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In this second conversation on emergency management, Jan sits down with Margo Lalich, a public health leader with more than 30 years of experience. 

Margo was Clatsop County's first public health preparedness coordinator, hired in 2002, and later served as interim public health director during the COVID-19 response.

Margo explains how 9/11 pushed the federal government to invest in public health infrastructure, and how that money reached small coastal communities. She walks through the county's early full-scale exercises, regional planning with neighboring counties, and the incident command structures that paid off during the pandemic.

 She also shares lessons from the 2007 coastal gale, including power outages that left pharmacies without access to medications.

Her main message is that relationships matter more than money. Margo also covers what happens when federal funding shrinks, how planning has to include older adults and people with disabilities, and why a binder full of plans is no substitute for practiced protocols. 

She closes with ways listeners can get involved through county volunteer programs, Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), and the Medical Reserve Corps.

Chapter markers

00:00 Welcome and Part Two Setup
 01:36 Public Health After 9/11
 03:07 Bioterrorism Funding Reaches Clatsop County
 05:16 Oregon's Own Bioterrorism History
 05:49 Regional Planning and Full-Scale Exercises
 08:30 Incident Command and Shrinking Federal Funding
 09:34 Training, Storms, and the 2007 Coastal Gale
 10:48 Putting Decades of Planning to Work in COVID-19
 14:03 How 9/11 Became a Catalyst for Cooperation
 15:22 Camp Rilea and the Community Pandemic Response
 16:05 Tsunamis, Cascadia, and Lessons from the Gale
 17:55 Staying Resilient When Funding Shrinks
 20:24 Planning for Older Adults and People with Disabilities
 21:40 How to Get Involved: Volunteers, CERT, and the Medical Reserve Corps
 24:42 Community-Led Preparedness on the North Coast
 26:41 Plans vs. Protocols: What Works on the Ground
 28:04 Every Community Is Different
 29:26 Closing Thoughts
 30:01 Outro: Sharing the Episode

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Nine days without power. 

Camellia bushes ripping wires from houses. 

A dialysis center with no generator. 

🌪️ In this episode of Women of the Northwest, host Jan Johnson sits down with five incredible women — a community engagement coordinator, two former school principals, an ER doctor, and a retired emergency management veteran — to relive the 2007 Great Coastal Gale and share what it really takes to build a resilient community. 

From ham radios to grab-and-go bags to knowing your neighbors, this conversation is packed with real, hard-won wisdom. 

Plus: don't miss the free Get Ready Fair on Thurs, Oct 22 at Jewel School! 

🎃 Tune in now.

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Astoria Oregon's Heidi Brown spent a year racing around the world as amateur crew on the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race — an 11-month, eight-leg circumnavigation aboard a 70-foot racing sailboat. 

In this episode of Women of the Northwest, Heidi shares how a chance sailing lesson in 2018 led her from the waters of Alaska to the Southern Ocean, the Panama Canal, and a dozen ports across six continents. 

She talks candidly about living with 20 crewmates at sea for 30 days at a time, facing 45-knot storms in the Bay of Biscay, swimming with dolphins and sharks, and the leadership and team-building lessons that came from navigating both the ocean and the people on board. 

It's a story about stepping outside your comfort zone, learning to be "nice, not spicy" under pressure, and discovering that fear fades the moment you decide to just do the thing.

https://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/

My Instagram Handle: @hb_rctid

https://windwardleader.com/

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Astoria Visual Arts

Jan sits down with Annie Eskelin, Executive Director of Astoria Visual Arts (AVA), to explore how a passion for art can shape an entire community. 

Annie shares her journey from growing up in rural Alaska — where she never met a professional artist until college — to leading one of the most vibrant arts organizations on the Oregon Coast. 

They talk about AVA's artist residency program, the rapid growth of free kids' art classes, outdoor summer art camps at Fort Stevens, the newly expanded gallery on Commercial Street, and the beloved Astoria Open Studios Tour coming up July 25–26. 

Annie also opens up about what it means to lose yourself in the creative process, why art is more than just paintings, and how community funding is the backbone of it all. 

If you've ever believed art is a luxury, this conversation might just change your mind.

[00:01] Jan: Are you looking for an inspiring listen, something to motivate you? You've come to the right place. Welcome to Women of the Northwest, where we have conversations with ordinary women leading extraordinary lives.

[00:12] Motivating, inspiring, compelling.

[00:16] Jan: Hey, everybody. Welcome to Women of the Northwest. I am so glad you're here today, because I have an exciting interview for you.

[00:24] I have Annie Eskalin, who is the executive director of Astoria Visual Arts, also known as Ava Welco. Welcome, Annie.

[00:32] Annie: Hi, Jan. It's wonderful to be here. Thanks for having me on.

[00:36] Jan: Some of you know that I started chapter of 100 Women who Care,

[00:42] where we recognize local nonprofits and Annie. And came to represent SRE Visual Arts. And, oh, what an exciting program that is. And I just thought, wow,

[00:55] more people need to know about this and find out about it and come and see it. So,

[01:01] Annie, I want to start out by asking you,

[01:03] what drew you to art? Is that something you did as a little girl, or is it something.

[01:09] What's your story?

[01:11] Annie: Well, I have an art degree and also a business degree. And I.

[01:17] When I was growing up, I was naturally drawn to art. It was an advanced art whenever there was an opportunity for it. I grew up in rural Alaska,

[01:29] and there wasn't a lot of art opportunity there.

[01:33] There were not a lot of professional artists. I actually didn't meet my first professional artist until I was in college.

[01:43] Yeah. And then I think, like a lot of art majors, you just end up taking art classes because they are so fun and fulfilling, and then you find yourself with a art degree.

[01:57] Jan: And now what? Yeah. Yeah.

[01:59] Annie: So, yeah, this is the path that has led me. Actually, one of my art professors,

[02:05] he turned me onto a job that was in legrand as the executive director of the Union County Art and Culture center, which is now Art Center East.

[02:15] And so that was my first involvement with a nonprofit.

[02:20] And it was really exciting. And really, it was one of those things where the bus stopped there for me.

[02:29] And then my husband and I moved to Astoria a decade ago,

[02:34] and this job came up, and I applied for it and got it. And no, it's. It takes a lot of your heart, your soul, and time.

[02:45] But I definitely found that I have,

[02:48] you know, role that's very fulfilling for me.

[02:51] Jan: Because you're passionate about it.

[02:53] Annie: I am passionate about it, yes. Absolutely.

[02:56] Jan: And that just. It just shows in just everything that you brought about that's going on. Wow. What is your. What's your favorite medium?

[03:05] Annie: Well, that's a funny question. You know, it ch

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Beverly Stein retired in 2016 as a Senior Fellow at the National Policy Consensus
Center (NPCC) in the College of Urban and Public Affairs at Portland State
University. At NPCC she served as Director of Oregon Solutions and as Director
of Research and Development. Her focus was on working on projects aimed at
addressing poverty, including staffing the Oregon Business Council Poverty Task
Force.
Prior to her work at NPCC, she worked for 10 years at the Public Strategies Group
(PSG), headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, serving as President and co-owner.
PSG’s mission was to work for public purpose organizations across the country
committed to innovation, customer-focus and results-based governance.
Beverly served as the elected Chair of the Multnomah County Board of County
Commissioners (Portland, Oregon) and as its Chief Executive from 1993 to 2002.

In that position she administered a government with 5000 employees and a
billion dollar budget. Multnomah County won the Oregon Quality Award (based
on the Baldrige Criteria) in 1999 and Stein was designated by Governing
Magazine as Local Official of the Year with Portland Mayor Vera Katz in 1996.
Beverly was elected three times (1989-1993) to serve in the Oregon House of
Representatives, worked as a Legal Aid attorney and in a solo private law
practice, and has extensive experience as a strategic planner and facilitator for
non-profit and government organizations. She ran for Governor of Oregon in the
2002 primary election.

Beverly graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1970 with a
degree in urban studies. She was awarded her law degree from University of
Wisconsin in 1976.

A member of the Tillamook County Master Recyclers, Beverly led the effort to
ban single use plastic bags in Tillamook County. She taught “Facilitating Effective
and Enjoyable Meetings” at Tillamook Bay Community College in 2019 and
“Collaborative Governance” in 2021. Beverly organized the Tillamook Democracy
Project in 2020 to support progressives in local and national elections. She is
currently the President of the Cape Meares Community Association.

https://neighborhoodpartnerships.org/about/about-neighborhood-partnerships/

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This episode was recorded April 20, 2022.

A lot has happened since then, including, Lindsay receiving the George Award January, 2026 for her achievements.

For transformative community impact, leadership, and tireless advocacy for education, workforce, and youth.

If you want a story of one amazing woman, listen in!

In this powerful episode of Women of the Northwest, host Jan Johnson sits down with Lindsay Davis, Hampton Lumber's Community Outreach Specialist and former Astoria Chamber of Commerce President. 

Lindsay shares her remarkable journey from rural Southern Oregon to becoming a community leader on the North Coast. 

Hear how she overcame discrimination as a pregnant 18-year-old job seeker by getting creative with her approach, returned to work just days after giving birth, and eventually found her calling connecting forestry, education, and community development. 

From selling manure as a kid to planning innovative events like the Hampton Sip n Stroll, Lindsay's story is packed with resilience, creativity, and the power of community. 

Plus, learn about exciting new projects including a 35-foot yurt on Hampton's tree farm that will serve as an interpretive center for youth and adults.

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Moe Mylint Than is a student at Clatsop Community College pursuing an associate of arts Oregon transfer degree she was originally from Myanmar one of the Southeast Asia countries where there is a lot of civil war going on. 

However she studied bachelor of education for five years in Yangon university of education in Myanmar. 

Due to the military coup everything changed and she had no chance of continuing her education there. The coup shut down the universities and arrested the students who spoke out against the dictatorship and she was one of them.

She moved to the United states to continue her education here though there have been so many differences in lifestyle, language barriers, and cultural diversities. 

She's personally participated in various international programs including ASEAN called the Japan East Asia network of exchange for students and youths in Japan in 2019 where she learned a lot of about natural disaster awareness.

 She was also the first runner up in the universities open debate tournament in 2019 and had the opportunity to host panel discussions on women empowerment in digital literacy and English roundtable discussions among the universities.

She was also a delegate at model ASEAN meetings Myanmar where she discussed issues and solutions her goal is to become a qualified teacher who trains teachers and develops effective education systems in underdeveloped countries particularly.

In Myanmar she aims to support young children in refugee camps and promote inclusion and equitable societies worldwide.

To achieve this she's planning to pursue a bachelor of education of transfer program at Pacific university in Forest Grove OR in the fall term 2025 where she'll learn from professors and educators while sharing her own cultural knowledge and values and giving awareness about the education opportunities to the vulnerable people and creating a better and empathetic society.

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In this podcast episode, we talk about various scams, how scammers lead us to believe them, and what to watch for.

Guests are Kyle Rea, Kay Schrieber, Dale Schrieber

Host Jan Johnson narrates her harrowing experience of falling victim to a sophisticated scam. 

She recounts how a stressful day, combined with technical issues, made her vulnerable to scammers posing as tech support. Throughout the ordeal, Jan was manipulated into purchasing gift cards, believing it was necessary to resolve an alleged hacking issue. 

Despite the warning signs, the scam persisted until a conversation with a sheriff revealed the truth. In sharing her story, Jan emphasizes the importance of awareness and overcoming the shame associated with being scammed.

Common points:

• Sense of urgency
• I can fix this for you
• I'm here to help you 
• scammer asks for money, credit card info, cashier's check
• Tells you to stay on the phone (prevents you from calling anyone or getting messages from your bank)
• You're contacted out of the blue- unsolicited phone calls or emails (you can't win a lottery you never entered, you don't receive a call or email from tech support that you didn't initiate.)
• It sounds too good to be true
• Email looks official, but has mistakes or subtle differences
• Threats
• Asks for upfront payment

https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-you-were-scammed

https://www.usa.gov/where-report-scams

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Lexi's Website

Jan's website

In this podcast episode, Lexi Hallihan shares her incredible journey from watching 'The Love Boat' as a teenager to becoming a prominent figure in the surf industry.

 Her early interest in recreation led her to Hawaii, where she discovered her passion for nutrition while working at a vegetarian kitchen. 

This experience laid the foundation for her future endeavors. 

Returning to Oregon, she pursued a dietetic career, which eventually tied into her creation of the Northwest Women's Surf Camps.

 Lexi's story highlights her efforts to empower women and increase their presence in the male-dominated surfing world.

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This episode begins with some women-on-the-street interviews asking two questions:

1- When you graduated from high school, what was it like? What did you expect your life would look like?
2. Did things turn out the way you expected?

Jazmin Geografo left the city of Manilla, Philippines (population 21 million)  to try her hand at teaching science in the United States, specifically, the small town of Knappa, Oregon, (population 1800)

 Originally, she sought to become a journalist major, but plans changed when she wasn't admitted to her preferred school. 

Listen in to her passion for teaching and cultural changes she's adjusted to. 

And her fun final activity for her students- making ice cream!

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