The Oregon Tech Foundation Board of Directors is comprised of alumni, community members, and business and industry professionals. For more information about the Foundation Board contact Ken Fincher, Vice President of University Advancement and Executive Director of the Oregon Tech Foundation.

Officers

Graduate Year/Degree

BS Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 1988; JD Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College, 1995

Profession

Intel Corporation as Associate General Counsel

Years Employed

I've been an intellectual property and business lawyer for Intel for 16 years, and supported lots of different divisions, including our desktop products group, our consumer electronics group, our wireless group, and our data center group. I'm currently supporting our software and services group. My legal teams negotiate technology agreements, sales agreements, mergers and acquisitions, and other strategic initiatives for our division.

Prior Position/Company

Prior to law school I worked as a mechanical design engineer for Intel Corporation and Ford Aerospace.

Volunteer Activities

My other volunteer activities include umpiring little league games, and coaching on a high school ski race team. I am also a high school football referee with the Portland Football Officials Association.

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee(s)

President and Executive Committee

Why it is important to me to be involved with the Oregon Tech Foundation

It's important to me to be involved with Oregon Tech Foundation, because I think the pragmatic, real world (and very affordable) approach to education that Oregon Tech offers is an option that is necessary for many students to succeed. The high cost of most schools that offer the small class sizes and individual attention of Oregon Tech is not attainable for many students, or if it is, then only with a massive and crippling debt after graduation. And many students would not be successful in an education program that is less practical and requires a large number of classes that are not relevant to their career choices, leading to students not completing a degree program. I want to help evangelize the option that Oregon Tech offers, as I think many students don't even know about Oregon Tech or what it offers.

Graduate Year/Degree

1980, Oregon Institute of Technology, Bachelor's Medical Laboratory Technology

Golden Gate University, MBA - Management and Marketing

California State University - Sacramento, Biology/Chemistry

Profession

Pharmaceutical Consultant and Profession, Owner Mangan Consulting, Inc.

Prior Position/Company

Senior Manager, Clinical Research - Connective Therapeutics, Inc.

Manager, Clinical Research Administration - Syntex

Current Volunteer Activities

Board of Directors, Oregon Tech Foundation

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee(s)

Scholarship Committee, Executive Committee

 

Jim Blair Headshot

Graduate Year/Degree

1970, Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Oregon Institute of Technology

Profession

President and Owner, Integrated Risk Management Solutions, LLC

Years Employed

42

Prior Position/Company

Executive positions with AT&T, MediaOne, Comcast, and TeleTech Holdings

Volunteer Activities

Board Member, Oregon Tech Foundation
Board Trustee and Assistant Scout Master, Board Scouts of America - Colorado

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committees)

Secretary, Committee on Directors, Executive Committee and OTF Strategic Planning Team

Accomplishments/Awards

Chairman’s Leadership Award & Chairman’s Quality Award, US WEST
Colorado Legislature Community Svc. Award
Raising Colorado Award, Governor Romer
Silver Beaver, Denver Area Council, BSA
Distinguished Alumni Award, OIT
Service to Mankind, Sertoma of Littleton

Why it is important to me to be involved with the Oregon Tech Foundation

Support Oregon Tech through advocacy, networking, industry connections, alumni and relationships to generate funds for sustained operations and growth.

Don Johnson Foundation Board Member

Graduate Year/Degree

  • Ed. D. - University of St. Thomas, 2004

  • M.Ed. - University of Utah, 1989

  • M.Ed. - Brigham Young University, 1989

Profession

School Educator/Superintendent - Retired

Prior Position/Company

Middleton-Cross Plains Area Schools - 37 years in public education

Current Volunteer Activities

Oregon Tech Board of Directors, Klamath Basin Trails Alliance

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee(s)

Finance Committee

Why it is important to me to be involved with the Oregon Tech Foundation

Our community and our nation depend upon the success of our youth.  The Oregon Tech Foundation is a critical support for young adults who are committed to make this a more humane,

productive, and thoughtful world.  Our investment in Oregon Tech is an investment in our collective future.

Graduate Year/Degree

1968, B.S., University of Oregon; 1974, MPA, University of Colorado; 1983, J.D. University of Denver

Profession

Attorney, retired

Prior Position/Company

Senior Attorney, Intel Corporation and Intel Foundation; Senior Attorney, Mobil Oil Corporation

Current Job/Volunteer Activities

Past President - Oregon Tech Foundation Board of Directors
Mediator for Central Oregon Mediation
Aspire Mentor at Sisters High School, P.E.O. Education Committee.

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee)

Executive Committee and Finance Committee

Why it is important to me to be involved with the Oregon Tech Foundation

It is important to be involved in promoting and facilitating higher education because for my family, it paved the way to a better life. Better by developing a profession that afforded a desirable lifestyle, a challenging career that also provided advancement opportunities and worldwide travel, and a stimulating accumulation of friends with diverse social and cultural backgrounds. Because it worked for my family, I am convinced that it will also work for others who grow up with limited financial resources but are willing to work hard and behave wisely to achieve their goals. I believe the American Dream is still possible to achieve.

Directors

Graduate Year/Degree

2000, Oregon Institute of Technology, Bachelor's Accounting and Business Management

Profession

Bässler Group, Founder & Principal - Business Management Consulting Firm

Prior Position/Company

Columbia Pacific Management, INC.

Current Volunteer Activities

Board of Directors, Oregon Tech Foundation

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee(s)

Development Committee

 

Graduate Year/Degree

  • Pacific Lutheran University - Bachelor of Arts

Profession

CFA, Merrill Lynch

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee(s)

Development Committee

Don Boyd Foundation Board Member

Graduate Year/Degree

San Francisco State University, 1959/Business

Profession

Retired - Owner, Floyd A. Boyd Co.; "Just an old farm boy"

Years Employed

51 years

Prior Position/Company

International harvesting company, Oakland CA

Current Job/Volunteer Activities

Volunteer – Boy Scouts, Salvation Army, Gospel Mission, Presbyterian church

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee)

Chair, Scholarship Committee

Why it is important to me to be involved with the Oregon Tech Foundation

I've spent most of my life in Klamath Falls. I'm involved with the Oregon Tech Foundation because I feel Oregon Tech is such a major part of our community

Ann Cavanaugh Headshot

Profession

Retired, Vice President/CFO, SmithBates, LLC

Graduate Year/Degree

1982, University of Maine, BS in Agricultural and Resource Economics; 2005, MBA, Portland State University

Prior Position/Company

Credit Examiner/ NW Farm Credit Services; Bank Specialist/Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC); Financial Consultant/Self-Employed

Current Volunteer Activities

KCEDA Board, Sec; Klamath Works, Inc. Board, Klamath Community Foundation Board

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee)

Committee on Directors

Why it is important to me to be involved with the Oregon Tech Foundation

To help increase awareness of the role Oregon Tech plays in the local, regional, and global economy, and to continue to grow Oregon Tech.

Profession & Company

Manager of Financial Forecasting and Economic Analysis, Portland General Electric

Graduate Degree/Year

BS Economics, Oregon State University 2001; MS Economics, Oregon State University 2003

Prior Position/Company

NW Natural, ECONorthwest, US DOT

Current Volunteer Activities

Trailhead Credit Union Board of Directors, Oregon Council for Economics Education

Serves as (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee)

Finance Committee

Why it is important to me to be involved with the Oregon Tech Foundation

It is important to me to be involved with the Oregon Tech Foundation to help advance Oregon Tech’s ability to prepare students with the skills necessary to thrive in the changing structure of our economy and to increase competitiveness of Oregon workforce. I am a strong believer in the value of an applied, STEM education.

James Dehoog Foundation Board Member

Graduate Year/Degree

1994, Manufacturing Engineering Technology, Oregon Tech

Profession

Entrepreneur:
President – Arctic Engineering, LTD. and Subsidiary Spidell and Associates
Vice President – All-Pro Fleet Services, Inc. – Richard Petty Fleet Services
Corporate Trainer, Fleet Services International
Real Estate Investor and Member / Manager of Numerous Real Estate Holding Companies

Prior Position/Company

President and Consultant, ETS, Inc.
Member and Owner – ETR, LLC.
President – Asbury Park Investors, LLC.
President and Advisory Board Member – Oregon Tech Alumni Association
Senior Plant Engineer – Pacific Wood Laminates, Inc.
PM Engineer – Roseburg Forest Products Co.

Volunteer Activities

Oregon Tech Foundation
O.I.T. President's Advisory Council
City of Grants Pass Budget Committee
Pro-Club, Inc. – President

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee)

Committee on Directors

Why it is important to me to be involved with the Oregon Tech Foundation

My parents had four children and three of them attended Oregon Tech. Oregon Tech has served me and my family well, and I want to be part of making Oregon Tech standing strong, like a Douglas Fir tree, 100 years from now.

Tragically, we lost my sister while she was attending Oregon Tech. I guess a lot of my passion being involved in Oregon Tech the last number of years was due to my desire to be able to endow a scholarship in her name with our family's support and watch those funds allow someone else to earn their respective degree and make the world a better place for themselves, their family, and children with the skills and degree that they had earned from Oregon Tech.

I feel that we need to be focused on making Oregon Tech available to those who may not have been able to attend college on their own, but with the Foundation’s resources, are able to attend one of our campuses, leave and make the world a better place with what they have achieved at Oregon Tech.

Bill Dewitt Foundation Board Member

Graduate Year/Degree

California Coast University/2000/Bachelor of Business

Prior Position/Company

Current owner of PMDJ Group Inc, a consulting company partnering with businesses across North America to optimize safety, operational effectiveness and maintenance efficiency

Current Volunteer Activities

Oregon Tech Foundation

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee(s)

Development Committee

Why it is important to me to be involved with the Oregon Tech Foundation

My father was a founding member of the Oregon Tech booster club in the 1960's. As his leg man in promoting fund raising activities, riding my bike around town and hanging posters for everything from Portland Wrestling to the Los Angeles Lakers, my blood began to take on a hue of Blue and Gold. Spending countless hours in what is now Danny Miles court, I served as the doorman, ticket taker and locker room door protector. Hundreds of hours on the road supporting Owl athletics defined my youth. A family oriented supportive campus life, and dignified student athletes are two things that epitomize how Oregon Tech functions with a dignity and honor that is somehow disappearing from society. I am extremely honored to be a member of the Oregon Tech family, and proud to support an institution that provides an example for a confusing and self-absorbed world.

Graduate Year/Degree

  • Lewis and Clark College, Bachelor of Science - Biology
  • Oregon Health Sciences University, MD

Profession

Springfield, OR, Radiologist

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee(s)

Development Committee

Gerald Freschi Foundation Board Member

Graduate Year/Degree

1965, B.S. Accounting, University of San Francisco; 1966, MBA, Golden Gate University

Profession

Vice President of Investment Portfolio Management, Wells Fargo Bank (Retired)

Years Employed

1967 - 2000

Prior Position/Company

Securities Analyst, Bank of America

Current Job/Volunteer Activities

Ragland Rife Foundation, Klamath Falls Rotary Foundation, grant evaluate for the Oregon Community Foundation

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee(s)

Finance Committee

Accomplishments/Awards

Previous member of the OIT President’s Advisory Board

Why it is important to me to be involved with the Oregon Tech Foundation

To help inform people of the great school it is and to help provide guidance for the Foundation in meeting its goals.

Graduate Year/Degree

  • University of Missouri - Columbia, Bachelor of Science Forestry

Profession

Retired, Sales and Marketing Professional Jeld-Wen

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee(s)

Development Committee

Why it is important to me to be involved with the Oregon Tech Foundation

OIT has long had a reputation for a very high placement percentage for its graduates.  Yet, it hasn’t seemed until just recently that OIT has enjoyed the notoriety that it deserves. I find it very rewarding to be a part of that continued cultivation in getting the word out about what a great institution this is and what a critical asset it is to this town and to aspiring students seeking technical degrees.

Steven Hyde Foundation Board Member

Graduate Year/Degree

'04 Oregon State University/ Hons BS Mechanical Engineering

Profession/Company

Project Engineer – Innovation Center/ ESCO Corporation, A WEIR Group Division

Current Volunteer Activities

2017 Baja SAE California Sales Judge, Design Judge, Dynamic Events Course Marshal. 2018 Event Committee for Baja SAE Oregon Competition; 2023 BAJA SAE Oregon Planning Committee; OTF Volunteer Scholarship Reader

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee)

Scholarship Committee

Why it is important to me to be involved with the Oregon Tech Foundation

The Oregon Tech Foundation provides a great way for me to support the world class students at Oregon Tech. It's been thrilling to watch these students succeed and get an insider's view of the growth and positive momentum at Oregon Tech. Go Owls!

Bob Kingzett Headshot

Graduate Year/Degree

  • Oregon State University

Profession

Executive Director of the Wendt Family Foundation, Retired

Serves as: Oregon Tech Foundation Committee(s)

Development Committee

 

James Monroe

Graduate Year/Degree

  • La Sierra University, Kinesiology

Profession

Registered Representative at Oregon Pacific Financial Advisors

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee(s)

Development Committee

Bob Neathamer Foundation Board Member

Profession

Founder and majority owner of Neathamer Surveying, Inc.
Oregon Professional Land Surveyor; Oregon Certified Water Right Examiner

Years Employed

55 years in Land Surveying and Land Use Planning Professionals

Volunteer Activities

Oregon Tech Foundation Board of Directors, Oregon Director for the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS), Oregon Specific Land Surveyor Examination Liaison to the Oregon State Board of Examiners for Engineers and Land Surveyors (OSBEELS), City of Medford Oregon Site Plan and Architectural Commission (SPAC), Board Member of Rogue Basin Utility Coordination Council (RBUCC).

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee(s)

Oregon Tech Foundation Board of Directors, Committee on Directors

Also Serves on: Oregon Tech Geomatics Industrial Advisory Committee Member (TAC)

Accomplishments/Awards

OSBEELS Board Member, 1999-2007, last two years as Board President; Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon (PLSO) Past-Chairman and Life Member, Surveyor of the Year in 2000.

Why it is important to me to be involved with the Oregon Tech Foundation

To partner with Oregon Tech in achieving its goals to prepare students for successful careers in the workplace and accomplishing fulfilling lives.

Graduate Year/Degree

Profession

Silver Lake, Owner and Operator of The Poplars Ranch

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee(s)

Scholarship Committee

Doug Pratt Foundation Board Member

Profession & Company

Retired

Graduate Year/Degree

1972, BS Forest Management Southern Illinois University

Prior Position/Company

President/Agent, Webb Wilson Insurance Agency

Volunteer Activities

Rotarian, 1998 – Present; President – Klamath Basin Sunrise Rotary, 2013-2014 (Paul Harris Fellow x 3, Rotary Foundation – Chair 2010-2016); Ross Ragland Theater Board Member, 2005-2011 (Chair, Facilities Committee; Member, Finance Committee); Ragland-Rife Foundation Board Member, 2010 – Present (Currently Vice Chair).

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee)

Scholarship Committee

Why is it important to you to be involved in the Oregon Tech Foundation?

Great institution; benefits the Klamath area, in general

Graduate Year/Degree

  • Oregon Tech '89 - Bachelor of Science Civil Engineering; Surveying Engineering Technology

Profession

Boise, Bureau of Land Management

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee(s)

Development Committee

Darrel Samuels Foundation Board Member

Graduate Year/Degree

1971: BA English U.C. Davis, 1978: MA Education U.C. Davis

Prior Position/Company

Teacher: Fairfield, CA; extension instructor U.C. Davis

Current Job/Volunteer Activities

ASPIRE program at Mazama High School, Board member, Klamath Basin Audubon Society

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committees)

Scholarship Committee

Why it is important to me to be involved with the Oregon Tech Foundation

Since moving to Klamath Falls about 10 years ago I have learned more about Oregon Tech each year and attended several showcases and tours and met several faculty. I am particularly impressed with the collaborative and hands-on approach taken by Oregon Tech faculty and with the overall success of the university. For the last two years my wife and I have funded several scholarships to help deserving students pursue their degrees. With the cost of education these days it is vitally important that the Oregon Tech Foundation does its best to support deserving students.

rick whitlock Foundation Board Member

Graduate Year/Degree

  • JD Willamette University, 1977
  • BA Political Science, Willamette University, 1974

Profession

Medford, Oregon City Attorney

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee(s)

Scholarship Committee

Why it is important to me to be involved with the Oregon Tech Foundation

Oregon Tech is an amazing educational institution and as a Klamath native, I am enthused and excited to give back to the community and contribute to the growth and success of the university and its students.

Graduate Year/Degree

1968, Oregon Institute of Technology, Associate's Radiology Electronics and Electronics Engineering

1970, Oregon Institute of Technology, Bachelor's Electrical Engineering

Profession

Retired, World Wireless Communications, Inc.

Current Volunteer Activities

Board of Directors, Oregon Tech Foundation

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee(s)

Development Committee

Why it is important to me to be involved with the Oregon Tech Foundation

The mission of the Foundation is consistent with the needs of the future for Oregon Tech. Especially with state funds dwindling with their cost-cutting actions. A ‘can do’ organization like the Foundation can make up some of the difference, resulting in putting students on good career paths.

Graduate Year/Degree

University of Redlands, BA, 1970; University of California, Los Angeles, MS in Business Administration, 1971

Profession

Financial Management, Retired; California CPA, Retired

Prior Position/Company

Senior Vice President Corporate Controller and other previous controllership positions with JELD-WEN, inc., 1992 to 2012; Vice President of Finance, Bend Millwork Systems, Bend, Oregon 1987 to 1992 (acquired by JELD-WEN, inc. in 1992)

Current Volunteer Activities

Board of Directors, Oregon Tech Foundation; Board of Directors, Reach, Incorporated

Serves as: (Oregon Tech Foundation Committee(s)

Treasurer and Chair, Finance Committee

Why it is important to me to be involved with the Oregon Tech Foundation

When I relocated to Klamath Falls in early 1994, it was obvious that the Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT) was a very important part of the Klamath Falls Community. During the subsequent years it became increasingly obvious to me that OIT was a special school that provides an outstanding educational environment to dedicated students typically seeking well-paying and relevant technology oriented careers. Since joining the Board of Directors of the Oregon Tech Foundation in early 2014, I have continued to be increasingly impressed by the talented students and learning environment at OIT. I want to be part of and contribute to the success of this impressive educational institution.

Ex-Officio
Dr. Ken Fincher Executive Director, Oregon Tech Foundation
Dr. Nagi Naganathan President, Oregon Tech
Jeremy Morris President, Shaw Historical Library
Chris Frazier President, Alumni Advisory Board
John Harman Vice President Finance & Administration, Oregon Tech
Emeritus Directors
Timothy Bailey, 1992-2003 Doug Kintzinger,     -2018
Lance Bishop, 2007-2019 Susan Laubengayer, 1987-2001
Marge Bocchi, 1993-2000 Ron Loveness, 2001-2014
Sherrill Boyd, 1997-2004 James McCobb, 1979-1990
Greg Bulkley, 2007-2016 John Novak, 1986-2002
Nancy Coffin-DeFeyter, 1999-2010, 2014-2016 Andy Peterson, 2001-2015
David Cowan, 2003-2010 Jean Pinniger, 1989-2010
Allan Craigmiles, 1991-1998 Kristi Redd, 2007-2018
William Early, 1979-1991 Richard Siemens, 1999-2015
Mary Farr, 1985-2004 Joan Staunton, 1997-2009
Charles Foulon, 1999-2003 Lois Stilwell, 2010-2017
John Gerbert, 1981-1990 Ted Thom, 1987-2018
Winifred Hood, 1998-2005 Don VanLuvanee, 2004-2014
Gerda Hyde, 1995-2016 Tom Van Thiel, 1989-2010
Gary Johnston, 2005-2014

Nancy Wendt, 1985-2008