2007 Distinguished Alumni
~ Chris Carrel
 A graduate of Highline’s Economics program, Carrel attended the
college from 1982 to 1984. "I had some unique life circumstances
when I came out of high school, and if I hadn't been able to attend
Highline Community College, I likely would not have been able to
enter college at that time. I think that underscores Highline's
importance to the community. It fits a lot of educational needs and makes college
education possible for so many people," said Carrel. He returned to
Highline in 1986 to pursue his interests in psychology
and human development.
Chris is executive director of the
Friends of the Hylebos.
Carrel’s conservationism started at an early age. “During my time at
the University of Washington I interned at the Washington Wilderness
Coalition (WWC). After I graduated, the WWC hired me as executive
director,” said Carrel. In 1993, Carrel co-founded the Atmosphere
Alliance, a nonprofit organization working to inform the public
about the threat of global warming and strategies for addressing the
problem. This group became the precursor of Olympia-based
Climate
Solutions. As a freelance
journalist, Carrel put his passion to work in his writings. In 1997
he won first place in the
Society of Professional Journalists’ Western Washington Excellence
in Journalism awards
with his writing about Consumer and Environmental Affairs. That same
year, he was
awarded the third place prize for the Washington Press Association’s
Communicator of
Excellence awards when he wrote about ecology and the environment.
In 1999, Carrel led the conversion of the Friends of the West
Hylebos from a
wetland steward to a watershed conservation organization. He has
been the executive
director of the Friends of the Hylebos since that time and has
helped preserve more than
395 acres of wetlands, and has personally helped preserve more than
150 acres of
Hylebos Creek habitat.
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Last updated:
May 10, 2010
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