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.

John Duke

1999 to Present

John Duke is a Renaissance man, at home in the boardroom and weight room, crunching numbers or building opportunities for generations to come. He later earned an accounting degree from Cal Poly Pomona and worked as a hospital auditor for a regional accounting firm before moving to Southern Oregon. Known in the Rogue Valley for efforts ranging from banking and air services to promoting the arts, hospitals and education, John, was commended for his many contributions when he was named "First Citizen" by the Chamber of Medford/Jackson County at its annual awards dinner. John arrived in the Rogue Valley in 1970, secured a real estate license, opened an accounting firm in Rogue River, and soon became a partner in a recreational vehicle sales firm in 1972. In 1978, Duke launched Superior Athletic Club, which now has two Medford locations and one in Eagle Point. In March 1992, Superior Air Charter took to the sky and now is coupled with Million Air as a fixed-base operator at the Medford airport. Duke was chairman of the board at the Bank of Southern Oregon, which later merged with Douglas National Bank to form PremierWest Bank, where he became chairman of the board. He has supported Northwest Medical Teams, World Vision and the Alliance Defense Fund. And the Dukes have contributed to Azusa Pacific University, George Fox, Northwest Christian University and Grace Christian Schools, among other academic institutions.

Mike Heverly

1999 to Present

Mike Heverly feels extremely fortunate to have found a unique opportunity that goes beyond supplying money to solve short-term needs. As one of the founding board members, Mike was a part of crafting the vision and mission of the foundation. He is always looking for ways to leverage their resources to not only support those in need, but challenge the community to change lives for the better. Mike has retired from working in manufacturing for 35 years and spends his time with his family. He enjoys fly fishing, the great outdoors, and traveling.

Stephanie Johnson-Klug

1999 to Present

Stephanie Johnson has spent nearly five decades in education as a teacher, counselor, and principal in elementary, secondary, and charter schools. She moved from Ohio to Ashland with her late husband Mark Johnson in 1973. Stephanie was immediately hired to teach English and head the department at McLoughlin Junior High and had Carl Elwood, Gordon Elwood’s son, in her English class. She knew personally how hard the Elwood family struggled. With the firm belief that the only way out of poverty is education, Stephanie became a founding board member of Kids Unlimited of Oregon and is a member of the Latgwa Chapter of National Society Daughters of the American Revolution and the Medford Rogue Rotary.

Daniel Kosmatka

1999 to Present

Daniel Kosmatka was born and raised in Southern Oregon. As a lifelong resident, he has seen many changes in the valley and cares about the needs of children and families. He remembers Gordon working on their family TV when he was a child and saw Gordon riding his bike around town towing his cart that he filled with cans and bottles to obtain the deposit refunds. He is a CPA and enjoys working as a member of the Gordon Elwood Foundation in a collaborative effort to strengthen community programs which are directly involved in improving and/or saving the lives of children.

Janet Murphy

1999 to Present

Jan Murphy was born and raised in the Rogue Valley-a third generation member of the Hueners family. The 100 year old family ranch she grew up on outside of Jacksonville is still in operation. She worked for many years as an office administrator for several architectural firms in Medford in all phases of architecture and planning. She serves on various community agency boards and has an understanding of the nonprofit sector and their needs and struggles to survive in difficult financial times as well as the critical need for the services they provide. Jan has been on the Elwood Foundation Board since its inception. She knew Gordon Elwood for years before the foundation was established as their family TV repair man. At that time, she had no idea how they would meet again years later under very different circumstances. Knowing the story of Gordon's life and his struggles makes his words "do good" something she takes into consideration in the decision-making process of the Foundation.

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.

Burke Raymond

1999 to Present

Burke Raymond is inspired by the strange history of Gordon Elwood. He joined the board with an open mind and fostered an incredible bond between all the board members. Under the tremendous leadership of Kathy, Burke and the rest of the board work together to tackle community issues. Burke’s background is in public service. He served as administrator for Jackson County for over a decade. Before that, he worked as a city manager in Gresham, Beaverton, and two cities in Minnesota. Burke continues to remain active in the community through the Gordon Elwood Foundation, enjoys traveling with his wife, and reading history.

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!

Kathy Bryon

Executive Director
2000 to Present

The Gordon Elwood founding board of seven hired Kathy in the fall of 2000 to create the infrastructure for the foundation’s grant making process. After their initial experience of giving grants, the founders asked Kathy to facilitate a strategic visioning process for the foundation. This eventually led to integrating the community building strategies the foundation supports today. Kathy’s academic training is grounded in Public Health Planning and Administration. She received a Master’s Degree in Public Health from University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Art Degree in Biology from University of California, Santa Cruz. Her first years in the community sector began while in college, creating and managing health and education programs for culturally and economically diverse populations. Throughout her career Kathy has supported individuals and organizations through personal and systemic transformation, creating opportunities for leadership development, collaboration, strategic thinking and client and community-centered outcomes. A Fellow of Oregon’s American Leadership Forum, Class 17, Kathy volunteers for the SMART reading program at Jackson Elementary School, supports high school students with their senior projects, and enjoys the adventures of her two 20-something sons who now live at opposite ends of the country and sometimes world.

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

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.

TRUSTEES AND STAFF

Board of Trustees

Grant Committee Members

Alchemist Trustees

Financial Advisors

Executive Director

Program Associate

Bookkeeper

Webmaster

Board Education Volunteer

Bookkeeping Consultant

Pat Barry

Annette Batzer

Julia Beattie

Steve Boyarsky

Lilia Caballero

John Duke

Mike Heverly

Stephanie Johnson-Klug

Daniel Kosmatka

Janet Murphy

Larry Nicholson

Burke Raymond

Lance Reyes

Rick Hutchins

Bob Hutchins

Kathy Bryon

Jennifer Staton

Mindy Alford

Bailey McWhorter