Staff and Volunteers

Nella Parks

Staff Director

Nella Parks joined Oregon Rural Action as full-time community organizer in the fall of 2009. Now acting as the Staff Director she is responsible for coordinating financial management and fundraising, building and supervising our staff, working with the board of directors and organizing. Nella grew up on small farms outside of Island City and Cove where she took part in every aspect of raising livestock and growing hay. She is “an appreciative beneficiary of Union County 4-H program where she spent 9 years learning about animal husbandry, leadership, public speaking, and most importantly community service. Her experiences in 4-H and growing up in the rural Grande Ronde Valley have guided her choices to attend a land-grant college (OSU) and study water and natural resources, and to return to Eastern Oregon with a degree to participate in and give back to her community. 

Nella states that she works for Oregon Rural Action because, “I love Eastern Oregon, I belong here, and because I have a vision for the future. I want young people like me to return and invest in Eastern Oregon. I want rural Oregon and Oregonians to have a sustainable, productive, and fulfilling economy. I want to maintain our agricultural roots and way of life. I want young farmers and ranchers to have the opportunity to be prosperous and valued in their profession. I want young people to be able to choose to run family operations or become a first-generation farmer or rancher in Eastern Oregon. This will make both our food system and communities more sustainable, just, and livable. I am absolutely grateful and tremendously excited for the opportunity to work for Oregon Rural Action and become knitted back into the Eastern Oregon community fabric.”

Email her at nella [at] oregonrural.org

Anne Terese O'Gwin

Communication Director and Community Organizer

 Anne Terese joined Oregon Rural Action as Communication Director and Community Organizer in late summer of 2011. Raised in Bear Valley just south of John Day, she grew up on small farm where she was involved in every duty and decision of the farms operations- whether sheering sheep, changing battery packs for the solar panels, or determining breeding plans for the Standardbred racehorses they raise. She attended Oregon State University, both in Corvallis and at the Extended Campus in Bend, and has a Bachelor of Arts in Interpersonal & Intercultural Communication.  From college, she ventured out to “see the world” via teaching English in Pozuelo de Alárcon, Spain, during which time she met her (now) husband, Clay. They spent the following year in South Carolina (he's a southern boy) before they eagerly made the move back to Eastern Oregon to make their home. Anne Terese says, “I cannot imagine living out life anywhere else than this side of the state. I am so glad to be home. Here we are, in this beautiful valley, this vibrant and welcoming community, with this incredible organization that stands for everything I hold dear. I am so inspired by what ORA’s members have achieved and what we are working toward, every day I look around myself and think, “How lucky am I, that this is my job?” Consider my sleeves rolled up!”

Email her at anneterese@oregonrural.org

Bridget Callahan

Energy Organizer

Bridget Callahan came to Oregon Rural Action in November 2011 as the new Energy Organizer.  She’s a proud Oregon native, but admittedly not from the northeastern corner.  She arrived in La Grande over one year ago and although she was planning on staying only a few short months, she fell in love with the surroundings and community and has remained since.
When she was fourteen she lived and attended school in England; an experience she later cited as her reason for dedicating her career to one of community service.  She attended the University of Oregon in Eugene and received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.  Since the college days she has kept busy juggling community organizing with world travel.  She’s extremely excited to be working with Oregon Rural Action, an organization she immediately fell in love with.  Bridget says she "can’t wait to dive into an issue she’s passionate about, and to work in the very environment that revitalized the term community for her."

Email her at bridget@oregonrural.org

Debbie Votaw

Blue Mountain Chapter & Food and Farm Organizer

Debbie Votaw joined Oregon Rural Action as the Blue Mountain Chapter/Local Food & Sustainable Agricultural Community Organizer in February 2012. She is responsible for coordinating agricultural sustainability, promoting social justice, and stewardship of our nature resources. She was born and raised in Southern California and moved to La Grande 11½ years ago for the quality of life this valley offers. She studied business at Cal State Northridge, worked as a legal secretary/paralegal in transactional law for 25 years, and owned a bakery.  Her most recent work experience is in social service, providing transitional housing and life skills to low-income, at-risk individuals, educating them to be self-sufficient.

Debbie is thrilled to be working for Oregon Rural Action because, “ORA mirrors the values I live by and have instilled in my children.  To be sustainable in every facet of our lives is a lofty goal.  It begins with our basic need of food, which requires nurturing our land.  The circle of life teaches us to pay attention to mother nature, to what we put in our bodies, and to the legacy we pass on to our children.  These are the values that ORA promotes.  As a community, we can come together to improve and strengthen our quality of life.”

Email her at debbie@oregonrural.org

Mike Thornton

Baker Chapter & Snake River Chapter Organizer

Mike Thornton came to work for ORA in February 2012. He’s worked as a Community Organizer for the Sierra Fund in Nevada City California as well as doing communications and policy work on housing and sustainable development for Housing California and the Sacramento Housing Alliance. Mike  is a former radio journalist, producer and news director for KVMR-FM Radio and has produced nationally and internationally syndicated radio programs addressing issues of social, racial, environmental and economic justice. “I’m very happy to be working with Oregon Rural Action.”, says; Mike. “I believe that sustainable, community led development is the long term answer to the vast majority of the issues we face. I look forward to the opportunity of working with our members on the issues that are important to our interconnected communities.”

Email him at mike@oregonrural.org
 

Gabriela Camacho

Office & Membership Manager

Gabriela joined Oregon Rural Action in February of 2012. Originally is from San Francisco, CA, Gabriela has lived in Union County for just over two years now. "I came to Eastern Oregon with life goals and because of the nature of the area I have been able to accomplish my life’s goals and more!” says Gabriela. Currently an Eastern Oregon University student with a major in English, she also makes time to be an active part of the community and volunteers for many local organizations. She is a board member for the Union County’s Commission on Children and Families, and "values non-profits and what they stand for". We are excited to have Gabriela on board!

Email her at gabriela@oregonrural.org

Nancy Gledhill

Community Organizer, Snake River Chapter

Since its beginning Nancy Gledhill has been an active member of the Snake River Chapter and in late 2009 she changed hats to be its part-time organizer. Nancy has been involved with community organizing off and on since the early 70's when she was a member of the Idaho Citizens Coalition, focusing on stopping Idaho Power's attempt to put a coal fire plant in near Boise, and attempting to get a bottle bill passed in Idaho. She is married to a potter, George, and they have 2 grown children. She enjoys Toastmasters, music, gardening, wildcrafting, and teaching folks about nutrition and gleaning.

Email her at nancy [at] oregonrural.org

Andrea Malmberg

Volunteer Financial Officer

Andrea Malmberg came to Oregon Rural Action as its Executive Director in early 2008 and stepped aside to become an active volunteer in late 2010. She was raised on the land, with animals and real food in the western United States. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture, a Master of Science in Natural Resources, and is a Certified Educator in Holistic Management. Andrea is active in the Slow Food movement. She has twice been a delegate to Terra Madre, Slow Food's gathering of over 5000 food producers from nearly 150 countries and created Wyoming's first Slow Food chapter. She and her husband, Tony, relocated their family's cattle ranch from Lander, Wyoming to Union County Oregon in 2008. Their enterprises, including raising grassfed beef, pastured poultry, making goat cheese and running an agritourism guest business, tie together her passion for great, locally-grown food and conviviality as well as her love of the land and animals and her interest in agrarian traditions.

Email her at andrea [at] oregonrural.org