Position #5

John has served on the Board of Directors since the beginning of RPA. He graduated from Willamette High School in Eugene, OR, and then earned a degree at the University of Oregon where he played for the school’s football team in the 2001 – 2003 seasons, earning academic honors and contributing to the Duck’s 2001 Pac-10 Championship. While going to school full time and working, John continued volunteering with the students at Willamette by assisting with their Children’s Miracle Network fundraising efforts. He would eventually go to work at PeaceHealth Medical Center as their Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Program Director, running campaigns with national corporate partners and advising student groups at the UO and OSU that also raised funds for their local children’s hospital. Now the owner of his own philanthropic video production company, he travels to children’s hospitals all around the country to help patients and their families share their stories and help hospital foundations enhance their marketing and capital campaigns. In the fall of 2014, John was inducted into the University of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame with his Fiesta Bowl teammates.

Position #2

John graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare Administration. John has worked at Salem Clinic, in Salem, Oregon for over 24 years and he currently works as the Director of Information Systems. In his free time, he has volunteered as a coach in several different sports within the Kid’s Inc. organization in Dallas, Oregon. John has been married for 22 years to Toni, and together they have three children, ages 17, 15 and 12. All of his kids attend a public school in Dallas, Oregon. John was brought up in public schools, his wife is a counselor at Dallas High School, his brother and sister-in-law both work for the Silver Falls School District. These close ties to the public school system have informed John’s longstanding commitment to public schools, but he recognizes that not every student fits into the traditional public school model. That’s why John is happy to serve on the PLI board, supporting an innovative public charter school model that affords students with unique interests and needs an opportunity to be successful.

Position #3

Bert Eliason has been involved in education for 38 years and retired from Bethel School District in Eugene, Oregon after spending the last 15 years as a middle school principal. Bert earned his Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Oregon State University and his Masters and Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Oregon. Currently, Bert serves as a Research Associate at the University of Oregon promoting the use of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support in classrooms around the world encouraging school-wide, classroom and individual behavior and academic support to foster environments that are safe and respectful and build success for all students. He writes, “I have always been supportive of individualized educational opportunities, and I believe the proficiency model allows that possibility for many students. Individuals learn in many different ways, and if a student can demonstrate they understand and can use and apply concepts competently, I don’t believe it is always necessary that they also do a requisite amount of classroom seat time in order to earn credit for a class or course.” “In my classroom, and more lately school and district-wide, I have promoted the idea of demonstrating proficiency as an alternative means for students to establish they have gained the requisite knowledge for a subject, course, class or concept. These individualized demonstrations of competency empower students and often times allow for additional study in parallel or tangential learning opportunities during the time they might otherwise be involved in a more traditional ‘seat-based’ learning situation.” “I believe in what the Redmond Proficiency Academy offers and promotes and am proud to serve on the governing board in support of RPA’s efforts to allow students to thrive and grow.”

Position #4

As a long standing member of the community, Andres is currently a principal of Workhorse-Solutions LLC. Workhorse Solutions provides consulting services to the resort and recreational real estate industry. Previously, Andres was President and Chief Executive Officer of JELD-WEN Development, Inc. which is part of the JELD-WEN family of companies that run local resorts as Eagle Crest Resort, Brasada Ranch and more. Andres brings to RPA his vast experience including serving as the Former Director of High Desert Museum, Former Director of the Redmond Boys & Girls Club, Former Director of Deschutes County Fairgrounds Association, Past President and Director of Redmond Chamber of Commerce and Former Chairman of the Deschutes County Budget Committee. He has been awarded Redmond First Citizen and Central Oregon’s Business Person of the Year in 1993. He has been an educator and coach at Northern Illinois University, Elmhurst High School and Elmhurst College. He and his wife Jinny have two married children. They are also owners of Sisters View Clydesdales and own a 120 acre farm.

Position #1

Patrick MacKelvie has spent his entire career working to improve education at both the K-12 and post secondary levels. Working first as an ESL instructor and later in curriculum development, he quickly realized firsthand the importance and impact of a committed educator on the life of a student. Patrick has gone on to work for several software companies on the development and implementation of curriculum, process improvement and institutional reporting software. In addition to his role on the RPA Board, Patrick also serves on the Board of the Oregon Association of Student Councils, a statewide non-profit focused on cultivating and supporting high school leadership. Patrick lives in Portland, OR and is an avid skier, cyclist and triathlete, as well as a proud alumnus of the University of Oregon.

Position #6

Community service has been a part of Diana Barker’s life since she was very young. She and her mother volunteered for the Ground Observer Corp when they first moved to Redmond and they took their shifts in the top level of the old City Hall. As she grew up, she participated in many different and varied 4-H clubs as well as serving as a Junior 4-H Leader. One of her proudest moments was serving as President of the Deschutes County Extension Advisory Committee and coordinating the effort to establish a permanent tax base to keep the Extension Service and 4-H in Deschutes County. Over time, Diana been on the Board of Redmond Economic Development and the Redmond Chamber of Commerce, including serving as Chamber President in 2005. Diana also graduated from Leadership Redmond in the Class of 2007 and Deschutes County College in 2012. Currently, she serves as Vice President/Board Development of Redmond Community Concert Association Board of Directors and as a member of Redmond Committee for Arts in Public Places. For all of her work in the community, Diana was recognized with the honor of Citizen of Year at the 2017 Redmond Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet. “It’s been a thrill to watch the development of RPA, an educational concept that has been too long in coming,” Diana says. “I am pleased to serve on the PLI Board of Directors.”

Position #7

Ben is currently a master’s student in the Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies Program at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. Previously, he worked in the Oregon State Legislature as Chief of Staff to the Chair of the House Education Committee. More recently, he worked as a youth trainer, teaching leadership and social and emotional skills to middle and high school students all across the United States and internationally. Ben graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Oregon in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. In addition to his service on the board of directors of the Redmond Proficiency Academy, Ben serves on the board of two other Oregon-based non-profit organizations. The Oregon Association of Student Councils (OASC) provides leadership development opportunities for students and leadership advisers across the state of Oregon. With OASC, Ben founded the Capitol Ambassadors Program, which provides opportunities for students to connect with their state government and present the student perspective on public policy challenges. Ben also works with the Oregon Safe Schools and Communities Coalition to advocate for schools free from bullying and harassment so all students can go to school without fearing for their safety.

Position #9

Josh Evans graduated from the University of Oregon in 2005 and moved to Portland to pursue a career in the financial services industry. Over the past decade, you could have found Josh coaching basketball through local AAU programs, working in workforce development, or providing proficiency-based education to high school and college-age students. He has also spent significant time working in financial literacy, domestic violence prevention, and supporting the entrepreneurial start-up community. In his day job, Josh is a financial advisor with Carrano & Associates, a five-person team at Merrill Lynch that assists families and small businesses with their financial planning needs. If he isn’t teaching, tutoring or coaching, there is a strong likelihood you will find him riding his bike around the city or enjoying the ocean air and some clam chowder with his wife, Perla.

Position #8

Peter currently serves as the Supply Chain Manager for Quantum. He recently began working for Quantum after serving for several years as a Purchasing Specialist for Ninkasi Brewing. Peter has expertise in inventory management, procurement, and contracting. Peter holds a degree in Business Management from Northwest Christian University, and he also has experience in the banking industry, including serving as a loan officer for SELCO Credit Union. Peter is an advocate for education and has an interest in learning more about how individual schools operate and how Oregon approaches education. Peter is married and is the father of three young girls, and as such is keenly interested in ensuring that all students receive the high-quality education they deserve. Peter also played college basketball, with stints at Columbia University, Chemeketa Community College, Southern Oregon University, and Northwest Christian University.