Erin Borla (she/her) is an Oregonian— born and raised in Central Oregon and the granddaughter of Oregon’s own tough mother, Gert Boyle of Columbia Sportswear. For over 20 years, she has worked with and for nonprofit organizations that support rural communities with innovative economic strategies. Her dedication to supporting rural spaces through listening, collaborating and open and honest sharing of ideas helps her elevate community partners throughout her work. Borla holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural sciences from Oregon State University and a master of tourism administration degree from The George Washington University. She completed her professional certificate in Tribal relations from Portland State University’s Mark O. Hatfield School of Government in 2022 and was a Fellow for the National Center for Family Philanthropy. Borla is the host of Funding Rural, a podcast about how philanthropy can better serve rural communities and spark systemic change. Currently, Borla serves as an advisor for Center for Disaster Philanthropy, a member of the Future Council for the Society for Environmental Journalists, a member of the advisory board for the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program managed through the Criminal Justice Commission of the State of Oregon and an advisory member of the Comprehensive Suicide Prevention program managed by the Oregon Health Authority. Throughout the past, she has served organizations such as OSU-Cascades, Sisters Park & Recreation District, Central Oregon Regional Solutions Committee, Oregon 4-H Foundation, OSU Extension Service in Deschutes County and others. She has been a trustee for the Roundhouse Foundation of Sisters, Oregon since 2014 and stepped in as the organization's first executive director in early 2020 at a time of rapid growth for the Foundation. The Roundhouse Foundation, founded by Borla’s mother, artist Kathy Deggendorfer, supports creative solutions across rural communities in Oregon including federally recognized Tribes and historic bands of Native communities that originally called this region home. The Foundation funds at the intersection of their four programmatic areas: arts and culture, environmental stewardship, education and social services. When she isn’t road-tripping with her family, Erin enjoys spending time cheering on her teenagers, hiking with her dog, Sherman, knitting hats for friends and family and enjoying the best new young-adult novel.

Kara’s whole career has been place-based, with chapters in southern California, rural New Mexico, Minnesota, and now in Oregon and Siskiyou County, California. Starting out in nonprofits, she served in numerous roles – writing grants, leading communications, human resources, evaluation and more. Much of her work focused on nonprofit sustainability, the mediation of economic and cultural conflict, and on seeing and understanding how communities effect change. “How can I help someone if I haven’t done it myself?” Joining philanthropy, Kara held fast to building community and getting things done at a time when many funders sought the next evolution of service, strategy and civic engagement. She authored the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s first guide to place-based philanthropy and dove into deep listening with community to align strategy with greater impact at the McKnight Foundation. “How can funders be seen as transformational partners? Money doesn’t always change the equation. We have to figure out our right role and where we can have the most positive contribution.” Part of what drew Kara to The Ford Family Foundation is its commitment to place – and to rural places, which are largely overlooked by national philanthropy. Kara believes that Oregon and Siskiyou have stories and solutions to inform those across our nation who have deep hunger for meaningful, community-driven change. “Having spent much of my childhood in a town of fewer than 500 people in Indiana, this work is a homecoming for me. Engaging the strength, creativity, voice and vision of rural communities is essential to shaping a hopeful future for all of us.”

Nonprofit wrangler. Board border collie. Professional people herder. Some of the titles nonprofit maven Kari Anderson wears running Incite! Consulting, a boutique coaching and consulting practice. What's her niche? Building nonprofits up. From the inside out. What’s her superpower? Kari is a recovering nonprofit executive. During her 20+ years in the field, she served seven nonprofits in Washington and Colorado in various leadership roles. A seasoned board member, she has served on boards in seven states focused on health, athletics and education. Having served as both staff and board, she’s got the scoop on what it takes to run a healthy, vibrant and visionary business, all while having some serious fun! A Montana native, Kari is based in Coeur d’Alene, ID and Jackson, WY. She brings the office and toolkit to her client, and works with nonprofits to support people, increase revenues and rethink strategies to move missions forward.

Jim White joined the Nonprofit Association of Oregon as the Executive Director in October 2012. He is deeply committed to the social change through private action and has worked in the nonprofit sector both domestically and internationally for more than 25 years. Jim has a passion for affecting systemic change in the way that the public, private and nonprofit sectors work together to support and strengthen our communities and civil society. He believes that one of the purest democratic values is having private individuals identify needs and solutions, and lead change in their communities for the greater good. Through NAO, Jim is proud to help build the capacity, leadership and voice of Oregon’s vibrant nonprofit sector. Before joining NAO, Jim worked for Mercy Corps both overseas and in Oregon. He has also worked for the International Organization for Migration and the American Red Cross. He has a M.A. in Eurasian Studies from Indiana University and a B.S. in Engineering Technology from Temple University.

Laurel McCombs brings more than 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector and a passion for the role philanthropy can play in changing the world to her work as a consultant, partner, and trainer. Laurel has worked closely with clients on a variety of topics, including donor retention, development operations, planning, donor management, board development and more. Current and recent clients include the ACLU, Mosaic Medical, Earthjustice, and Cal State Fullerton. In addition to well-received workshops at national conferences, such as League of Conservation Voters and State Voices, Laurel has presented at the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference, AFP Congress, CASE-NAIS, and several local development professional associations. Prior to joining TOG, Laurel worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America where she coordinated capacity-building support to agencies across the country. Laurel has a degree from USC and lives in Damascus, OR.

Lesley is a versatile accounting and finance professional with over 15 years of experience in public and nonprofit sectors overseeing compliance, payroll, bookkeeping, forecasting, audits, and budgeting. She has broad knowledge of policy, research, project management, board development, and community relations. Prior to joining CFO Selections, Lesley was the Director of Operations and Finance at the Latino Network. There she served as a member of the organization’s Leadership Team and managed a $6.8M annual budget. She brings a unique and dynamic perspective to each organization, benefiting from her diverse experiences throughout her career in organizations such as the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Department of Education, and various non-profits throughout Oregon such as Willamette Partnership, Oregon League of Conservation Voters and Bicycle Transportation Alliance.

Jen has spent most of her life working in and with community groups, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies.  She facilitates, consults, and participates with a wide range of groups involved in youth development and education, child abuse and violence prevention, safe shelter and housing for all, and community leadership development.  She has lived in the Bend community for the past 20 years, where she and her husband Tim raised two sons and enjoy the company of extended family. 

Tim Rusk brings over 30 years of nonprofit work experience to his position as Nonprofit Education Specialist at NAO. He was executive director of an early childhood program in Central Oregon and led the organization from start-up, to a well-respected, tri-county program, and through a successful leadership transition when he left after 20 years. He loves learning, helping people succeed, applying best-practices, and being a part of a strong team. He graduated from UC Santa Cruz (go slugs!), has a Masters in Organization Development from Sonoma State University, and believes in the transformative power of working together for the common good.