Meet the Cooperative Extension Team
Susan Given Seymour, M.Ed., Director of Cooperative Extension, Outreach and Community Education.
Throughout her 21 years at NWIC, Ms. Given-Seymour has always served in administrative positions related to community education.Under her leadership, her staff has initiated and/or expanded programs on many topics, including: individual and family health and wellness; positive parenting; financial literacy; traditional culture and arts; tribal museum studies; hospitality management; and professional development in other areas of importance to tribal communities. Ms. Given-Seymour is a founding member and the treasurer of the First American Land-Grant Consortium (FALCON), a national organization that works to foster communication, cooperation, and professionalism among tribal college land grant educators. She also serves on the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities Policy Board as well as the National 4-H Healthy Liaison Committee.
Phone: 360-392-4248 Email: sgiven@nwic.edu
Sunny Guillory, Financial Literacy Coordinator (bio coming soon)
Phone: 360-392-4280 Email: sguillory@nwic.edu
Ruth Solomon, Continuing Education and Conference Coordinator (bio coming soon)
Phone: 360-392-4239 Email: rsolomon@nwic.edu
Tami Chock, Community Outreach Programs Coordinator, joined the Cooperative Extension team in January 2010 after serving for nearly 10 years at a non-profit organization in the Lummi tribal community. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Elementary Education, and is currently working on her MEd in Adult Education. Tami provides organizational support and works with Cooperative Extension staff to design evaluations that can be used to continually improve our department and programs to meet the needs of the communities we serve.
Phone: 360-392-4259 Email: tchock@nwic.edu
Vanessa Cooper, Traditional Plants Program Coordinator, is an enrolled member of the Lummi tribe and a single mother of three beautiful children. She has worked as the Traditional Plants and Foods Program Coordinator since 2006. Vanessa teaches community education classes on the uses of traditional foods. Her work promotes positive lifestyle changes by providing opportunities for the community to participate in activities that encourage making healthy choices. A graduate of Northwest Indian College, Vanessa continued her studies at Western Washington University and will graduate in June 2010 with her Bachelors degree in Human Services. Her intention is to “Give back to a community that has given me so much to be grateful for.”
Phone: 360.392.4343 Email: vcooper@nwic.edu
Elise Krohn, M.Ed, Traditional Foods Educator and Herbalist, is passionate about cultivating healing relationships between people and plants. Since 2005 she has taught classes and developed curriculum for the Northwest Indian College’s Traditional Plants and Foods Program. She also coordinates the Native Foods Nutrition Project at the Northwest Indian Treatment Center. Elise has a Master of Education from Leslie University, a Bachelor of Science from The Evergreen State College, and a Certificate in Ethnobotany from the Center for World Indigenous Studies. She is the author of Wild Rose and Western Red Cedar and the co-author of Feeding the People, Feeding the Spirit: Revitalizing Northwest Coastal Indian Food Culture.
ekrohn@nwic.edu
Valerie Segrest, Native Nutrition Educator, specializes in local and traditional foods. She is a graduate of the Northwest Indian College and received a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from Bastyr University in 2009. Valerie teaches classes on traditional foods and medicines for the Northwest Indian College’s Cooperative Extension Department. As an enrolled member of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, she serves her community through coordinating the Muckleshoot Food Sovereignty Project. In 2010 she co-authored the book Feeding the People, Feeding the Spirit: Revitalizing Northwest Coastal Indian Food Culture. Valerie hopes to inspire and enlighten others about the importance of a nutrient-dense diet through a simple, common sense approach to eating.
vsegrest@nwic.edu
Miguel Hernandez, Muckleshoot Food Sovereignty Program Assistant
Elizabeth Campbell, Traditional Foods Educator, specializes in growing healthy food. In 2008 she received a Bachelor of Arts from the Evergreen State College with a focus in Education and Native American studies. She is the program assistant for the N.W. Indian Treatment Center’s Native Foods Nutrition Project and is the co-principle investigator for the Indigenous Community Foods Sustainability Planning Project. She runs an organic farm with her family in Shelton, Washington and has managed the Shelton Farmers Market for the past two years. As a member of the Spokane Tribe she grew up harvesting native foods with her family.
ecampbell@nwic.edu
Shelli Julius, Traditional Plants/Financial Literacy Program Assistant, is the newest addition to our Traditional Plants and Foods Program. Shelli does nutritional research for the Lummi Traditional Foods Project and will be soon coordinating with the Lummi Tribe to implement a Lummi Youth Employment Community Garden Project. She is pursuing an Associate of Sciences Transfer Degree at the Northwest Indian College and plans to focus on Community Health. A lifetime resident and Lummi Tribal member, Shelli wishes to build family and community wellness through educating people about reviving traditional ways.
Phone: 360-392-4345 Email: sjulius@nwic.edu