About Tom Rainey:
Thomas Burton “Tom” Rainey, Jr. was born in Wauchula, Hardee County, Florida on 4 June 1936. After he graduated from Hardee County High School in 1954, he served in the U.S. Navy as a Hospital Corpsman attached to the Marine Corps, until 1959. He graduated from the University of Florida at Gainesville, Summa cum Laude, with a BA in History, in 1962. He earned a Ph.D. in History and Russian Studies from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 1966.
From 1966 to 2018, he taught Russian and Eurasian Studies at the University of Arkansas, Duke University, State University of New York at Buffalo, and The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. He has published many articles and two monographs on Russian and Eurasian topics as well as articles on Washington State history, primarily of the territorial period. He is presently Professor Emeritus of The Evergreen State College.
He currently resides with his wife Nina Lee Carter and the Kats Karamazov (Dima and Alyosha) in Olympia, Washington. He makes annual pilgrimages of ever-longer durations to his home state Florida, especially to his hometown Wauchula and to his favorite Gulf resort town of Sarasota. He is a die-hard University of Florida Gator fan and a sometime fan of the Seattle Seahawks.
From 1966 to 2018, he taught Russian and Eurasian Studies at the University of Arkansas, Duke University, State University of New York at Buffalo, and The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. He has published many articles and two monographs on Russian and Eurasian topics as well as articles on Washington State history, primarily of the territorial period. He is presently Professor Emeritus of The Evergreen State College.
He currently resides with his wife Nina Lee Carter and the Kats Karamazov (Dima and Alyosha) in Olympia, Washington. He makes annual pilgrimages of ever-longer durations to his home state Florida, especially to his hometown Wauchula and to his favorite Gulf resort town of Sarasota. He is a die-hard University of Florida Gator fan and a sometime fan of the Seattle Seahawks.
About Nina Carter:
Ms. Carter was born on a U.S. Navy base in the Philippine Island in 1956. She remembers the “jeepneys” driven as taxis around the islands; converted Jeeps left over from WWII. At age 7, she moved with her parents to Luzern, Switzerland where her father worked for an international electronics communication company. She attended German-speaking schools for primary and middle school. In 1971, the family returned to Los Angeles, California where Nina graduated from University High School in 1975. She attended UC Santa Barbara’s German program for two years, but graduated with a BA of Political Economy and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington.
Since 1983, Nina has worked for the State of Washington most recently as the Director of the Washington State Environmental and Land Use Hearings Office. She served on the Growth Management Hearings Board from 2009 to 2020, but Governor Inslee appointed her in July 2020 to serve full-time as the agency Director. Prior to joining the Growth Management Hearings Board, she was the Washington State Executive Director for the National Audubon Society from 2001-09. From 1983-2000, she served as a policy analyst and manager for several Washington State agencies including the Departments of Fish and Wildlife, Ecology and Washington State Parks. From 1990-1994, she was elected to the Olympia City Council and chaired the Land Use Committee just as the City adopted its first land use plan under the Growth Management Act. Ms. Carter also taught environmental policy and management at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington.
Nina is an avid gardener and a proud member of the Daughters of the Pioneers of Washington State. She lives with her husband, Thomas B. Rainey, Ph.D. who is Emeritus Professor of Russian and Eurasian Studies at Evergreen. Together, they take care of their forest and garden on five acres with the help of their two tabby cats, The Brothers Karamazov, who join them on their daily walks in the woods.
Since 1983, Nina has worked for the State of Washington most recently as the Director of the Washington State Environmental and Land Use Hearings Office. She served on the Growth Management Hearings Board from 2009 to 2020, but Governor Inslee appointed her in July 2020 to serve full-time as the agency Director. Prior to joining the Growth Management Hearings Board, she was the Washington State Executive Director for the National Audubon Society from 2001-09. From 1983-2000, she served as a policy analyst and manager for several Washington State agencies including the Departments of Fish and Wildlife, Ecology and Washington State Parks. From 1990-1994, she was elected to the Olympia City Council and chaired the Land Use Committee just as the City adopted its first land use plan under the Growth Management Act. Ms. Carter also taught environmental policy and management at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington.
Nina is an avid gardener and a proud member of the Daughters of the Pioneers of Washington State. She lives with her husband, Thomas B. Rainey, Ph.D. who is Emeritus Professor of Russian and Eurasian Studies at Evergreen. Together, they take care of their forest and garden on five acres with the help of their two tabby cats, The Brothers Karamazov, who join them on their daily walks in the woods.
