds in the Fall of 2017 when the low power radio station was launched. Patrick has been invaluable in keeping the radio station running, making sure the appropriate permits, licenses, and fees are filed. A radio station requires a lot of work and Patrick has stepped up to the challenge.

Patrick was recently featured in the Umpqua Community College catalog. See page 13.