Our Staff - PropagationNation

Shira Brewer

Executive Director

Shira Brewer

Shira was born and raised in Seattle, where she developed an early love for trees. Over the years, she has spent countless hours communing with trees while walking, trail running, and backpacking in parks and forests throughout the Pacific Northwest. Shira comes to PropagationNation from a career in education; she has taught in France, South Africa, and Seattle, with the majority of her career in Seattle Public Schools as a high school math teacher. As an undergraduate student, Shira was the co-president of Earthlust, the Swarthmore College environmental club. While Shira didn’t initially pursue a career related to the environment, she has been passionate about taking care of our planet since she first learned about the importance of recycling in elementary school. With a desire to get her hands dirty planting trees and to do something concrete to combat climate change, Shira joined PropagationNation as a volunteer in 2024. She became the organization’s first Executive Director in September 2025, and she is ecstatic to be part of this amazing team of people working to exponentially increase the number of Coast Redwoods and Giant Sequoias planted in the northwest and beyond. These giant trees have quickly become a very important part of Shira’s life, and she learns new things about them every day and hopes you love them too!

Harry Bhagwandin

Operations Manager

BIO

Harry Bhagwandin

Harry Omroa Bhagwandin, Principal of Shady Grove Project Management & Consulting, has over 30 years of project management, grant writing, administration and program development. His professional experience includes federal, state, and county grant awards working with non-profits, government agencies, and the private sector. Harry received numerous conservation partnership achievement awards during his tenure with Washington State Department of Natural Resources as an Environmental Planner. Upon retiring from the State, he started a local nonprofit focused on rural economic, natural resources, and community development.

Harry received a Bachelor’s in Biology from Indiana University, a Master’s in Environmental Studies from The Evergreen State College and an Associate’s degree in Technical Arts from Centralia College. He is an accomplished writer and has been published in peer-reviewed science and industry journals.

Harry’s diversity of volunteer public service and professional experience ranges from teaching technical arts and natural resources at both high school and community college levels, delivering training courses in personal and professional growth, working in building and landscape construction, wildland fire fighting, salmon restoration, organic agriculture, and rural community development, including running unsuccessfully for county commissioner.

Currently, Harry is “practicing retirement” but continues to work on projects that enhance the natural resources, local agriculture, sustainable forestry, and adventure travel economy of Lewis County, Washington while in partnership with wife Annie of 42 years co-maintains their 65-acre tree farm, wellness retreat center, fruit and chestnut orchards, tree nursery, and organic gardens in Onalaska, where together they raised four talented and highly accomplished children.

Liv Haltermon

Communications Manager

BIO

Liv Haltermon

Liv Haltermon moved to Washington state after graduating from the Ohio State University with a degree in Environmental Science and a focus on ecosystem restoration. After spending some time during the pandemic trying to understand how to make the world a better place, they found PropagationNation and have been hooked on Big Trees ever since. Liv is happy to be able to combine their love of people with their love of nature as one of PropagationNation's communications specialists and is excited to see Redwoods and Sequoias become an ecosystem staple in the Northwest!

When not working, Liv spends time taking their dog on ridiculously long walks, writing music, studying astrology, and connecting with their friends.

Emily Epperson

Customer Success Manager

BIO

Vicki Shaw

Emily was born and raised in Seattle. She formally studied fine arts, receiving her BFA in Photography from Cornish College of the Arts. As a lifelong learner, she continues her studies into ecology, tracking, and herbalism. She holds an Advanced Permaculture Certification through OSU, and has completed immersion courses on Ethnobotany and Naturalist skills to better understand the relationships woven within the natural world. She spends her free time tanning hides, making plant medicines, and learning how live in a reciprocal way with our plant and animal relatives.

Emily currently works in customer service and event planning. With great appreciation for our trees and a knack for problem solving, she coordinates shipping and customer support here at PropagationNation.

Lauren Compeau

Volunteer and Engagement Manager

BIO

Lauren Compeau

Lauren was born and raised in Seattle, Washington and loves Big Trees. While her studies are in healthcare administration, she is passionate about the mission of PropagationNation and strongly believes in the overlap of environmental and personal health. She works with the PropagationNation team on engagement and volunteering operations for events, sales, and education opportunities. In her free time, Lauren enjoys backpacking, roller skating, sewing, and spending quality time with friends and family.

We love big trees—and the planet.

We are connecting people with coast redwoods and giant sequoias in the Pacific Northwest, assisting migration of these magnificent trees for climate adaptation and enhancing our region's resilience and natural beauty.

PropagationNation was founded by three Boeing retirees in 2019. Since then, we’ve facilitated the planting of over 100,000 coast redwood and giant sequoia trees in more than 130 communities across 37 Washington and Oregon counties.

But we’re ready to do more—much more.

PropagationNation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Our directors are unpaid.

Every dollar raised goes to furthering our mission.

Connect(opens in new tab)

Donate(opens in new tab)

Order trees

(opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)

Interested in leaving a lasting legacy?

PropagationNation is fueled by a passion for trees and a commitment to simple actions that will help heal the planet.

Get Involved