Roberto Serrallés  Orcas Island

Roberto developed a love and passion for the natural environment growing up on the island of Puerto Rico.  From an early age, he spent much time exploring the beaches and marine ecosystems of the Caribbean during frequent trips on his family’s boat.  He acquired an early appreciation of the beauty and fragility of these natural areas while becoming conscious of the deep connection between the health of marine ecosystems on the one hand, and the level of protection of the lands that surround them on the other hand.

After earning a BA in History from Brown University, he landed his first job as an environmental educator in Vermont where he became more deeply interested in land conservation. The program curriculum emphasized the interconnectedness of all ecosystems, and a critical element of supporting this interconnectedness is preserving wildlife habitats. His three-year experience as an environmental educator led him to pursue graduate studies in environmental studies.  He earned a Master’s in Environmental Sciences and a PhD in Geography from the University of Oregon, all along falling in love with the forests and coastal ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest.  He followed his wife, Rebecca Sauser, to Seattle where they lived for five years while she earned a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine and a Master’s in Acupuncture from Bastyr University.

In 2004, Roberto was offered the opportunity to move back to Puerto Rico and assist his family’s rum distillery in helping to design and implement a state-of-the-art wastewater to energy treatment facility that has helped turn Destilería Serrallés into one of the greener distilleries in the Caribbean.  For the next 14 years he lived in Puerto Rico and expanded his role at the rum distillery by leading business development, commercial divisions and government affairs. His wife Rebecca set up an ND practice and taught acupuncture on the island, and they raised two kids while living on an old coffee farm up in the hills overlooking the Caribbean Sea.  They still own that farm, and the 200-acre property is protected through a conservation easement granted through the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust, where Roberto has served as a Board member and Trustee since 2010.

In 2018, the family made the decision to move back to Seattle and connect on a permanent basis with the community they had developed during their first stint in the area, a connection they continued to nurture during annual summer trips to Seattle from Puerto Rico.  Soon after they moved to Seattle, they made their first visit to the San Juan Islands which included a hike up Turtleback Mountain, an activity which has become an annual ritual for the family.  It was during the first hike up Turtleback Mountain that Roberto first heard of the San Juan Preservation Trust and was immediately enthralled by its mission and accomplishments.  In 2020, Roberto joined the Board of the Land Trust Alliance and currently serves as the chair of the Finance Committee and Treasurer.

Roberto and his family enjoy backpacking, biking, gardening and spending time floating on their small boat along the beautiful waters surrounding the Salish Sea.