Board of Directors
The Oregon Parent Training and Information Center is now accepting applications to fill seats on our Board of Directors. Our current Board of Directors is the strongest Board in the
OrPTI's 20 year history and we are looking for people who will advocate and defend the rights of children with
disabilities and foster a positive image of the OrPTI.
Below you can find a list of our wonderful current Board members and view the
Board Member responsibilities. You can also access our application on this page or you can call our toll free number at 1-888-505-2673 and one of our staff will gladly assist you.
If you are interested in joining our family then we are waiting to here from you, or if you know of anyone who might be interested, then please forward this request on to them.
Sincerely,
Randy
Anderson
Board President
RANDY ANDERSON,
randy@andersonpainting.biz
President - Parent
Randy is the father of Whitney, who has Down syndrome. Randy is a strong advocate
for his daughter, and has been through the IEP Partner Training.
ELIZABETH RAMSEY, ramseyb@ohsu.org
Vice President - Parent
Elizabeth is the parent of a son with learning disabilities, and has been a respected advocate since 1990. She has
served as President of the State Advisory Council on Special Education for the Oregon Department of Education and is a polished public speaker and author.
PADDI DAVIES, Secretary
Paddi has worked in the field of deaf-blindness as a national technical
assistance provider for 14 years. She has worked to improve the quality of life
for individuals and families as well as working to improve the quality of
services in many states.
CHRISTY HURLMAN, Treasurer - Parent
Christy is the mother of a son with autism. She has worked for seven years at CDRC at OSU, where she developed a passion for serving
children and families. She also serves on the Board of the Autistic Children’s
Activity Program.
STELLA BROWN, stella.brown@state.or.us
Board Member
Stella Brown is an Education Program Specialist with the Oregon Department of Education's Student Learning & Partnerships. Her areas
of responsibility include distance education, educational technology, communications and information, AD/HD, and translation coordination. She is a member of the State Advisory Council for Assistive Technology, the Oregon Attorney General's Sexual Assault Task Force and its Prevention and Education Committee, and the Statewide Initiative to Prevent Sexual Violence Against Persons with Developmental Disabilities. Stella has a bilingual and bicultural background as a Greek-American and is committed to helping educators consider and honor cultural differences.
DEBRA DEPEW, dkdepew@msn.com
Board Member - Parent
Debra is the parent of four children, two who have ADHD and one who has
depression. She also works for Oregon Family Support Network.
KAREN GAFFNEY, kgaffney@teleport.com
Board Member - Self-Advocate
Karen is the founder and President of the Karen Gaffney Foundation which is dedicated to
championing the journey to full inclusion in families, schools, communities and
the workplace for people with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities.
GEORGE HAMILTON,
hamiltog@ohsu.edu Board Member
George is a parent of a special needs child, who with his spouse has spent countless
hours advocating on behalf of their child to ensure he gets the education and opportunities he should
have.
RANDY HARNISCH,
randy.harnisch@state.or.us
Board Member
Randy is the staff person to the State Board of Education, and family member of
a person with a disability. CAROLINE MOORE,
cjmoore@uoregon.edu Board Member
Caroline has worked at WRRC for almost 30 years providing technical assistance
to states to improve services for students with disabilities. DENISE
RICHER, chldrnspcl@msn.com Board Member - Parent
Denise is the mother of a 14 year old boy who has complex medical needs and is
medically fragile.
DIANE WISCARSON, diane@wiscarsonlaw.com
Board Member
Diane is an attorney who specializes in representing parents in special
education disputes.
Board Responsibilities
- Assure that all reports required by state and federal regulatory agencies are filed on a timely basis.
- Define the basic mission of OrPTI in accordance with the By-laws and to establish short and long range goals and specific objectives for
OrPTI's activities.
- Employ and fix the duties of the Executive Director and to evaluate the Executive Director's performance at least every two years.
- Establish personnel policies and procedures and professional standards for the employment of other staff personnel.
- Assure that the Corporation's personnel practices and actions are in accord with federal and state wage and hour, equal opportunity, affirmative action, and fair labor standards laws and
regulations.
- Assist in securing resources necessary to carry out OrPTI's goals and objectives, and to approve requests for funding.
- Approve the annual budget.
- Review and approve all contract, leases, grants and other significant financial obligations.
- Review and approve OrPTI's financial report on at least a semi-annual basis, and to review the annual audit.
- Monitor the quality of all services provided by OrPTI.
Member Responsibilities
- Attend all regular and special meeting of the Board of Directors (unless excused). Two consecutive absences without prior notification constitutes grounds for removal from the Board.
- Attend meetings of standing or ad hoc committees on which you serve.
- Actively support the funding of OrPTI's programs by:
- Working on a fund raising project/event as a committee person or assisting with day of event activities, and
- Participating in one fund raising effort annually (such as: making a contribution, attending a function or purchasing and/or selling tickets.
- Foster a positive image of OrPTI by representing the work of the organization to parents, government officials, professionals, and the general public.
- Advocate and defend the rights of children with special needs to quality services and equal access to the benefits of society.
How to Apply
Top of Page
The mission of the Oregon Parent Training and Information Center is to educate and support parents, families and other professionals in building partnerships that meet the needs of children and youth with disabilities.
OrPTI is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
Persons interested in becoming a member of the Board of Directors are requested to complete an application and forward it to the
OrPTI Office, attention "Board President."
Board members serve three-year terms. The Board meets every other month. Various committees meet in between the full Board meetings.
OrPTI encourages people representing diversity of a racial, cultural, geographic, disability or socio-economic background to apply. If you need any accommodations as an applicant or Board member, please contact the
OrPTI office.
Nominating Process and Expectations:
- Names of potential Board members will be solicited from staff, current Board members,
OrPTI members and donors, educational institutions, agencies and other community members.
- The Board Membership committee will review the applications and bring recommendations to the full Board for a vote.
- All applications will remain on file in the OrPTI office. If you are not selected for a Board position when you first apply, you will be contacted when openings occur to determine your continued interest and invited to reapply.
- Board members will be expected to participate as a member of at least one Board designated committee and to participate in
OrPTI functions during the year. Board members are expected to attend four Board meetings each year, and other committee meetings as necessary.
Top of Page
updated 11-4-07
|