The Board of Commissioners and their term limits.
Jessica Velo
Steven Greenstein
Iris Graville
James Orcutt
District Commissioners can be reached via email, as listed on our Contact page.
Jessica Velo
I was born and raised in the Northwest and moved to Lopez in 2016 to be near my brother. Since relocating, I met my husband, acquired two lovely stepchildren, and have fully embraced Lopez as my permanent home.
I teach Creaky Yoga at Grace Church to help those seeking to improve and maintain their health as they age. I also work as an emerging artist, in oil paints. I am a member of the Lopez Artist Guild and participate in the annual studio tours. My husband is a substitute teacher at the Lopez Island School, working with all grades. In addition, he and I together operate a small-scale machine shop producing components with the use of CNC milling technology.
The bulk of my past professional life has been as a restaurant and event manager in the fine-dining sector. This has given me decades of business experience working with people of all backgrounds, often focused on conflict resolution, teamwork, and planning.
I will bring a deep care for the Lopez Island community and an eclectic background of planning, group-work, and education to the role of commissioner.
Steven Greenstein
Retired, resident and homeowner of Lopez Island since 2019. I relocated to Lopez from Woodinville, WA where I raised my family. I worked as Vice President and Director of Sales for manufactures in the publishing, printing and packaging industry. I was also involved in a Primary Care Clinic for 5 years. My experience with budgeting, fiscal management and EMR system of a Primary Care Clinic and budgeting and fiscal management of the manufacturing industry is my contribution to the Lopez Island Hospital District.
Iris Graville
I’ve lived in Washington since 1981, following early life in Chicago and small towns and cities in Southern Illinois and Indiana. As a new nursing graduate in the mid-1970s, I began work in surgical intensive care at Indiana University Hospital, followed by inpatient medical-surgical nursing and home health and hospice. In 1985 I earned a Master of Nursing degree from the University of Washington and focused the rest of my forty-year nursing career in public health, including maternal-child health, infectious disease, early childhood programs, school nursing, and teaching.
Since 2000, I’ve also pursued my love of writing. My work has appeared in journals and anthologies, and I’m the author of two collections of profiles—Hands at Work and BOUNTY: Lopez Island Farmers, Food, and Community. In 2015, I earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts. My memoir, Hiking Naked, was published in 2017.
In 2018 I was named the first “Writer-in-Residence” for the Washington State Ferries. I rode and wrote on the Interisland Ferry, drafting essays about the Salish Sea and climate change. What resulted was Writer in a Life Vest: Essays from the Salish Sea, published in 2022.
Since 1996, my husband Jerry, a retired sign language interpreter, and I have lived on Lopez Island. We tend a large garden, ride bicycles, and walk the trails and beaches surrounding our home. We have two grown children and a grandchild. Serving on the LIHD is a rewarding way for me to apply my experiences in health care and writing to serve my community. irisgraville.com
James Orcutt
I am a retired Ophthalmologist with long term connection to Lopez Island. My father-in-law, a retired general surgeon, was an early Board Member of the Catherine Washburn Medical Association and helped establish the Clinic with Dr. Dengler providing care. My wife and I followed their example and retired on Lopez in 2006. My goal as a Commissioner is to provide quality and sustainable healthcare to Lopezians.
My training was in Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Medicine, graduating from the University of Colorado with a BPH, PhD and MD. We moved to Seattle where I did my residency in Ophthalmology at the University of Washington. Fellowship training took me to London where I specialized in neuro-ophthalmology and orbital surgery. Returning to Seattle, I joined the faculty at the University of Washington where I worked until retirement as a Professor Emeritus. The VA is a training site for the UW, where I took on the Chief of Ophthalmology position. I became deeply involved in quality improvement and access to care, which extended to my oversight over VA facilities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska, as the Chief of Surgery. I hope to use this knowledge to help Lopez Clinic deliver the best care possible.
Albert Berger
I am a retired Professor of Physiology and Biophysics from the UW Medical School, where I not only dedicated my career to teaching and conducting biomedical research but also held key administrative roles such as Vice Dean of the Medical School and Chair of my Department. My academic journey began with an undergraduate degree from Cornell University, followed by a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Princeton University, and a second Ph.D. in physiology from the University of California-San Francisco.
For over three decades, I have called Lopez Island my home, and for the past decade, I have had the privilege of being a permanent resident on this idyllic island. My commitment to the welfare of Lopez’s residents led me to take on the role of Chair of the District’s finance committee. In this capacity, I have been resolute in ensuring responsible management of property tax funds generously contributed by Lopez property owners, all in the pursuit of providing quality healthcare that our island community rightly deserves.
Beyond my professional and community involvement, I find solace in gardening, cycling, and exploring the breathtaking waters surrounding our island. I am an enthusiastic angler, crabber, and prawn harvester, cherishing the bounties of our remarkable marine environment.