Phil Sherburne Decatur Island

Phil Sherburne grew up on a family farm in Oregon and always remembered his father telling him that we don’t really own the land, but only have the right to use and take care of it. That was the beginning of Sherburne’s commitment to protecting the environment. He was introduced to the San Juan Islands in 1980 and was captivated by the remnants of an old farm on Decatur Island. At the time, he was planning director for the City of Seattle and left that position to develop Decatur Northwest, a model of environmental planning. Phil and his family have loved their “restored farm” at Decatur Northwest and have enjoyed getting to know the Islands over the past 30 years.

Phil was President and CEO of Pacific Medical in Seattle for several years, leaving to take care of the newborn child he had with his wife, Susan Casabona, a now-retired Seattle physician. Phil returned to work as a developer of environmentally sensitive hotels—Willows Lodge in Woodinville, Spanish Garden Inn in Santa Barbara, and the Bardesonno in Yountville-Napa Valley, CA.  The latter hotel received a LEED Platinum designation in 2009, one of only two hotels in North America to receive this highest environmental certification. Phil received a BA from the University of Oregon and a JD from Harvard Law School. He and Susan live in Seattle and Decatur.