Cathy Rodgers, Chair

After nearly 40 years with IBM as vice president, global engagements, Cathy returned to the Applegate Valley, where she has had property on the Applegate River for almost 30 years. She has been recognized as Woman of the Year in California for her work in disaster preparedness, featured in the New York Times for her role with minority suppliers, and has worked with the US State Department on women, youth, education, and entrepreneurism around the world. Cathy has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro and is the first mother-daughter team to run a half marathon on all seven continents. She is co-founder of Rooted in Hope, a nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental conservation and sustainable development. She currently serves on the board of the Applegate Partnership & Watershed Council and the Applegater Newsmagazine. Cathy holds a master’s degree in hazard management and community service, an MBA,  and is currently completing her PhD in environmental policy.

Sonya Prislac, Treasurer

A native of Massachusetts, Sonya has spent most of her time in the sunny Applegate Valley.  Having lived in Ruch for the majority of her upbringing, she had the pleasure of going on many hikes in the valley and discovering just what makes this area so desirable.  She continued her studies at Southern Oregon University with a focus in Music Education and Performance and brought her knowledge to the Portland Metro area.  While residing in Washington County, she established a thriving business helping students young and old become enthralled with their musical abilities.  Concurrently, she was also immersed in the Accounting world and had the benefit of being employed as a bookkeeper with some of the biggest companies in the region.  She recently returned to Jackson County and enjoys having her three kids attend ROCS, knowing they will get to experience all that this incredible Valley has to offer!

Janis Mohr-Tipton, Board Member and Park Enhancement Program Chair

Janis grew up in rural northern Oregon as a fourth generation member of her farming family near Helvetia. After she graduated from Oregon State in both forestry and nutrition/dietetics in 1975, she moved to southern Oregon and entered into US Forest Service work at Star Ranger Station. There she met her future husband and, after a few years in forest work, they began raising their family (three children). She also began volunteering in the local community and hasn’t stopped. In 1979, she first volunteered with, and then worked for, the Jackson County Libraries, and still does early literacy storytimes for 0 – 3 year olds at Ruch and Central Point Libraries. Janis has volunteered with Friends of the Ruch Library for many years; is a SMART coordinator and reader at Ruch School; annually serves as a community judge for senior high school projects; joined the Applegate Valley Garden Club, and started the Senior Shoebox Project with the members of our local seniors.  In 2016 she proposed a Monarch Butterfly Garden at Cantrall Buckley Park and then joined the Park Committee to help with several projects and coordinate volunteer work with SOLVE. This newest volunteer work brings her full circle to what she trained for in forestry: natural resource management with an emphasis on education for all age groups and outdoor learning centers. When she wants a quiet moment and reflection time, she gardens, does beadwork, or drumming. “Serving in my community is my passion, and it makes my heart sing. I have so many interests in the world around me, and I get to share, listen, mentor, and learn.”

Paul Tipton, Vice Chair

Paul Tipton has lived in the Applegate Valley over 45 years and has worked locally doing forestry work, farming, vineyard management, construction, and custom woodworking. Since retiring he has volunteered with the SMART reading program for 10 years, helped distribute food for ACCESS, judged senior projects at South Medford High School for 20 years, was president of the Applegate Community Grange for four years, and is a long-time board member and current president of the McKee Bridge Historical Society. He has many years of past involvement in environmental activism with positive results, and has grant writing and nonprofit organization knowledge and experience thanks to the nonprofit leadership conferences sponsored by the Oregon Community Foundation and The Ford Family Foundation. His ongoing desire through life is to help benefit the community and, as a poet and veteran, to seek peace and equality for all.

Alison Hensley Sexauer, Secretary

Born and raised in the high country of the Angeles National Forest, to a family that owned and operated 8 campgrounds and a small ski resort, Kratka Ridge. In 2000, she moved to Santa Barbara to attend UCSB where she graduated with a BA in Global Studies and Spanish Literature.  From there Alison found herself in the midst of global travels and Farmers Markets, where she spent the next decade-plus of her life managing markets for Peacock Family Farms and Roots Organic Farms. In 2010 she Co-founded the Santa Barbara SOL Food Festival, with a mission to inspire, empower and promote local food and farming transformation.  In 2012 she co-founded Lucidity Festival as the Food and Sustainability Director of the LLC.

All in all, she has spent the last 15 years developing a passion for creating sustainable food culture through education, inspirational events and talks, and empowering herself and others to live into the change they see is possible.  She believes that food is the universal common denominator and a powerful agent of change. She is committed to creating, supporting, and growing businesses and community endeavors whose mission is towards creating a more sensible, regenerative, and just human and non-human presence on the planet.

Alison and her husband Tim moved to the Applegate Valley at the end of 2016 and she has thoroughly enjoyed working with and meeting a new region of food-lovin’ folk and tasting the bounty that Rogue Valley has to offer.

Rich Halsted, Board Member

Rich Halsted was born and raised in the Tangent, Oregon area.  Rich met his wife Kellie while at Oregon State and, following a career with the Marines, they settled near where Kellie grew up in Applegate, Oregon.  After retiring from the Marines, Rich worked for several organizations before focusing on volunteering within the community.  Rich is active with several organizations including the Applegate LIONS Club and Three Rivers School Board.  He formerly was on the Board of Directors for Applegate Fire District.

Seth Kaplan, Executive Director

Seth Kaplan has assumed strategic leadership roles in nonprofit, government, community, corporate, and small business settings for more than 30 years, with a focus on aligning resources with needs and opportunities across systems and sectors for greater impact.  Significant accomplishments have included working with a team of youth and government agencies to build a 13-acre youth complex, leading a four-year community visioning project in an unincorporated area, and aligning human priorities within a county budgeting process. He is currently exploring strategies to find more time to enjoy the beauty and magic of the 20 acres of Applegate Valley he shares with his wife, Lily, dog Shayna, and cat Sweet Pea.  Seth is a member of the Jackson County United Way Public Policy Committee and has been a Core Community Invest Fellow and Board Member of CompassPoint Nonprofit Services and Center for Community Benefit Organizations.

Ashley Bradfield, Network Coordinator

Ashley grew up in the Washington, DC area and has been involved in non-profit work since her teenage years.  She has lived in seven states and loves to travel both domestically and internationally.  She settled in Southern Oregon five years ago and has been a resident of the Applegate for three years.  Ashley does a wide variety of work locally.  She is a vineyard manager, co-chair of the Community Engagement Committee for Women in Wine-Oregon and fitness instructor and digital communications manager for a local health and fitness Club. She also started her own non-profit last year, Grateful Givings, which focuses on filling community needs, fundraising and volunteer recruitment in Southern Oregon.

Ashley graduated with honors from New York University with a B.A. in Arts in Education for Healing and Social Change, where she focused largely on criminal justice reform, creative arts healing and youth development.  She continued her post-graduate work in various East Coast cities through Temple University’s Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, the Mural Arts Program and For Love of Children, amongst other organizations.  She is excited to bring her experiences in urban areas to her home in the Applegate!

In her (rare!) free time, she loves to hike, play fetch with her Toy Aussie, Pearly, visit local wineries and breweries and see live music.

Tiff Ortamond, Communications Coordinator; Administrative Manager

Tiff was raised in Texas and relocated to Southern Oregon in 2018. Upon the completion of her military enlistment, Tiff moved from Virginia to California to complete her undergrad work in Environmental Science from Pitzer College. During her studies she was awarded the Yellow Ribbon scholarship for veterans. As well as, the Udall Scholarship and Napier Fellowship which focused on her work in community led watershed monitoring and education.

Tiff has traveled extensively internationally and nationally. Her inspiration for community centered, place based work stems from her years enlisted in the Army and her experiences while abroad. Throughout her academic study and upon completion Tiff gained a breadth of experience in non-profit and government sectors including: sustainability, activism, research, outreach, reporting and facilitation. Currently, she is pursuing her MA in Gender, Spirituality and Social Justice from California Institutes of Integral Studies.

Tiff enjoys spending time with her children, white water kayaking, all things outdoors related and reading. She is thrilled to join the AGA team in support of the Applegate community!