Districts & Directors
Susan Knudsen Obermeyer – Board President
Oakridge District
Email the Oakridge District Director
Occupation
Retired from United States Forest Service as Operations Staff Officer overseeing Timber, Silviculture, and Special Forest Products.
Educational Background
- Attended Elementary and High School in the Oakridge School District
- Attended some college at Lane Community.
- Completed many classes through the Forest Service in leadership, teamwork, and interpersonal skills.
- Certified National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Cooperative Director Certificate
- National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Board Leadership Certificate
- National Rural Electric Cooperative Association “Gold Certificate” for continuing cooperative education.
Cooperative Roles
- Currently Board President, Lane Electric Cooperative
- Board Member, Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association
- Budget Committee, Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association
- Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer, Lane Electric Cooperative
- Audit Committee, Lane Electric Cooperative
Civic & Public Affairs
- Treasurer and Board member for the non-profit Southern Willamette Solutions and the following committees:
- Oakridge Air and Ambassador
- Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative
- Project specific committees
- Implementation Advisory Committee for watershed projects
- Recreation committee
- Oakridge Fire Safe Council
- Highway 58 Herald, an on-line local newspaper that stretches from Cresent to Pleasant Hill. Treasurer
- State Forestry Advisory Committee to provide advice on the program of work.
- Oakridge/Westfir Museum Board
- Delivery Angel for Positive Community Kitchen to bring healthy food to folks going through health crisis due to life-threatening illness.
- 30+ years of coordinating and organizing Senior Citizen’s Christmas Baskets
- 12 years on the Oakridge School Board
- Oakridge Tree Planting Mini Olympics.
- Forest Service Scholarship Committee
- Oakridge/Westfir PTA and Booster Club
- Prior to becoming Management in the Forest Service, served as Union Representative and Treasurer for the Forest Service Union.
Kathy Keable – Vice President
McKenzie District
Email the McKenzie District Director
Occupation
Retired from: Teacher at McKenzie Elementary, Special Uses Coordinator at McKenzie Ranger District, Site Manager at HJ Andrews Experimental Forest (each 13 years)
Educational Background
- BS Education, University of the Pacific 1971
- MS “Outdoor Education,” Southern Oregon College 1973
- Hitchhiked to Peru, trekked in Nepal and bicycled Athens to Amsterdam, sailed in Galapagos
Civic & Public Affairs
- Started McKenzie Outdoor School 1980
- Appointed to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) Salmon Trout Enhancement Board (Education Chair) by Governors Goldschmidt and Atiyeh.
- Served on EWEB’s Citizen Review Committee for Leaburg and Walterville Hydro Projects
- Elected to McKenzie School District’s Board of Directors in 1998
- Appointed to Lane County Budget Committee for 2 years
- Co-founded the McKenzie Education Foundation 2000 – current board member
- Completed Ford Family Foundation Leadership and Community Ambassador training
- Co-created Canopy Connections so middle schoolers could climb 80 feet up an old-growth tree
- Currently on the Board for the Upper McKenzie Community Center
- Elected to Lane Electric Board 2014
- Certified Co-op Director
- Continuing Education Gold Director
- Board Secretary and Vice-Chair
- Scholarship Committee Chair
Chris Seubert – Secretary/Treasurer
Central District
Email the Central District Director
Occupation
Retired for 33 years from Qwest Communications, Ikoso Kits, manufacturer of educational toys
Educational Background
I’ve completed all of the required education and have been certified as a Credentialed Cooperative Director through the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). In addition, my continuing education, attendance at conferences, and participation on a variety of industry-related committees have helped prepare me for the challenges facing our co-op.
Civic & Public Affairs
- Eugene-Springfield Chamber of Commerce Leadership Steering Committee
- Past member of United Way of Lane County Resource Allocation Committee
- Edgewood Elementary School classroom volunteer
J. Ingrid Kessler – Director
Central District
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Occupation
Veterinarian, Retired
Educational Background
- Cornell University: Bachelor of Arts degree in Classics
- Stanford University: Graduate work in Classics
- Michigan State University: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
- Certified Cooperative Director
- National Rural Electric Cooperative Association “Gold” for Coop Continuing Education
- National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Board Leadership Certificate
Cooperative Roles
- Oregon Director, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
- Chair, Action Committee for Rural Electrification, Oregon
- Government Affairs Committee, Oregon Electric Cooperative Association
- Joint Task Force on Governance and Ethics, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation
- Vice President and Secretary, Lane Electric Board of Directors
- Scholarship Committee, Lane Electric Board of Directors
Civic & Public Affairs
- City Club of Eugene, Treasurer, Board of Directors
- Lane Community College, Scholarship Reading Team
- Oregon Community Foundation, Climate Change and Healthy Habitats Group
- Kids FIRST, President, Board of Directors
- Lane County, Multi-Disciplinary Team for the Prevention and Intervention of Child and Animal Abuse
- Greenhill Humane Society, Board of Directors
- Eugene Chamber of Commerce, Local Government Affairs Council
- Rotary International, Downtown Club
- Eugene Science Center, Board of Directors
Krissi M. Martes – Director
Row River District
Email the Row River District Director
Occupation
Retired Police Sergeant
Educational Background
Bachelor’s Degree from Portland State University
Civic & Public Affairs
Former State Director for the Law Enforcement Torch Run — Special Olympics. Retired Law Enforcement Officer – 29 years of service. As a police officer, worked a variety of assignments — Patrol, Violent Crimes, Background Investigations, Bomb Squad, Bike Patrol, Crowd Control Team and Campus Sergeant
Joy Olgyay – Director
Central District
Email the Central District Director
Occupation
Retired (2007). Now, hay farmer.
Educational Background
MBA, Finance
Civic & Public Affairs
Budget Committee, LCOG, AARP Tax Aide, Ambassador, Eugene Chamber of Commerce, President, Financial Women’s Association of San Francisco
Paula J. Brown – Director
Oakridge District
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Occupation
Management Consultant with a Focus in Governance, Risk, & Internal Controls
Educational Background
- Central Oregon Community College: 1990 to 1993
- Portland State University: Bachelor of Science in Finance, Minor in Economics, 2000
- Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and Certified Risk Management Consultant (CRMA) accredited through the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), an international professional organization
Civic & Public Affairs
- Shareholding member, Circle Bar Golf Course, Oakridge, OR
- Project lead for Stop Oregon Litter & Vandalism (SOLV) volunteer since 1997
- Company liaison for Women Energy Network, fostering career development for women in the industry
- Vice President, The Associates, BPAs Federal Employee Welfare Non-Profit, 2012 to 2013
- Founder & Treasurer, Buffalo Flats Townhomes Owners Association, 2006 to 2013
- Strategist & Writer for United Coalition of Black Pilots for Diversity & Inclusion, 2010 to Present
- Portland Community Garden Manager, 2001 to 2003
- Co-Treasurer, TriMet Employees Fitness Facilities Non-Profit, 2001 to 2003
- Institute of Internal Auditors, 2000 to Present
- From Business Manager to Editor of The Broadside college newspaper at Central Oregon Community College, 1990 to 1993
