Jack Russillo

Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator

Jack was raised on Orcas Island and developed his childhood connections to nature by hiking on Turtleback Mountain Preserve and other green spaces around the San Juans. After graduating from Orcas High School, he moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington, where he graduated with bachelor’s degrees in Journalism and International Studies. 

In the years after college, Jack traveled internationally to explore postgraduate opportunities before returning to Seattle to work as a landscaper and an independent reporter. His journalism work has appeared in The Seattle Times, the South Seattle Emerald, InvestigateWest, and the Islands’ Sounder, among other publications. Jack’s stories primarily focused on human impacts on the natural world, social and racial equity, environmental justice, public policy, and land-use issues, topics that will help inform his work at the SJPT. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Jack made plans to leave the city and return to Orcas Island. Since settling back into island life, Jack’s free time includes hiking, kayaking, bicycling, exploring mountains on the mainland, playing soccer, or helping steward his family farm.  

“I spent my childhood exploring these islands, always knowing that I wanted to go off and experience other parts of the world,” Jack says. “After visiting many corners of the globe, I learned that the islands of the Salish Sea already had just about everything I could ever want: a conscientious community, beautiful landscapes, and a hearty-yet-tranquil lifestyle.”