guided by: organizational excellence, collaboration, trust, transparency

Grant was initially drawn to the beauty and mystery of bonsai but over the years has learned that bonsai—an art based on precision, discipline, focus, awareness, commitment, and continual learning—is the perfect platform for education and self-discovery. He is also a Past-President of the Puget Sound Bonsai Association. Grant enjoys teamwork. When he’s not training bonsai, Grant is a senior management consultant with extensive leadership experience in both the public and private sector, including Microsoft, other technology and biomedical Fortune 100 companies, biomedical corporations, and the City of Seattle. His expertise is in project management, risk mitigation, business transformation, process improvement, and is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt. Grant participated in the Senior Security Executive Leadership Program at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He holds an M.B.A. from Golden Gate University, and a B.A. in Zoology from the University of California, Davis. He is a Past-President of the 900+ member San Francisco Chapter of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and is an ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence. Grant serves on the adjunct faculty of Northwest University, and his community service has included leadership roles with YMCA Youth Programs, Kiwanis/Key Club, and J.R.O.T.C./R.O.T.C. recognition awards.

guided by: arts, community, equity, quality of life

Mary Gates became enamored with Pacific Bonsai Museum’s breathtaking setting and contemplative collection while serving as Mayor of the City of Federal Way, creating video messages from the collection to send to officials in Federal Way’s sister City of Hachinohe, Japan. In addition to serving the community as an elected official, she has also been an educator at several universities, a small business owner, and an arts nonprofit Executive Director. Mary concurrently serves on the Boards of Pacific Bonsai Museum, the Federal Way Performing Arts Foundation, and the City of Federal Way Qualib, and is a member of the Federal Way Rotary and the American Association of University Women. When she’s not fighting for equity in finance, transportation, and land-use planning, or bolstering the South Sound’s cultural assets, you might find her enjoying a Seahawks game, spending time with family, gardening, or flying a kite.

guided by: sustainability, restorative environmental justice, antiracism

Sheri is excited about the beauty of bonsai and Pacific Bonsai Museum as a place of solitude and reflection in our hectic lives. She recently retired from her position of Professor of Chemistry at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) where, since 1979, she taught, led international study trips, and supervised student-led research. She also served PLU as the Vice President of Finance and Operations (overseeing the university’s budget, endowment, risk management, real estate, facilities, campus master planning, dining and other auxiliary services) and served as both Dean of Natural Sciences and Dean of Information Resources. Sheri was the founding Board Chair of AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) and Citizens for a Healthy Bay. She is the past Chair of the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation and the current Chair of the Washington State Board of Pilotage Commissioners. In addition to Pacific Bonsai Museum, Sheri has served on the Boards of several other environmental and conservation organizations including the Tacoma Pierce County American Leadership Foundation and the Puget Sound Section of the American Chemical Society. She is an avid SCUBA diver, and also enjoys canoeing and alpine mountain climbing.

guided by: the golden rule; optimism; creativity; big visions realized through incremental gains

Tony is a passionate bonsai artist and plant lover. You may have seen his show garden at the 2022 Northwest Flower & Garden Festival that took home the gold medal for Best in Show! Tony was drawn to trees for their natural beauty and peaceful-producing aesthetic qualities but is also purpose-driven on a mission to connect people and communities through bonsai. He is the past President of the Puget Sound Bonsai Association (PSBA) and owner of his own construction and landscaping company, Redwood Builders LLC. He graduated from the University of Washington with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Tony enjoys studying martial arts, digging deeper into Japanese garden design, drawing, and spending time with his wife of 29 yrs and their two daughters. In his free moments, he writes a bonsai blog at Bonsaiko.com and hopes to publish a book in the near future.

guided by: problem-solving; searching for viable long-term solutions to issues.

Mark appreciated art from an early age, and for a period, created, sold, and installed his own art. Though he knew little about bonsai when he was asked to serve on the Pacific Bonsai Museum Board, he knew and respected George Weyerhaeuser since his teens and he felt he could be of service after 40 years of serving on arts boards in the area. Mark’s business career has ranged from entrepreneur to manager of a mid-sized confectionery company. With a focus on developing and implementing aggressive strategic plans, he grew productivity exponentially and reinvested the proceeds into expanding markets both nationally and in 37 foreign markets. From 2003-04, he served as Interim Exec. Dir. of Bellevue Arts Museum, ushering the organization from closure to stability by returning the museum to its core competency, rebuilding the board of directors, raising $1.5 million for a building remodel, and completing a successful personal search to attract and hire an internationally recognized Executive Director/Curator. With that large undertaking wrapped up, he turned towards building an export business for the largest savory snack company in the PNW. Using a new business model of partnering with local snack companies in foreign markets, the business grew within 3 years from exports to a single foreign market to sales in 17 markets on 3 continents. Mark holds an M.B.A from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.A. in French Literature from Dartmouth College. In addition to serving on Pacific Bonsai Museum’s Board, he has enjoyed serving multiple organizations in a variety of positions throughout his professional and civic life.

Galen Lowe has been an art and antique dealer specializing in Japanese art for over 30 years. He graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Architecture. His interest in contemporary and traditional Japanese architecture and arts led him to move to Japan, where he studied ceramics and calligraphy, and received teaching licenses with the Omotesenke School for tea ceremony and the Misaki School for ikebana flower arranging.

Upon completing his tea ceremony studies, he returned to California to work for his father’s architectural practice in West Los Angeles. While living in the Sawtelle area of West LA, he was first exposed to bonsai in a serious way when visiting the Japanese nurseries in the neighborhood. The generous owners and bonsai practitioners in the area encouraged the enthusiastic beginner, and while he no longer keeps any bonsai, it made him a lifelong admirer.

Galen first encountered the Pacific Bonsai Museum when he and his wife moved to Seattle and has been a huge fan ever since. He enjoys travel, art, architecture, and good food—you’re likely to find him and his wife in a museum, a dusty junk shop, or on the beach looking for the perfect stone.

Bio coming soon!

Guided by: a fascination of why and love of nature, science, and learning for all

Joyce Tsuji is a third-generation bonsai hobbyist with a lifelong interest in both how living things work and in communicating findings to others. Pivoting from her doctorate in physiology and ecology, she pursued post-graduate training and employment in toxicology. As a board-certified toxicologist and Fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences, she has investigated the health risks associated with a wide variety of substances in air, water, soil, foods, consumer products, the workplace, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. It has been a fascinating career, ever-changing and never dull. She has regularly served on the boards and committees of professional toxicology societies, as well as on governmental and non-governmental advisory panels addressing national and international public health issues.

Joyce recalls how the opening of the Weyerhaeuser Company’s Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection in 1989 further ignited her appreciation of bonsai. She has always found that teaching increases her knowledge of a topic, and bonsai is no exception. In the early 1990s, Joyce began teaching bonsai classes to beginners at Uwajimaya in Seattle and other community groups; she continues to this day, teaching new members of the Puget Sound Bonsai Association and assisting with Pacific Bonsai Museum bonsai classes. Since 2022, she has served on the board of the Puget Sound Bonsai Association and will be president in 2026 and 2027.

Jake Weyerhaeuser is a grandson of George H. Weyerhaeuser, who led the formation of the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection (now Pacific Bonsai Museum).  A lifelong lover of trees both large and small, Jake is currently the CFO of Living Carbon, a plant biotech company focused on the production of tree species enhanced for increased growth rates, and deployed into nature-based carbon capture projects on degraded or abandoned land.  Prior to that, Jake was a VP at a New York-based real estate investment bank. Jake holds a B.A. in Finance from Claremont McKenna College and an MBA from Columbia Business School with a focus in real estate finance.  Jake also serves on the Board of Directors of Seattle-based real estate developer R.D. Merrill Company.