Friends of OSD - FOSD

Enhancing the educational experience for OSD students.

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You are here: Home / About Us / Board & Council

Board & Council

The Friends of OSD nonprofit board currently consists of 8 members and we are actively recruiting additional directors. Get Involved for more information about serving on the Friends of OSD Board.

Monthly Board meetings are usually held at OSD in the NTID Room, Administration/Library Building. Meeting time and day are subject to change in order to accommodate Board members’ schedules. Please check the OSD calendar and the FOSD Home Page/Events for specifics each month. Board meetings are open to the public.

Friend of OSD Board of Directors

Roshani Shay Curtis, President

Roshani Shay

Roshani Shay Curtis, Ph.D., studied Psychology and Political Science at Willamette University from 1960-63. She earned her B.A.(1968), M.A.(1972) and Ph.D.(1974) in Political Science from the University of Oregon. Roshani was a professor of Political Science at Western Oregon University from 1979-2003, where she was named both Teacher of the Year (1988) and Advisor of the Year (1996). Roshani also raised five children. Her youngest and only biological child (born in 1964), Mark Sather, attended OSD for 16 years. Mark is deaf and autistic and now lives a full life in a home in Keizer and as an employee of Garten Services, Inc. Roshani served on the Board of Directors for Garten Services, Inc. from 1989 to 2003 and as its President for several years. In 1995 Roshani was named Oregon’s Board Member of the Year by the Oregon Rehabilitation Association and in 1997 she received an award for outstanding service to the community from the Marion County Health Advisory Board. Roshani has appeared in several international and national editions of Who’s Who. She also served on the Board of Directors for the Connections Program, the Bridges Program and she helped to create, as well as served as an officer for, Independent Opportunities Unlimited, Inc., all of which serve the deaf community.

Bill Moncsko, Treasurer

Bill was awarded a BA from the University of Vermont and an MS in Counseling from Western Oregon University. He completed a Masters Internship at the National Technical Institute For The Deaf in Rochester, New York. Bill has worked as a counselor in a Special Service Project at WOU serving deaf and hard of hearing college students, and as a middle and high school counselor at the Oregon School For The Deaf. While at OSD, Bill has served on various committees, including OSD’s Site Council, written grants establishing Professional-Technical and Service-Learning programs, and given presentations on Transition of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students at deaf education conferences. Since retirement from “active duty,” Bill has continued to serve OSD on a temporary basis as a Transition Counselor, substitute teacher and now as an FOSD board member.

Linda Couoh, Director

Linda Couoh is a former 13-year employee of Oregon School for the Deaf where she served on the Search Committee for the Director of Oregon School for the Deaf and on the Planning Committee for the Future of Oregon School for the Deaf.  She is the former executive secretary to the Oregon State Superintendent of Schools, a position from which she was promoted to Personnel Director of the Oregon Department of Education.  Now retired, Linda is a charter board member and current director of Friends of OSD.  Other nonprofit experience includes Independent Opportunities Unlimited and Northwest Human Services (with programs serving individuals who are deaf or hearing impaired), Willamette Valley Hospice, and A Promise of Health. 

Dr. Elisa M. Maroney, Secretary

Maroney IMG_61842 Elisa Maroney has a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of New Mexico. She maintains ASLTA Qualified Certification, National Interpreter Certificate (NIC), Ed:K-12 certification, and Certificates of Interpretation (CI) and Transliteration (CT) from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. Dr. Maroney has been teaching at Western Oregon University since 1993. Currently, she is coordinating the MA in Interpreting Studies program and is the Project Director for Project Hive, a grant initiative supported by the Office of Special Education Programs that prepares educational interpreters to better serve deaf and hard of hearing children in pre-K through 12 educational programs. She was selected to be one of thirteen Commissioners on the Commission on Collegiate Interpreter Education, joining the first accrediting body for interpreter education programs and the first group of Commissioners in 2006. She served the Commission as President from June 2011 to December 2013 followed by a 2-year term as past president. She spent the 2015-2016 year on sabbatical leave teaching at the University of Education, Winneba, Ghana. She returns to Ghana annually to co-facilitate professional development opportunities for Ghanaian interpreters and educators of deaf and hard of hearing .

Judy Lorenzen, Vice-President

Judy Lorenzen

Judy Lorenzen graduated from Willamette University with a BA in English Literature after which she taught English at North Salem High School and Sunset High School. She then went to Lewis and Clark where she received an MA in Special Ed, Hearing Impaired. Ms. Lorenzen began teaching Language Arts at the Oregon School for the Deaf in 1972. She taught in both the Middle and High School Departments, ultimately becoming High School Supervising Teacher, a position she held until her retirement in 2004. During her career, Ms. Lorenzen was also Adjunct Professor at both Lewis and Clark and Western Oregon University, teaching Methods of Teaching Reading in their teacher training programs.
Damara Goff Paris, Director

Dr. Damara Goff Paris completed a doctorate in Deaf Education and Deaf Studies from Lamar University in Beaumont, TX, and a Masters degree in Rehabilitation Counseling with the Deaf at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Oregon, She is a certified rehabilitation counselor (CRC), aLicensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Kansas, and a nationally certified counselor (NCC). She began her career as the director and lead counselor of the Connection Program, a mental health facility for individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH) and have co-occurring disorders. Dr. Paris’ administrative, counseling, teaching and research experience has provided her with career opportunities in the private, non-profit, state and university fields. These positions have included directing a state-wide telecommunications assistance program, overseeing a national marketing team with Sprint, and directing a doctoral program in Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. Her research interests are diverse and include indigenous, women’s and disability studies, particularly the intersectionality of all three minorities. Dr. Paris has participated in or established research projects about Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation (TR), issues of the Deaf Professoriate, and anxiety of counselors-in-training. A qualitative researcher, she has published several articles regarding cross-cultural implications of being Native American and Deaf. Dr. Paris has also published six books and anticipates a Gallaudet University Press (GUP) book to be published in 2020 on social justice issues around deaf individuals in the criminal justice system. Dr. Paris also serves as the President-Elect of ADARA. She is currently an associate professor and co-coordinator of the Clinical Counseling master’s program at Emporia State University, teaching primarily online. A master reviewer for Quality Matters, Dr. Paris also has a graduate level certificate in eLearning and Online Teaching. She currently resides in Salem, Oregon.

Michael Staudinger, Director                           

    Michael Staudinger is a novelist and  grandparent of two OSD students. He has served as a hospital chaplain and parish pastor (retired), as well as a high-school English teacher. Staudinger also volunteers with the Mid-Willamette Valley Habitat for Humanity as a guest speaker and grant writer.  Originally from Washington state, he and his wife moved to Salem to be close to their grandchildren and support the work of the OSD. When not volunteering, he loves bicycling, cooking, fly fishing, sailing, and theater.

Phyllis Reynolds, Director

Phyllis Reynolds is a former 30 year employee of the Oregon Department of Education, ranging from clerical staff to policy analyst for the fiscal offices at ODE.  Her history of support for OSD ranges from assisting to record and archive student records to setting up Small Purchase Order Transaction System debit card accounts for staff to teach independent living skills to students nearing graduation.  Now retired, she is excited to be involved with FOSD to help support the school and the students.

Teri Staudinger, Director

Teri was born and raised in SE Washington State.  She received her BA in Education from Eastern Washington University, and her M.Ed. from Heritage University.  Throughout her 20+ years of teaching, Teri was involved in the teacher’s union and was eventually elected President of the local, where she served for 5 years. Teri served as the Chair of the Fourth Congressional District Democrats and was an Obama delegate to the National Convention in 2012.  Teri and her husband live in Salem, where she currently is a Field Representative for the Oregon School Employees Association.  They have a grandson in the first grade at OSD and a granddaughter who will attend in a couple of years.

Friends of OSD Advisory Council

In 2014, FOSD created an Advisory Council of 13 members to lend support and advice to the Board of Directors. Members of the Advisory Council make the following commitments:

  • Lend their names to and endorse the work of FOSD
  • Lend their expertise to advise FOSD when needed
  • Participate in projects, events and activities according to their interests and abilities
  • Receive FOSD’s annual and quarterly reports and provide advice, guidance and suggestions for the good of the organization

The FOSD Advisory Council held its first joint meeting with the Board of Directors on April 17, 2014 and generally has one face-to-face meeting a year. If you are interested in joining the Advisory Council, please contact FOSD.
DSCN1830

Advisory Council Members

Meredith-Brodsky

Meredith Brodsky

Teacher at OSD from 1970-73, worked at the Oregon Mental Health Division, Central School District,  retired Professor of Special Education at Western Oregon University

Jerry-Curtis

Jerry Curtis

Retired Portland-Area Businessman

Tom-PfaffTom Pfaff

Retired Independence insurance agent and parent of former OSD student



Larry Austin

Retired Public Information Officer at the Oregon Department of Education

Jill Bailey

Principal at Maplewood Elementary, former Special Education Director at Sherwood School District, Coordinator of D/HH programs for the Northwest Regional ESD


Mary Bunn

Former teacher at OSD and retired Special Education Specialist at Oregon Dept. of Education

Verne Duncan

Former Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dean of Education at University of Portland and State Senator


Chad Ludwig

Current Director of the Research and Resource Center with Deaf communities at Western Oregon University, former President of the Oregon Association of the Deaf

Kevin Marshall

Retired Director of the Rehabilitation Counselor Training program at Western Oregon Univerity, Dallas City Council for 23 years, consultant to Garten Services, Inc.

Pam Rimmer

Retired head of psychological services and testing at OSD

Logan Poyner

Former President of the Oregon Association of the Deaf

John Freeburg

Former President and Founder of FOSD, retired Director of Regional Resource Center on Deafness at Western Oregon Univerity

Tim Rocak

CEO of Garten Services, Inc.


Jeb Baldridge

Graduate of Gallaudet University, 2020-21 President of the Oregon Association of the Deaf, Secretary of OR ASL Teacher Association.

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Upcoming Events

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Recent FOSD Awards Granted

Funding for an E-book Library for Distance Learning

Gayle Robertson requested $2,500 to create a start-up collection of e-books for student and teacher use in distance learning. That amount was approved. This … [Read More...]

Our Mission

IMG_2702The FOSD mission and purpose is to support the enhancement of programs and services for students at OSD beyond the State’s funding responsibility*. The FOSD Board has identified four initiatives for which awards may be granted:  education, cultural activities, innovative programs and minor capital improvement projects.

Founded by a small group of dedicated people in 2006, FOSD was established to support the students at the Oregon School for the Deaf (OSD).  From that beginning, Friends of OSD has grown into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with an all-volunteer Board of Directors. In 2014, FOSD created an Advisory Council of 15 members.

The Friends of OSD Strategic Plan provides direction as the nonprofit continues to expand. We are proud to say that 95% of all grants and donations go directly to programs that benefit students.

*The State of Oregon is responsible for operating programs and services for the students at the Oregon School for the Deaf (OSD). Federal case law establishes the expectation that special education services provided by a school be reasonably designed to ensure students make progress. Friends of OSD will not replace or supplant the responsibilities of the state.

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Friends of OSD is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization · Copyright © 2021 Friends of OSD · PO Box 15053, Salem, Oregon 97309
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