OEC Board

Thomas Aschenbrener is president of the Northwest Health Foundation (NWHF), which was organized under his leadership in 1997. He has more than 30 years of experience with foundations and grantmaking. Before joining NWHF he founded and operated Philanthropy Resources, advising high-income individuals and families on charitable giving and consulted with corporations and organizations establishing philanthropic foundations. Prior to that he held a variety of health education and management positions. He has served on the board of:  Portland Metro Council of Campfire USA, Grantmakers in Health, and Grantmakers of Oregon and Southwest Washington and Acumentra Health. In 2005 he was appointed by Governor Kulongoski to the Oregon Public Health Advisory Board, he currently serves as chair. In 2005 he was the recipient of Community Health Partnership’s Public Health Genius Merit Award. In 2008, he received the Visionary Leadership award from the Oregon Health Forum. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa, a master's in medical education from the University of Illinois, where he was a Kellogg Foundation fellow, and is a graduate of the Duke University physician assistant program.

 

Bill Boggess is professor and Executive Associate Dean the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University. He served as Interim Dean of  the College from July 2008 to August 2009  and as President of the OSU Faculty Senate in 2006. Before moving to the Dean’s Office, he served 11 years as Head of the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at Oregon State University. Prior to joining Oregon State University, Bill spent 16 years on the faculty at the University of Florida where he was involved in greater Everglades research. His research interests include interactions between agriculture and the environment and economic dimensions and indicators of ecosystem health. Bill currently serves on the National Research Council’s Committee on Independent Scientific Review of Everglades Restoration Progress and was an inaugural Food System Leadership Institute Fellow. He previously served on the Oregon Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers, the State of Oregon Environment Report Science Panel, and was active in the design of the Oregon Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. Bill has a Ph.D. in Economics from Iowa State University. An avid biker, Bill makes his home in Corvallis.

 

Susan Brody is a private consultant working in the areas of transportation, land use and collaborative problem solving. She is a Fellow of the National Policy Consensus Center at Portland State University and manages projects and training programs for the Center. Susan was Executive Director of the State of Oregon's Dispute Resolution Commission from 1999 to 2002. Prior to that, she held a number of positions in state and local government, including Director of the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, and Planning Director for the City of Eugene. She also served for eight years on the Oregon Transportation Commission. Susan is a member of the American Leadership Forum and has participated in a variety of civic activities and international projects. Susan has a masters degree in city planning from M.I.T., a masters degree in political science from University of California at Santa Barbara, and a bachelors degree in political science from Reed College. Her home is in southeast Portland.

 

Sue Densmore founded Sue Densmore Communication Strategies, a full service marketing and public relations consulting firm, in 1994. Previously, she was General Manager of Rogue Waste Systems, Dry Creek Landfill and Rogue Disposal and Recycling. Sue specializes in community, business and organizational development with an emphasis on strategic planning, resource development, public relations and marketing. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Oregon State University and completed the Marketing Management Program at Stanford University. Sue is a member of the President’s Board of Advisors for Oregon State University and a member of the Oregon Progress Board. She is a founding member of the Urban Renewal Agency for the City of Medford. Sue is a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum of Oregon and a member of Medford Rogue Rotary. Sue lives in Medford and spends as much time as possible on her family ranch in Lakeview.

 

Bill Edmonds is the Director of Environmental Policy & Sustainability at NW Natural. Bill’s work in the field of energy and environmental policy has included work as a consultant at ICF Incorporated, a staffer at the California Public Utility Commission and a policy director at both gas and electric utilities. He has served as the President of WEST Associates, a group of electric utilities throughout the West engaged in environmental issues, and is the former chair of The Climate Trust, a nonprofit with the mission of implementing projects to reduce greenhouse gases. Bill also is a fellow in the Portland chapter of the American Leadership Forum. Bill has a B.A. in Political Science from Williams College and a M.P.P. from the University of California at Berkeley. He makes his home in NE Portland.

 

Michele Goodman is Executive Director of the J.W. & H.M. Goodman Family Foundation. Between 1994 and 2000, Michele worked at Intel Corporation and Sequent Computer Systems, developing marketing programs for their products. She also serves on the boards of the Grantmakers of Oregon & SW Washington and Metropolitan Family Service. She has a B.A. in Applied Mathematics and an M.B.A. in Information Systems Management. Her home is in Portland.

 

Rick Gustafson is Vice President of Shiels Obletz Johnsen, a project management firm with offices in Portland and Seattle. He joined the firm in 1987 and serves as a principal in the company. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Economics from Yale University and a Masters Degree in Urban Economics from Wayne State University. Rick was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1975 and served on the Ways and Means Committee for two terms. In 1978, he served as Metro’s first elected Executive Officer, a post he held until 1986. He lives in northeast Portland.

 

Ed King is CEO and co-founder of King Estate Winery LLC, near Eugene, Oregon. Previously, Ed was Assistant Municipal Attorney for the City of Anchorage and Borough Attorney for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. Ed founded Oak Hill School in Eugene, Oregon and has served on the board of the Lane County food bank, the Business Advisory Council for the University of Oregon School of Business, and the Board of the new Oregon Wine Institute at Oregon State University. Ed has a B.A. from the University of Kansas, a Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri, and an M.B.A. from the University of Oregon. Ed is an active father, an avid gardener, and lives near Eugene, Oregon.

Cheryl Koshuta is Director, Seaports and Airports for Weston Solution, Inc., an environmental and engineering consulting firm with clients throughout the US and internationally.  Cheryl is recognized for her environmental and sustainability leadership, and has over 25 years of experience, including eight years as the Port of Portland's Director of Environmental Affairs and Chief Environmental Officer. Before coming to Portland in 1999, Cheryl served in executive positions with two major corporations.  She also worked for both state and federal regulatory agencies in the Pacific Northwest. Cheryl has a B.A. from the University of Utah and a law degree from the University of Washington. Cheryl makes her home in Lake Oswego.

 

Jim Lussier is founder and principal consultant with The Lussier Center/TLC, which focuses on the quest for personal and organizational performance excellence through the development of optimum governance and leadership approaches. In addition to OEC’s board, Jim serves on the boards of Cascade Healthcare Community, Central Oregon Community College, and Volunteers in Medicine Clinic of the Cascades. Governor Kitzhaber appointed him to the Oregon State Board of Higher Education where he served six years. He currently serves on the Oregon Health Policy Commission, appointed by Governor Kulongoski. Jim has been employed in health care for over 36 years in a variety of capacities. He makes his home in Bend.

 

Cindi O'Neil is Vice President and Co-Owner of SolAire Homebuilders, a custom home builder specializing in green homes and sustainable building practices. Prior to joining SolAire, Cindi dedicated twenty-five years of her life to natural resource conservation and protection.  Her Master's Degree in Plant Ecology from the University of Montana led her to protecting natural habitats for rare species for the Nature Conservancy and then later working for sustainable forest practices with the US Forest Service here in Oregon.  Public relations, marketing, financial management, fundraising, field research, deep ecology, and leadership of interdisciplinary natural resource teams are all part of her past experience. Cindi makes her home in Bend.

 

Alejandro Queral is the Oregon director of government affairs for the American Heart Association. Alejandro has an extensive background in social justice and environmental advocacy. He served as director of the Sierra Club’s Human Rights and the Environment Campaign, a national campaign with Amnesty International, for nearly four years. Alejandro was also the Sierra Club’s national Spanish-language spokesperson and played an instrumental role in educating Latino voters about the 2000 presidential candidates’ positions on environmental issues. Alejandro also helped develop Beyond the Border – Mexico, a bi-national grassroots advocacy campaign to protect the environment along the U.S.-Mexico border. More recently, Alejandro served as executive director of the Northwest Constitutional Rights Center, a Portland non-profit working to protect the civil and constitutional rights of all Oregonians.  Alejandro has a law degree from George Washington University, a master’s degree in biological sciences from Northern Illinois University and a B.A. degree in environmental sciences from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

 

Jack Roberts grew up in Eugene, where he graduated from Sheldon High School, the University of Oregon School of Journalism and the University of Oregon Law School. After ten years as an attorney in private practice, Jack was first appointed and then twice elected to the Lane County Board of Commissioners. In 1994, he was elected state labor commissioner, an office to which he was reelected in 1998. Jack has been the Executive Director for Lane Metro Partnership since 2003. In this role, Jack provides the leadership necessary for economic development efforts throughout Lane County.  As director of this organization his primary focus is on fostering business investment through recruitment, retention and expansion. The Lane Metro Partnership is helping to create new job opportunities for our citizens and a more diverse and stable economy. Jack and his wife, Tammy, still live in Eugene with their three sons, John, Joe and Jake.

 

Mary Wahl is the Watershed Services Group Manager for the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services, which includes watershed planning and implementation, regulatory/policy, sustainable stormwater management, and the Endangered Species Act program. Previously, Mary spent 14 years at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, primarily as Administrator of the Waste Management and Cleanup Division. She is an avid kayaker and hiker. Her "leftover" time goes to a local effort on the southern Oregon coast, the "Conservation and Rural Working Landscapes Initiative," whose goal is to marry conservation of natural resources with local ranching and timber operations. Mary lives in Portland.

 

Mark Waller is the founder of BridgeWorks Capital, a Lake Oswego merchant bank that focuses on raising early stage and late stage capital, and providing corporate advisory services to client companies. Recent clients have included companies active in solar energy, green energy, medical technology, software, mining and natural resources. Mark was a founder of GE/PrimeStar Solar, a manufacturer of high performance thin film photovoltaic modules, which is now GE’s sole platform company in solar module manufacturing, and was elected chairman of the board in Fall 2009.

Mark spends about a third of his time working with non-profits. He is an active member of the Board of Self Enhancement, Inc. which helps at-risk kids reach their fullest potential and become productive citizens. He is also a director of Friends of the Columbia Gorge, Friends of Timberline, Maitripa Institute and Habitat for Humanity in Portland.  And he founded, along with another Rotarian, Kiddazzle Dental Network, which has already provided pro bono dental care to hundreds of underserved kids in Portland.

Mark was born in New York City and came west to attend Reed College in 1968.