Board Chair
Bend, OR
bill.kowalik@darkskyoregon.org

Bill is a founding board member of DarkSky Oregon (2019). Originally from Pennsylvania, Bill has lived in Virginia, Colorado, California, Western Australia and now resides in Bend. Bill’s lifelong activities include community advocacy, movie-making, woodworking, bicycling and cross-country skiing. Bill has three degrees in the earth sciences and 35 years of industry experience in remote sensing, exploration and technology development.

Board Member - Treasurer
Bend, OR
cathie.flanigan@darkskyoregon.org

Seeing the stars at night is one of Cathie's greatest joys!
She brings her career in business management and financial skills to our chapter's efforts. Her community experience includes work with the award winning, all volunteer "Friends 4 Expo Transit," which, successfully liaisoned the opening of a light rail transit line across Los Angeles to the beach in Santa Monica by connecting neighbors and neighborhoods along the way. Now, her passion is with connecting communities and businesses to recognize and reduce light pollution.

Board Member
Bend, OR
chris.hill@darkskyoregon.org

Chris is an experienced and avid deep sky astro photographer with a passion for preserving and sharing the wonders of the dark sky with everyone.

Chris has wide experience in analytical chemistry, commodity sampling, software development and IT management. Formal certifications include Chemistry technician certificate, Diploma in computer programming, Project Management Professional (PMP), Stanford Certified Project Manager (SCPM), Six Sigma Green and Blackbelt certification.

Chris was born in London, England and emigrated to the US in 1984. He’s married with 2 adult daughters and has been living in Bend full time since May 2024.

Chapter Director
Mosier, OR
michael.mckeag@darkskyoregon.org

Retired after 30 years as an electron microscopist in the semiconductor process development team at Intel, with interests spanning the scale range from nanometers to light-years. An amateur photographer since childhood, an amateur astronomer since a couple of decades ago, a dark skies advocate since helping organize the 2016 Gorge Night Sky Conference, a DarkSky Delegate since 2018 AGM/ALAN. Currently working with Unihedron to make night sky measurement methods reported in the scientific literature accessible to dark sky advocates. Chronically in pursuit of too many irresistible interests at once. Life is short, the universe in infinite.

Board Member
Bend, OR
jill.nishball@darkskyoregon.org

As a small child, Jill grew up in the suburbs of southern California, yet her heart yearned for more wild places. Luckily, her parents’ interest in camping led her to the mountains and particularly to Yosemite Valley, where she became mesmerized at “all those stars!”. Jill’s interest in continuing to push for dark sky places across Oregon has only continued to grow both personally and professionally as she learns more about the ill effects of light pollution across our planet on wildlife cycles, bird migration and human health. If she can be a small instrument to bring more widespread knowledge and responsible behaviors including respectful and considerate nighttime etiquette to our neighbors, campers and all sky-gazing enthusiasts she will have considered these efforts a success.

Board Member
Portland, OR
kirk.keyes@darkskyoregon.org

Kirk's nearly 40-year career as chemist in Portland-area environmental laboratories complements a lifelong passion for the night sky, which traces back to his childhood during the 1960s Space Race. This fascination with the night sky was nurtured on visits to his grandparents' ranch near The Dalles, OR, where he experienced dark skies firsthand.

Over time, Kirk became concerned by rising light pollution, witnessing its impact on Oregon's night sky. Whether imparting expertise in the laboratory or sharing his love for astrophotography, he brings that passion to DarkSky Oregon. His goal is to actively contribute to preserving Oregon's dark skies to improve the health, safety, well-being, and enjoyment of the people of Oregon, its children, and future generations.

Board Member
Portland, OR
margaretm104@gmail.com

A retired Geography instructor and world-traveler, Margaret discovered her love of Astronomy by standing under a very dark sky at the Oregon Star Party some 25 years ago. She recently completed six years as president of Rose City Astronomers and looks forward to even more nights under crystal skies with her 12" Dobsonian telescope. She has recently come to appreciate the healing that can come to our natural environment by darkening our skies at night, not just for astronomers but also for birds and bats, plants, oceans, night-reproducing animals, and entire ecosystems while also cutting down on energy use and global warming.

Board Member
Portland, OR

Joe Minato grew up in beautiful Rockwood, Oregon, youngest of six children. He had a childhood of explorations in nature and investigations in science, a gift he wishes for every child. He was born to be a science teacher. He even started a school in his parents’ basement at age 16.

While classically trained in astronomy, physics and math (S.B., MIT, 1984), Joe is a lifelong natural historian with a broad background and endless enthusiasm for exploring all the wonders of the natural world.

Joe has taught in a wide variety of settings, urban and rural, public and private, and to a wide variety of students, gifted scholars to troubled youth, small children to veteran educators. He believes that education needs to be a key component of solving any problem, including light pollution.

Board Member
Three Rivers, OR
kirsten.force@darkskyoregon.org

Doing her small part to help preserve and protect Oregon’s dark skies resonates with Kirsten because of her love for the natural world and enchantment with the night sky.

Kirsten’s design career—which includes city planning, architecture, and work at a nature center and observatory, all of which are either affected by or impact the state of the night skies—has underscored the importance of DarkSky Oregon’s mission.

She hopes to use her skills in graphic design and other creative arts to enhance what is already a remarkable organization.