Rusty Diggs has lived on Orcas Island since 2003. She and her partner with their twins have been OPAL CLT homeowners since 2006. She joined the board of directors of OPAL in 2017. Rusty spent eight years prior to Orcas, working, living and stewarding a 40 acre land trust, in the southern Willamette Valley. As internship coordinator, farm to kitchen manager and landscaper she gained knowledge of working for consensus based nonprofits, living in an intentional community of 20+ people and stewarding forested land. Rusty co produced a teen program, FEAST(farm education and sustainability for teens) on Orcas as well as teaching food preservation classes. She has been a resident ambassador since 2016 with Grounded Solutions Network, promoting permanently affordable housing organizations across the country.