Diane Berreth, Chair
Diane Berreth is a leader in the education field and is the former Chief Planning and Policy Officer for the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) in Alexandria, Virginia. ASCD is the largest professional development organization in U.S. education serving over 100,000 members. Diane led the Association's planning, policy, government relations, and public information work. She has international expertise in strategic planning and has initiated and guided strategic planning efforts for ASCD, its affiliates, and numerous not-for-profit organizations. She received her doctorate in education policy and leadership from Indiana University.
Since moving to Orcas Island off the coast of Washington ten years ago, she has served as president of the Orcas Island Community Foundation and sits on several other boards. Diane also consults with non-profit boards both nationally and locally on planning and best board practices.
Hugh M. Grant, Acting Vice-Chair
Hugh is a clinical social worker, an Episcopal priest, and a wilderness guide with a passion for helping people deepen on their psycho-spiritual paths. He offers psychotherapy and spiritual direction at his office in Eastsound, and he is an assisting priest at Emmanuel Parish.
He has a BA in Economics from Davidson College in North Carolina, a Master of Social Work from the University of Georgia, a Master of Theological Studies from Emory University, and a Master of Divinity degree from General Theological Seminary in New York.
He has lived on Orcas Island since 2013 with his husband, Berto Gándara.
Margie Bangs, Treasurer
Margie and her husband, Bill, have a long history with Orcas Island but 'officially' retired here about 5 years ago. “Community service has been an integral part of my life since high school,” Margie says. She is also currently Co-Treasurer (with her husband) of Emmanuel Parish Church in which they are very active, on the MAG (Music Advocacy Group) Board, and also on the Orcas Island Food Bank Board serving as Treasurer.
Judy Scott, Secretary
Judy lives in Olga and serves as a senior partner in the DC-based law firm of James & Hoffman. During her 40-year career in labor law, Judy focused on issues such as the national fight to end growing income inequality, problems affecting women and immigrant workers, and the plight of low-wage workers. She has served on various boards of organizations committed to economic and social justice, such as the National Partnership for Women & Families, Alliance for Justice and American Constitution Society. She retired in 2017 as General Counsel of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
Over her law career, Judy served as legal counsel to several unions, including the United Auto Workers, AFSCME, Teamsters, and United Mine Workers. She graduated from Wellesley College and Northeastern University School of Law, and previously worked for the Frontier Nursing Service in Hyden, Kentucky.
Judy and her husband, Don Stillman, a retired union activist and writer, have been coming to Orcas with their now-grown children, Scott and Sarah, for more than 35 years.
Patricia Benton
Patricia Benton is the Chief Financial and Operating Officer for OPEN Health, Evidence & Access, a UK based health care consulting company. Her experience across private and public sectors yields a blend of management, financial and partnership building skills. Before joining OPEN Health through the merger of Pharmerit International, LP Patricia was the CFO and COO for Pharmerit. Patricia served as Chief Financial and Operating Officer at Salzburg Global Seminar, an international non-profit located in Salzburg, Austria. Earlier in her career she held the position of Vice President for Finance and General Manager at Comsat Corporation, at that time the leading satellite telecommunications company in the US.
Patricia is currently a board trustee for Lincoln School in Providence, Rhode Island, serves on the Investment Committee for OICF, and on the board of OCRC. She holds a B.A. in Economics and French from Brown University and an M.B.A. in Finance from George Washington University. She is also a Certified Public Accountant.
Patricia lives on Orcas with her husband, Bruce, who is actively involved in efforts to build out the electric vehicle infrastructure on Orcas to secure a sustainable future for the island community. Three of her children live in Seattle and the fourth in New York City.
Ryan Carpenter
Ryan Carpenter was raised on San Juan and Orcas Island. After graduating from Orcas High School, Ryan pursued BA degrees in Religion and Sociology at Westmont College. During his years in Santa Barbara, Ryan led a group of student volunteers at the Salvation Army’s homeless shelter.
After returning to Orcas in 1998 to help run the Deer Harbor Inn Restaurant, Ryan continued his graduate studies in philosophy at Trinity Western University in Langley B.C. and received a master's degree from the University of Melbourne in Narrative Therapy and Community Work. Ryan is the pastor of Care and Administration at the Community Church where he oversees the care teams and practices narrative therapy.
Ryan is happily married to Kelly who is a public school teacher. His great joy is being a father of two elementary aged kids.
Carie DeRuiter
Carie grew up in the Midwest, migrated to the SF Bay Area and attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she graduated with a degree in Sociology and a lasting curiosity about individuals and what makes communities work. Early in her career, she was fortunate to join a team of other social scientists, environmental psychologists, and community planners interested in building tools and environments that support and enhance human development. In her position as Communications Director, she and her team worked on campaigns advocating for children’s health and strong families, encouraging energy conservation, recycling, clean water, and pedestrian safety. As a member of the founding executive team, she was instrumental in building a multi-disciplinary consulting firm into a national company.
She has volunteered on non-profit boards focused on art and children in nature, the Orcas Crossroads lecture series, and on a small, private foundation which identified individuals and organizations providing sui generis contributions to their communities.
Carie first discovered Orcas while on a road trip with her husband in 1977. They have had a residence on the island since 1986 and have lived on Orcas full time since 2007.
Donna Gerardi
Donna discovered Orcas during the summer of 2002 while on a kayaking vacation in the PNW, and it was love at first sight. She made the full-time move here with her family in 2010, and became actively involved right away by joining the Orcas Island Public Library Board (during the Books and Beyond expansion project), ran the Orcas Currents science & technology lecture series, and was a member of several community coalitions — one that worked to stop the coal terminal plans at Cherry Point (The Orcas NO COALition) and another that mobilized the Orcas Public Hospital District campaign. She also has been involved with the vacation rental working group, and was a co-owner of Orcas’ first co-working space, 376, from 2015-17.
Professionally, Donna has spent 35 years at the interface of science and policy at the national and state levels. She began her career in Washington, DC at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, followed by a decade in California, and now in the Great State of Washington, where she is the Executive Director of the Washington State Academy of Sciences and works on issues ranging from salmon recovery to COVID-19.
She currently spends more time in Seattle than she would like, but is proficient with videoconferencing technologies. When on Orcas, she’s planning her next big adventure — building a forever house in Deer Harbor.
Steve Jung
Steve Jung has bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of New Mexico (1965 and 1967) and a PhD in educational research from Arizona State University (1969). He earned the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) designation from the international Institute of Internal Auditors in 1991. After 22 years of service, he retired in 2008 as Executive Director of Internal Audit and Institutional Compliance Emeritus at Stanford University and the Stanford University Medical Center.
Steve currently serves on the Boards of the Orcas Island Community Foundation, the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, and the Orcas Community Resource Center. In the past, he has served as a member of the Coffelt Farm Stewards Board and the San Juan County Open Space Advisory Committee.
Steve lives with his wife, Susan Lea McBain, and West Highland White Terrier, Pippin, near the Orcas Island hamlet of Olga. His hobbies generally involve hiking and travel.
Lisa Steckley
Like so many, Lisa's sojourn on Orcas began many years ago with the odd camping or boating stops during vacation. That eventually morphed into the purchase of her home and final move from Portland.
Lisa's career has immersed her in the technology industry. As a serial entrepreneur she is a partner in a couple small companies: 376Tech providing consumer tech support on Orcas and IOJ Travel, providing group tour production services, primarily for travel to Europe. From time to time she also provides consulting services to tier one industry in software related decision processes.
Orcas provided Lisa the opportunity to be of service to the non-profit sector. She was invited to serve on the OICF board in 2014, where she continues today. In her neighborhood, the Home Owners Association elected her as their president in 2013. In addition, Lisa has become a volunteer EMT with Orcas Island Fire and Rescue. She is also a board member for the volunteer fire association.
One of the great things on Orcas is the opportunity to be involved in many different types of activities at once. For Lisa, this has included volunteering for lighting design for plays at Orcas Center and the Grange, facilitating workshops and evenings with the Labyrinth at Emmanuel, sitting in on the VRBO group meetings, and working with Rock Island during its start-up phase in marketing and advertising.