Joe & Maureen Brotherton – Proprietors

Joe & Maureen Brotherton fell in love with each other and with Orcas when they camped on the west side of the island in the 70’s as teenagers.  Joe had been to Doe Bay a number of times.  It was on the hippie trail of Northwest icons and he visited regularly for decades.  Finally, at the turn of the century, Joe and Maureen decided to buy the property.  “It seemed likely to be broken up and sold off and I had the resources and energy, so we took a leap of faith.”   The Brothertons have never looked back.

Their five children (and their grandchildren) have all been involved in various capacities. And Doe Bay Fest is, of course, an annual family tradition.  “We acknowledge that we are only temporary stewards of this unique property.  It was quite rough when we started and we have tried to improve it without changing it. It has exceeded our expectations in terms of becoming a place for art and music and food and drink and theater and family and community.  We hope our ownership is long and that we hand it off better than we found it.”

River Augenstein – General Manager

The general manager of Doe Bay Resort grew up in the deciduous woodlands of Indiana near the confluence of 3 major watercourses. In the summer, when he wasn’t playing baseball, he spent most of his time searching for aquatic creatures and plants in the growth by margins of pond waters.

He met his wife, Shandra, when he moved to the Central Coast of California, in 1996, where they both attended Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo. Together, they then went on to manage an educational interdisciplinary retreat center, Far Horizons in the Sierra, before being asked to be managers at Far Horizon’s sister facility, Indralaya, on Orcas Island, in 2006. During this time, River broadened his lifetime interest in the canons of the world’s major religions while experiencing a wide spectrum of healing and spiritual modalities. During 9 years as a retreat center resident manager he has participated in over 120 experiential workshops.

River is a semi-amateur naturalist who has been immersed in the study of nature and ecology all of his life. He spends time in the forest, almost every day, and also enjoys kayaking Rosario Strait. He is a songwriter and guitarist, having performed many, many times for both audiences large and small, but considers himself a poet, before a musician.

Julia Mae, River’s 9 year old daughter, is one of the original Doe Babies, having lived her entire life at Doe Bay. You can often find Julia, and her dad, lifting rocks, at low tide in Otter’s Cove, looking for marine invertebrates.

Jen Edington – Administrator

Life’s serendipitous twists and turns brought Jen to Orcas Island and finally to Doe Bay Resort where she believes she has the coolest job in the world. While Jen is not a hat-person, she wears many of them in her role as administrator. From managing the front desk, website and online store maintenance, bookkeeping, and Doe Bay Fest ticket sales management, Jen enjoys every aspect of her job. But most of all she LOVES a good challenge which makes Doe Bay and her role as administrator the perfect fit!

Aside from Doe Bay, Jen and her husband recently purchased their first home and are delighted to call Orcas Island their permanent residence. With their 9 year old daugther, Naia, they have carved out a simple and modest life and are living their vision of “the dream”.

Shandra Augenstein – Events Coordinator

Shandra and her husband River moved to Doe Bay as Resident Managers in 2010. Her current role as Events Coordinator is the perfect culmination of professional talents, combining her experience in administration, management, and event planning.

Born and raised in California’s Central Coast, Shandra discovered a passion for cooking at a young age. Her talents in the kitchen started her down a path of retreat center management primarily focusing on kitchen management while developing her administrative and event planning skills.

From wedding couples to retreat leaders to tech wizards, Shandra enjoys sharing an enthusiasm with those who truly love Doe Bay and are excited to share it with their families and friends. In bringing vision to light, Shandra has loved working closely with Doe Bay’s catering team to deliver the most exquisitely crafted culinary delights.

In her spare time, Shandra aspires to refine her artistic hand at drawing and painting when not otherwise out adventuring with her 9 year old daughter, Julia.