1000 Friends Board of Directors

President
Charlie Swindells
Attorney, Portland

Charlie is a third generation Oregonian and long-time Portland resident. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of the Pacific and his J.D. from Northwestern School of Law. Charlie was a staff attorney for 1000 Friends from 1993 to 2002. Now in private practice, he specializes in land conservation and development law, and is an active member of our Cooperating Attorney Program. He is also a small woodlands manager. Charlie serves on several social service, conservation and arts boards.

 

Vice President
Tom Keffer
Community Activist, Hood River

Tom represents the fourth generation of Keffers to live in the Northwest. He received a BA in Biology and Physics from Cornell University, and a Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography from Oregon State University. From 1980 to 1985, he worked at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, first as a postdoctoral Fellow, later joining the faculty. In 1985, he taught at the University of Washington. In 1989 he co-founded Rogue Wave Software, Inc., becoming its Chairman, President, and CEO. By the time he retired as CEO in 1998, the public company had grown to nearly 300 employees with revenues of over $44M. He was selected Oregon Technology Entrepreneur of the Year in 1997.

 

Secretary/Treasurer
Sang Ahn
CPA, Portland

A native of Korea, Sang spent a few years in Hawaii before deciding to call Oregon “home.” He earned his BS degree from Hawaii Pacific University and his MS from Portland State University. Sang is a CPA with McDonald Jacobs, PC, providing accounting services and tax advice to small to mid-size privately held companies and non-profits. He also volunteers with Artists for the Arts, an organization that helps fund arts education in Oregon. His over-arching concern is securing a bright future for the next generation, including his own two children.

 

John V. Allcott III, MD
Physician, Eugene

John and his wife, Beth Hunt, arrived in Oregon “for 8 months” in 1978, and never left. He has practiced internal medicine in several Lane County communities, now with offices in Eugene and Veneta. Opposed to the West Eugene Parkway, John created a non-profit to study threatened plant and butterfly species in the path of the proposed road. Failure of that road project gave birth to the West Eugene Collaborative, a group which seeks to address transportation issues; he is a member. John also serves on the boards of Lane Independent Private Practitioners and Cease Fire Oregon.

 

Nancie Peacock Fadeley
Community Leader, Eugene

As State Representative from 1971-1981, Nancie chaired the House environment committees. Legislation reported from those committees included SB 100, the bill that created the raison d’etre for 1000 Friends. A free-lance journalist, with an MA in Journalism from the University of Oregon, Nancie specializes in articles about Oregon history and environmental issues. Other activities include long-time service on boards at all levels: local, national, and international. She is now retired from the University of Oregon where she was public affairs director for KWAX (formerly an NPR radio station) before becoming Assistant Vice Provost.

 

Steve Gutmann
Portland

Steve spent his early years in Switzerland and Quebec, and was 8 years old when his family moved to Oregon. One of four children, he spent many summer vacations camping and hiking throughout the Pacific Northwest. Since earning his BA from Dartmouth College, he has helped grow several businesses that are both profitable and environmentally beneficial. He has held business development roles for ShoreBank Pacific, Flexcar, Green Leasing, LLC and EcoSecurities. He is currently with EcoSecurities, a leading developer of greenhouse gas reduction (i.e. "carbon offset") projects for the international and domestic carbon markets. Steve is married with two young daughters, lives in Portland, and also serves on the board of Focus the Nation.

 

Kurt Koehler
Business Owner, Hillsboro

Kurt is CFO and co-founder of Kryptiq Corporation, the leading provider of next generation connectivity solutions for healthcare. Prior to Kryptiq, Kurt spent 20 years at Intel in a variety of roles including finance, product marketing, general manager, plant manager and director of internal application development. Kurt received a BA from Stanford in 1977 and an MBA from Wharton in 1981. Kurt and his wife Mary live in downtown Hillsboro where they raised seven children. Kurt is a founding board member and past president of the Hillsboro Schools Foundation and a board member of the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce.

 

Eric Lemelson
Vintner, Dayton

Eric moved to Oregon in 1979 from the East Coast to attend Reed College. It took two years to realize that Oregon was his permanent home. After a series of political jobs, he attended Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College studying environmental and natural resources law, obtaining his J.D. in 1992. In 1995, he planted several acres of Pinot noir and Pinot gris on his small farm, becoming a full-time winegrower and winemaker several years later. Lemelson Vineyards owns and manages 115 acres of wine grapes at six sites in Yamhill County; the winery is located three miles east of Carlton.

 

Nolan Lienhart
Urban Designer, Portland

Nolan is an Urban Designer with Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects, where he specializes in mixed-use and transit-oriented development. He left Portland to attend Colgate University, where he developed a passion for urban planning, and a desire to return to help protect Oregon's world-renowned reputation for livable communities and environmental stewardship. On the way home, he stopped to work as a policy assistant to Congressman Earl Blumenauer in Washington, DC, and earned a Master of City Planning and a Certificate of Real Estate Design and Development at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design. Nolan also serves on the boards of the Bus Project and the Center for Innovative School Facilities.

 

Elisabeth L. Lyon
Community Activist, Portland

After earning her BA in Art History from Mt. Holyoke College and a Masters Degree in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, Elisabeth did post-graduate work in growth management. She has experience as a professional planner in Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina and Oregon. Elisabeth has served on many non-profit boards; she is currently chair of The Library Foundation (Multnomah County, Oregon) and a board member of Pathfinders International.

 

Mike McCarthy
Farmer, Hood River

Mike was born and raised on a small farm in Roseburg.  After obtaining both a BS and MS in agriculture from Oregon State University, Mike went on to earn his a PhD from the University of Michigan.  He and his family returned to the Hood River Valley in 1980 to expand the family farm that his grandfather settled in 1910.  Mike has served on the 1000 Friends of Oregon Farm Advisory Committee before joining the board of directors in 2010.  Mike has also served on the Hood River Valley Residents Committee, the Hood River Grower Shipper Association, the Crystal Springs Water District Board of Directors, and Middle Fork Irrigation District Board of Directors. He is also currently serving on the Parkdale Valley Land Trust Board.

 

Denyse C. McGriff
Planner, Oregon City

Informed by her experience as Principal Planner for the City of Oregon City, Denyse McGriff is currently a project manager for the Portland Development Commission. She previously worked with the Deschutes County Planning Department. From 1982 to 1989, Denyse chaired the State Citizen Involvement Advisory Committee of the Land Conservation and Development Commission. On the 1000 Friends Board since 1988, Denyse served as President from 2000-04.

 

Lou Pepper
Business Owner, Bend

Lou is a partner in the Seattle based real estate development company, Pine Street Group LLC, which develops and manages commercial properties in downtown Seattle. He has over 25 years experience in commercial real estate development including office, retail, mixed use, hotel and apartment projects. His career has focused on large, urban projects. Lou has a degree in English from the University of Washington and is an avid skier and cyclist.

 

Ben Unger
Community Activist, Portland

Before becoming the Executive Director of the Oregon Senate Democratic Leadership Fund, Ben was the Field Director for the Yes on 49 campaign. He has also managed John Kroger's winning Attorney General Campaign and served as his Chief of Staff at the Department of Justice.

 

David L. Vernier
Business Owner, Portland

David is a former high school physics teacher who came to Oregon in 1973 and stayed because he appreciated the state's progressive positions on land use, the bottle bill, and beach access. Dave and his wife, Christine, started a business producing software and sensors for science teachers. This company is now a nationwide leader in the field of data acquisition in science teaching and has been on the "Best Place To Work in Oregon" list for the last six years. He is Immediate Past Chair of the OMSI Board of Directors and current board member of YES (Youth Exploring Science).