Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson, a household pal and head of the Interior Appropriations Committee when Martha was an undergrad at UC Berkeley, affected the course of her life by discovering her seasonal summer season tasks with the National Park Service in the North Cascades. The work varied from getting trash to maintaining routes, all with the background of the wild Cascades that surrounded her post in Stehekin. Martha remembers this time rushing and working in the wild fondly, remembering “dreamy” summer seasons prior to tvs and phones were family devices.
As a youth, she followed her long-lasting love of climbing up and treking to Norway, where much of her prolonged household lives. There, Martha accepted friluftsliv, the nation’s “right-to-roam” laws and approach that enable people to check out unconfined and uncultivated land. This experience offered Martha a deep gratitude for how federal governments can protect typical natural areas while honoring the deep-rooted connection in between culture and nature.
Martha offered with Amnesty International while studying in Europe, a substantial drop in a life time of volunteer service. Throughout this time, she ended up being included with human rights activists and established a belief that “laws are not magical however the outcome of mindful choices made by individuals who form the society they want to produce.” Equipped with aspiration and a proficiency of French, German, and Norwegian languages, Martha chose it was time to do something aside from “operating on trains slipping around the Iron Curtain.” She went to law school and devoted 15 years as a public protector in King County, Washington.
Not content to be specified by one title, Martha developed the Kongsgaard-Goldman Foundation in 1988 along with her spouse, Peter Goldman, a public-interest and ecological attorney. Martha has actually promoted environment and neighborhood triggers through this structure, grantmaking for ecological nonprofits like The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Washington, human rights groups like the UW Center for Human Rights, and arts organizations like JazzEd. Martha thinks that “ecological problems are the exact same as ‘individuals’ problems,” and her structure’s work shows her belief that securing the environment is inseparable from promoting for the wellness and rights of neighborhoods.
Together, the Kongsgaard-Goldmans continue to devote their know-how and resources to assisting individuals and the world with a hands-on method, personally engaging with companies, and embracing an inclusive and thoughtful procedure for designating funds. Martha explains her function as one of connection, deep listening, promoting long-lasting relationships, and empowering others to pursue their objectives.
