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

Michael Staudinger, President  

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.

Judy Lorenzen, Vice-President

Judy Lorenzen

Judy Lorenzen graduated from Willamette University with a BA in English Literature.  After teaching English at the high school level, she received an MA in Special Ed, Hearing Impaired, from Lewis & Clark University. She began teaching Language Arts at the Oregon School for the Deaf in 1972 in both the Middle and High School Departments, ultimately becoming High School Supervising Teacher, a position she held until her retirement in 2004. She was also Adjunct Professor at both Lewis and Clark and Western Oregon University in their teacher training programs.

Phyllis Reynolds, Treasurer

Phyllis Reynolds is a retired 30-year employee of the Oregon Department of Education, with positions ranging from clerical 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 which enable OSD staff to teach independent living skills to students nearing graduation.  Phyllis is excited to be involved with FOSD to help support the School and the students.

Linda Couoh, Secretary

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.  

Melanie DeLeon, Director

Mel is the Coordinator of Interpreting and Transcribing Services at Portland Community College and is an Oregon Court Certified Interpreter.  She has served with a number of organizations that focus on communication access and diversity issues.  Mel uses her networking skills to improve educational services, employment and health care for Deaf Oregonians.

Su Fennern, Director                                                           

In Su’s pre-retirement position as Procurement Officer at the Oregon Department of Education, she provided guidance and assistance in the purchasing and contracting process to OSD staff.  Her degree in Business from Willamette University’s Atkinson Graduate School of Management, as well as her volunteer service with the Turner Fire District and fundraising events in the community make her a welcome addition to the FOSD board.

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.
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Advisory Council Members

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


Jeb Baldridge

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

Steven Brown

President of Oregon Association of the Deaf.


Mary Bunn

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

Jerry-Curtis

Jerry Curtis

Retired Portland-Area Businessman

John Freeburg

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

Damara Goff Paris

Founding FOSD board member; Associate Professor, Counselor Education, Emploria State University, Emporia, KS


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

Elisa Maroney

Faculty member at Western Oregon University in the undergraduate ASL/English Interpreting Program and Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies

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.

Tom-PfaffTom Pfaff

Retired Independence insurance agent and parent of former OSD student



 

Pam Rimmer

Retired head of psychological services and testing at OSD

Tim Rocak

Chief Executive Officer of Garten Services, Inc.

Roshani Shay Curtis

Parent of former OSD student; past president of FOSD; former Professor of Political Science at Western Oregon University

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Upcoming Events

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Recent FOSD Awards Granted

Incentive Awards

For several years OSD has used the nationally recognized PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support) Program to encourage positive student behavior.  … [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 © 2023 Friends of OSD · PO Box 15053, Salem, Oregon 97309
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