Gordon Elwood Foundation

Pat Barry

2022 to Present

Pat grew up in the Medford area and feels fortunate to have witnessed firsthand the hard work of the foundation’s donor, Gordon Elwood. When he was growing up, Gordon would come to Pat's family home usually on his bicycle and repair their television. Pat recalls that Gordon was very skilled in his work. Pat left the Medford area after high school but returned to the area in 1985. His working career took him to many places throughout the world but Pat considers the Rogue Valley to be one of the world's special places. Pat is retired now, but continues his commitment to community programs that help all ages of people with needs, and he is a member of the Medford Rogue Rotary Club. He and his wife Anne enjoy hiking through the beautiful forest land of Southern Oregon and spending time with family and friends. Pat considers it an honor and privilege to be a part of the legacy of Gordon Elwood.

Annette Batzer

2008 to Present

Annette Batzer is inspired by and honored to be a member of the Gordon Elwood Foundation Board. She thrives on the mutual affection and respect that exists in the foundation and its commitment to be a continual learning environment. Annette has been an active volunteer in many Rogue Valley non-profits. She has worked in the health care industry for over 30 years, involved in all aspects including patient care, quality improvement, reimbursement, program development and certification. In 2001 she created the Advanced Wound Center where she still practices as a Nurse Practitioner. Annette’s real love is world wandering, seeing what’s around the next corner, exploring our natural world, by foot and sea. Her community work, employment and love of the natural world informs her philanthropic work.

Julia Beattie

2012 to Present

Julia Beattie moved to the Rogue Valley from Texas in 1992. She has spent her professional career in commercial lending for local community banks and currently serves as the Commercial Lending Center President for People’s Bank. Through her involvement in community banking, past service on various boards, Rotary membership and raising her three children, she has gained an understanding of the dynamics of her community. However, it was the opportunity to serve on the Grant Committee of the Gordon Elwood Foundation that really opened her eyes to the underlying needs of her community. She considers her involvement with the foundation a blessing and looks forward to what is to come.

Steve Boyarsky

2012 to Present

Steve Boyarsky has been a resident of Southern Oregon for 40 years. He has been a high school teacher, program coordinator, grant writer and school administrator. In 2009, he retired from his position as superintendent of the Southern Oregon Education Service District. Having created close ties with the communities he served and as an advocate for social change, Steve joined the Gordon Elwood Foundation. He enjoys collaborating with like-minded individuals to determine how the foundation’s grants and initiatives can leverage positive change for the families and organizations in Southern Oregon.

Lilia Caballero

2019 to Present

A resident of the Rogue Valley since 1987, Lilia raised three children who graduated from Medford 549c school district. Passionate about life-long learning, Lilia returned to college when her daughter was two years old. A graduate of Rogue Community College’s two-year Respiratory Therapy program, she worked as a respiratory therapist for Providence Hospital and then for Apria Healthcare for over eight years after passing her National Board exams. In October 2007, Lilia joined the Medford Police Department as the bilingual/bicultural Police Cultural Liaison. Her community involvement, outreach and participation in the Rogue Valley have strengthened the lines of communication between Medford Police Department and the Latino community. Beyond her community engagement for her employer, Lilia has been a leader, resource and active volunteer for numerous non-profit organizations in the Rogue Valley including the Latinx Inter-Agency Committee, Jackson County Community Services Consortium, Southern Oregon Latino Scholarship Fund, AARP Tax-Aid, and CASA of Jackson County. She was elected in 2015 to serve as a school board member for Medford School District 549c and re-elected in 2019 for a second four-year term. Lilia joined the Elwood Foundation Grants Committee in 2014 and was inducted as a Trustee in December 2019. Fall 2020 will find Lilia as a member of Class 38 of the American Leadership Forum, bringing her southern Oregon experience and perspective to the state-wide learning community of twenty cross-sector leaders.

Larry Nicholson

2019 to Present

Larry grew up on a cattle ranch in the Upper Klamath Basin in Oregon. Along with being a State Farm Insurance agent in Medford, he’s a fourth-generation rancher whose family has operated a 680-acre cattle ranch in the Fort Klamath area. Through his mother, Larry is also a member of the Klamath Tribe and relative of Tribal Chairman, Don Gentry. In 2012, Larry received a Recognition for Outstanding Community Service from the Jackson County Commissioners. He served three terms as an elected school board member for 549c Medford district, and during his tenure helped negotiate several Teacher Union settlements with District 549c. He is past-president of his Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow. Since June of 2013, Larry has represented irrigation interests as a member of Fort Klamath Critical Habitat and since 2017, has served on a task force initiated by the Department of Interior to hammer out consensus on sharing scarce water resources throughout the Klamath River Basin. His role as a rancher in Fort Klamath supports his ongoing commitment to educate the public and several organizations regarding the benefits of a negotiated settlement among all the stakeholders in the Klamath River Basin. Larry joined the Elwood Foundation Grants Committee in 2016 and was inducted as a Trustee in December 2019.

Lance Reyes

2019 to Present

Lance moved to Klamath Falls in 1982 when his parents decided they wanted their sons to be raised away from the Los Angeles area. It wasn’t an easy transition and as the eldest of three boys, Lance remembers the difficult years of food stamps and WIC assistance that helped support his family. He is eternally thankful for the values of gratitude, generosity, and hospitality his parents modeled despite their humble economic means. Lance moved to the Rogue Valley in 2000 where his affinity with non-profits was kicked off during the United Way of Jackson County Annual Campaign. As his insurance career matured, he found himself on a variety of community committees and boards. These experiences provided a continuous source of new energy and enthusiasm while fueling his passion for learning how to make a difference in his community. Lance continues to appreciate the importance that self-awareness and adaptive leadership plays in creating stronger organizations and economically vital communities. His Propel Insurance territory extends beyond Jackson County, and yet, Lance continues to actively support his Rogue Valley community as a board member for United Way of Jackson County and Resolve, Center for Dispute Resolution and Restorative Justice among other voluntary pursuits. A member of the Elwood Foundation’s Grants Committee since 2015, Lance was inducted as a Foundation Trustee in December 2019. As a husband and father to three young girls Lance understands and appreciates his opportunity to honor and model his parent’s values for our next generation.

Rick Hutchins

Financial Advisor

Rick Hutchins remembers Gordon as a man who rummaged through garbage cans in the afternoon at South Medford High, looking for bottles and cans for deposit collection. He also remembers Gordon showing up at his father’s office looking for investment advice. Ever since, Rick has observed the foundation’s forward thinking and creative philanthropic approach. His experiences from traveling to Asia, South America, and Africa, combined with his experiences from working with non-profits and at-risk youth have shaped his perspective of the world. To him, in order to create positive change, we have to start with the youth in our communities. Rick currently serves on the Board of Kids Unlimited of Oregon and the Rogue Valley Timbers Board of Directors. He enjoys golfing, water sports, and soccer with his wife and three kids.

Bob Hutchins

Financial Advisor

Gordon sat across the desk from Bob Hutchins, as he had many times in the 24 years Bob served as his Financial Advisor, knowing he was dying from cancer. Gordon was unusually alert and on task. He did not want to pay any “death” taxes! He did want to do ‘good’, if he could, with his assets. When Bob described what a private foundation could do, Gordon was ready to start setting one up, ASAP. Bob pulled together the initial 3 or 4 board members and together they selected the rest of the members. Bob has found it fascinating to watch the board members bring 100% of themselves to each meeting and event and, unbelievably, set aside personal preconceived biases to focus on the best possible ideas for the community and, thus, the Foundation. Bob had been a financial advisor for 32 years when Gordon decided to start a foundation. He had served on and chaired many non-profit boards and one national foundation board. Bob sees the opportunity for the foundation to support initiatives and programs that break the cycle of poverty. Gordon envisioned giving a “hand-up” and not a “hand-out”. Bob believes the creativity and audacity of this board is absolutely unique and Gordon would love it!

Angela 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.

Trustees

Board of Trustees

Alchemist Trustees

Grant Committee Members

Financial Advisors

Executive Director

Program Associate

Bookkeeper

Webmaster

Board Education Volunteer

Bookkeeping Consultant

Pat Barry

Annette Batzer

Julia Beattie

Steve Boyarsky

Lilia Caballero

Larry Nicholson

Lance Reyes

Rick Hutchins

Bob Hutchins

Angela Durant