Board of Directors

The Foundation is run by a volunteer Board of Directors. Due to the Board members’ limited time availability and other obligations, unsolicited grant or scholarship requests can not be accepted.

Sharon Smith

Board Member

“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.”
— Malala Yousafzai

Richard McGinty

Board Member

“In its majestic equality, the law forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets and steal loaves of bread.”  — US Supreme Court Justice Alito quoting Anatole France

Pat Melius

Board Member

“What a child sees a child does. What a child does, the child is”
— Irish saying

Stephen Blowers

Board Member

“Iron sharpens iron, and a man sharpens the person of his neighbor”
— Proverbs 27:17
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Emilee Provost

Board Member

“Being American is more than a pride we inherit, It’s the past we step into and how we repair it.”
— Poet Amanda Gorman, from “The Hill We Climb”
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Elise Hamner

Board Member

““Hope is often misunderstood. People tend to think that it is simply passive wishful thinking ‘I hope something will happen, but I’m not going to do anything about it.’ This is indeed the opposite of real hope, which requires action and engagement.”
— Jane Goodall

Board Member Duties

We are an active working board. The position requires travel within Oregon, a commitment to a minimum of four board meetings each year, participation in site visits and reporting, coordination with scholarship organizations, and additional board activities that may arise from time to time. The ideal candidate for the board will be willing to focus on Barbara’s philanthropic goals, will be committed to their local community and the community of Oregon as a whole, be active in philanthropy and/or volunteering, and show a history of community involvement.

We are also seeking to add cultural, age, and geographic diversity to the Board, and believe that Oregon should be a place where our future is not limited by race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, income, where we were born, or where we live. We also strive to serve rural communities in particular, as we recognize their unique needs are often underserved.