Our Team
Board of Trustees
Pat BarryAnnette Batzer
Julia Beattie
Lilia Caballero
Larry Nicholson
Lance Reyes
Grant Committee Members
Pat Barry2022 - Present
Annette Batzer
2007 - Present
Julia Beattie
2010 - Present
Steve Boyarsky
2010 - 2023
Lilia Caballero
2014 - Present
Derek DeBoer
2013 - 2015
Stephanie DeBoer
2016- 2017
Don Hildebrand
2007 - 2009
Charlie Kocher
2008 - 2010
Gerry Livingston
2008 - 2010
Jim Maddux
2000 - 2003
Larry Nicholson
2016 - Present
Allen Purdy
2022 – Present
Lance Reyes
2015 - Present
Chela Sanchez
2013
Rachelle Schaaf
2009 - 2011
Richard Schaefer
2009 - 2011
Steve Vincent
2022 - Present
Mike Wisnovsky
2013 - 2015
Alchemist Trustees
John DukeJohn Harmon
Mike Heverly
Stephanie Johnson-Klug
Dan Kosmatka
Janet Murphy
Burke Raymond
Financial Advisors
Bob HutchinsRick Hutchins
Executive Director
Angela DurantProgram Associate
Jennifer StatonBookkeeper
Mindy AlfordWebmaster
Bailey McWhorterBoard Education Volunteer
Jim MadduxBookkeeping Consultant
Rhonda GressettAngela Durant
Executive Director
2023 to Present
Angela Durant was born and raised in Klamath Falls, Oregon where she developed a passion for building community through her upbringing, education, and support for youth programs. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Management with an Associate in Legal Office Systems from Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls and a Master of Business Administration with a Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership from Southern Oregon University in Ashland. Angela began her career in the investment securities industry with a decade of experience as an associate broker and financial advisor. Her passion for serving youth as a volunteer coach navigated her career path to a directorship with Basin United Soccer Club in Klamath Falls where she developed youth programs, mentored coaches and volunteers, and built a funding platform. A move to Medford in 2013 opened a new door in community building as the grant program manager and principal planner for housing and community development with the City of Medford. She quickly developed a passion for nonprofit capacity building through relationships with community partners. Angela brings a strong mindset that things can change and believes that walking alongside nonprofits on their journey is a key to success. In her spare time, Angela enjoys bringing her family together, adventures with her husband, watching her two daughters grow into amazing adults and being a new grandma.
Jennifer Staton
Program Associate
2018 to Present
Jennifer Staton joined the Gordon Elwood Foundation in August 2018 as the first Program Associate. She brings to the foundation a myriad of strong non-profit experiences and skills after seventeen years of serving children, families, teachers and school districts in Oregon, primarily through the SMART reading program. Jennifer’s early career in business administration shifted after she and her family moved to Oregon in 1992. She found her passion working for children and families, particularly families with children born with challenges. After a decade of assisting non-profits with more than just grant awards, the Gordon Elwood Board decided a more sustainable staffing structure would be needed in order to continue to best serve the community. It was Jennifer’s numerous positions with SMART and the skills she had honed in program development and management, organizational leadership, quality assurance, volunteer management, and event planning that was a perfect fit for the foundation’s next decade of service. Jennifer’s non-profit background furthers the foundation’s commitment to giving more than just dollars by lending the skills of foundation staff to support non-profits located in the foundation’s four county region. In her spare time, you might find her traveling throughout the Pacific Northwest to spend time with her three grown children and first grandchild, enjoying a few hikes and waterfalls along the way.
Mindy Alford
Bookkeeper
2021 to Present
A native Oregonian, Mindy was born and raised in the small community of McKenzie Bridge in Lane County. After college, Mindy relocated to the Oregon coast and worked as an office manager and assistant for a variety of real estate and timber mill companies. Marriage brought with it an eight- year adventure that took Mindy and her husband Arnie around the Pacific Northwest in a travel trailer while Arnie worked for a helicopter logging company. After the birth of their daughter, Katelin, they settled in the Rogue Valley. Mindy became involved with the SMART Reading Program in 1998. For the next twenty- three years Mindy would work with hundreds of volunteers, eleven school districts and more children than she could ever begin to count. Mindy’s steadfast nature was critical to expanding the number of schools, volunteers and children that were involved with the Rogue Valley office. Always willing to try something new, Mindy co-created with the SMART staff, fundraising events, volunteer recognition ceremonies and managed book procurement along with the fundraising database, Raisers Edge. When Mindy’s not working, she enjoys spending time outdoors: growing delicious vegetables, hiking, camping, and enjoying southern Oregon lakes.
Bailey McWhorter
Webmaster
2015 to Present
Bailey McWhorter started as a summer intern at the Gordon Elwood Foundation in 2015. She worked on revitalizing the organization's website by updating its interface and content. After graduating from Southern Oregon University, Bailey moved to Korea for three years to teach English at a private academy in Seoul. While there, she continued to maintain the Gordon Elwood website. Since then, she has moved back to the States and she continues to manage several sites on behalf of the foundation. She enjoys coding for web design, making digital art, and working on her embroidery projects.