About Us >

Gail Gatton, Center Director
206-652-2444, x101
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Gail led the effort to build the Audubon Center and get it up and running. She has over 20 years experience covering a broad array of interests from high school education to conservation policy work. Prior to serving as the Center Director, Gail spent eight years working as an environmental policy consultant for the firm of Ross & Associates, specializing in environmental program development. She spent 15 years in Alaska working for a variety of political and environmental organizations and serving on the boards of several organizations, including the ACLU. She has a B.S degree from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. Gail lives in the Mt Baker neighborhood with her husband and teenage daughter. She also has a daughter attending college at the University of Michigan.

Annie Morton, Education Director
206-652-2444, x102
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Born and raised in East Tennessee in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, Annie grew up on a country farm where she acquired a deep love of the outdoors, animals, and all things natural. The joy of introducing others to the wonders of the natural world combined with a passion for field biology has shaped her professional experience, taking her from the hills of Tennessee to the central lowlands of Russia to the rivers of Ohio to the Sonora Desert and now to the Pacific Northwest. Annie has a background in ecology and evolutionary biology and especially enjoys sharing her love of science with middle, high school and college aged students. She manages all community and school programs and coordinates our citizen science and research efforts. She has a degree in Environmental Studies from UT.

Kimberly Bowen, Development Director
206-652-2444, x111
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Kimberly Bowen is the Development Director for the Audubon Center. Kimberly is a Seattle native and urban nature lover whose fundraising experience is grounded in twenty years of marketing, strategic planning and community activism. As Deputy Director and Development Director for Seattle Parks Foundation, she managed the successful $20 million fundraising campaign to build Lake Union Park. She has served as Development Director for Initiative for Global Development, Loaned Executive for United Way of King County, and Co-chair of her local community council, and currently serves as Fundraising Co-chair for the Seward Park Playground Improvement Foundation. Kimberly’s corporate background includes working as a product manager and communications specialist at Microsoft while earning a Master of Science in Management degree from Antioch University Seattle. Kimberly lives with her husband and twin 11-year-old girls right around the corner from Seward Park.

Lumpy, Sulcata Tortoise
Lumpy cruises (slowly) around on the 2nd floor most days and would love a visit! Lumpy was born in April 2005 and his shell is about 12 inches across. He helps introduce Center visitors and program participants to many important ecological and sociological concepts. If you’d like to help out with Lumpy’s care, he likes dried or fresh organic apples, bananas, carrots, and fresh leafy lettuce and greens.

Joey Manson, Retail Manager
206-652-2444, x103
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Joey Manson is the retail manager and chief host for the Audubon Center. Joey says, “My goals are to make all visitors feel like welcome guests, enhance their Seward Park experience, and provide access to materials that will inform and inspire.” He came to Seattle years ago from the east coast to work in the art glass trade, drawn by the beauty and relaxed lifestyle of the Pacific Northwest.

For more than 20 years he has worked in the art glass industry including work in the stained, fused and etched glass mediums, teaching art glass, and managing the retail division of Seattle Stained Glass in Wallingford where he honed his skills managing a small but vibrant retail store and offering first class service.

Allison McCarthy, Program & Volunteer Coordinator
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Born and raised in New York City, Allison McCarthy (Ali) has been working as an environmental educator in urban environments for more than five years. She holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Horticulture from the University of Washington with a focus on restoration ecology and environmental education. She is passionate about environmental justice and finds the work of linking urban youth and communities to their surrounding natural world to be most rewarding.

Cadi Poile, Naturalist
(206)652-2444, x105
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Cadi recently graduated with a degree in Anthropology and Environmental Science and Resource Management from the University of Washington. She has been working with children for over ten years and enjoys teaching youth about their natural environment. Cadi is an alumnus of AmeriCorps NCCC and EarthCorps and has been volunteering in Seattle parks since moving to the city in 2008. When she’s not dressed as a tree or pulling out blackberry, Cadi is hiking, climbing, gardening or baking.