WEAN’s engagement director heads to law school

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, May 26, 2026

By KATE POSS

Special to The Record

While climate and environmental challenges can feel overwhelming, a local advocate is helping residents turn concern into action.

As engagement director of the Whidbey Environmental Action Network, commonly known as WEAN, Amanda Bullis sends regular email updates on environmental issues and provides tools for contacting elected officials. Bullis and WEAN Executive Director Marnie Jackson also lead “Finding Your Civic Voice” workshops, which teach participants how to use personal storytelling to speak effectively at public meetings.

This work will provide her with a strong background for the new chapter in her life — as an environmental attorney. Bullis plans to leave WEAN at the end of July to pursue a Juris Doctor at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, where she will study sustainability and water law.

Bullis and Jackson speak in accessible terms about complex policy issues while emphasizing stewardship of Island County’s ecosystems and the laws that protect them.

“I put a lot of effort into writing with clarity,” Bullis said. “I like taking complex concepts and simplifying them without losing their meaning. Most people don’t have a lot of time. The complexity of issues is the main barrier.”

She added that distilling information — without “dumbing it down” — is central to her work.

At a recent workshop, Bullis advised participants: “Choose one point — what policy you like, how to improve it, and how it relates to you personally. The most effective public comments are personal stories. None of us are experts.”

The workshops grew out of a request from a community member who wanted to engage in public process but didn’t know how to begin.

“A woman told me she wished she could do what I was doing but was afraid to speak publicly,” Bullis recalled. “That was the seed. Public speaking is a learned skill, but we expect people to just know how to do it.”

Bullis, a former actor, said she learned public speaking through training in New York theater programs and later applied those skills to civic engagement work.

She credits WEAN founders Marianne Edain and Steve Erickson with deepening her understanding of environmental law and civic process.

“They taught me how the system works and how to use it,” she said.

WEAN received funding from the Washington Department of Commerce Community Engagement program to support the workshops.

“Civic engagement was one of my core responsibilities when I started,” Bullis said. “It’s really about knowledge transfer —helping people understand they have a voice.”

Edain said Bullis quickly distinguished herself.

“Amanda is exceedingly bright and a quick study,” Edain said. “She immediately grasped concepts that typically take people much longer to learn.”

Edain also praised Bullis’ work on WEAN’s podcast and digital storytelling projects, including a StoryMap on shoreline conditions.

“She is so good at what she does,” Edain said. “We’re very sorry to lose her.”

Bullis said her work has reinforced the importance of public participation in government decision-making.

“Civic processes are complex and often opaque,” she said. “But people have the right to speak up. It’s not about being an expert — it’s about lived experience and values.”

She added that Island County residents are uniquely engaged.

“People here care deeply about their communities,” she said. “That level of civic commitment could translate into real change if carried into broader political processes.”

Bullis, who has more than a decade of experience in nonprofit communications and digital storytelling, first developed her interest in science communication while attending Rutgers University. She worked on the PBS documentary “Atlantic Crossing: A Robot’s Daring Mission,” which followed an autonomous ocean research vehicle across the Atlantic.

She later moved to Whidbey Island in 2020 and worked at Hedgebrook, the women writers’ retreat, before joining WEAN. An opportunity at WEAN led her into environmental advocacy full time.

“I see law as a system we can engage with and change,” she said. “It’s not static — it’s something we participate in.”

That perspective led Bullis to apply to law school after attending the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference at the University of Oregon.

“It was one of the most inspiring weekends I’ve ever had,” she said.

Her focus at Arizona State University will be on studying sustainability and water law.

“Water is one of the defining climate issues of our time,” she said.

Jackson, WEAN’s executive director, said Bullis’ departure marks a significant transition.

“Her contributions have been immeasurable,” Jackson said. “We’re proud that her passion for public interest law was sparked here, and we’re preparing for our next phase as a fully staffed organization.”

Bullis said she hopes to bring her experience back to the public in the future.

“Communication is everything,” she said. “The first time you learn a process it’s difficult. After that, it gets easier. My goal is to help people understand how to participate.”

At 37, she said she views law as both technical and civic.

“The law is a social contract,” she said. “When it fails people or the environment, it needs to be examined and changed.”