Alicia has served as a community leader for decades, focused on bringing people together to improve conditions locally and statewide. She values the power of teams to create change, blending her love of sport with passion for community. Professionally, Alicia served as Lane County’s Director of Children and Families, and later Director of Health & Human Services, retiring from that position in 2017. Alicia was elected to the Eugene 4j School Board in 2007, where she has served until retiring in 2023. While serving on the School Board, she had the opportunity to serve on, and chair, a number of local campaigns including both those for bond measures and levy measures. She has a strong community network and understands the world of public financing. Alicia is currently serving on the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, appointed by the Governor in 2023.  As a wheelchair pickleball player she has taught adaptive pickleball clinics for Eugene Parks and Recreation. Since retiring, Alicia has been a huge advocate for pickleball and its positive impact on individuals and communities, recruiting new players and advocates to the game.

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Eric worked for 20 years in park, natural area, and recreation management for the City of Eugene, Willamalane Park and Recreation District, and The Nature Conservancy (TNC). He was the Natural Areas and Urban Forestry Manager at City of Eugene, the Assistant Superintendent for Parks, Planning, and Facilities at Willamalane, and the Freshwater Director for TNC Oregon. In these roles, Eric worked collaboratively with other organizations and he planned, designed, and implemented capital improvement projects and successfully managed $10 million grants. Eric has been on the Board of Directors for several nonprofit organizations since 1999, including the Long Tom Watershed Council, Native Plant Society of Oregon, and Emerald Valley Pickleball Club. Eric is currently a professional pickleball player and member of the Seattle United Pickleball Club in the NPL. He also the Pickleball Professional at Eugene Swim and Tennis Club. Eric is dedicated to growing the game of pickleball and is excited about the opportunity to construct new pickleball facilities in the area.

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Laura is an accountant, small business financial consultant, and QuickBooks ProAdvisor. She worked in the IT industry and for several CPA firms before she started her own business in 2008. She was also the CFO for a Landscape Architecture firm for 18 years during that same time. Her passion is helping small business owners understand their finances to help their business be successful.

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Laura was a tennis player for several decades before switching to pickleball when she moved to Eugene. She loves spending time outdoors in Oregon and making new friends through the sport of pickleball. She is excited to be using her financial expertise on the Foundation board to build the new pickleball facility in Eugene.

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Karen Gaffney is a long-term resident of Eugene, graduating from the University of Oregon, building a career and raising her family here, and demonstrating a commitment to community engagement and leadership. After more than 30 years of public service, Karen has recently retired as the Director of Lane County Health & Human Services, leading the County’s largest department, and building strong collaborative relationships with leaders across the community in the public and private sectors. Her work at Lane County included many collaborative capital building projects, leveraging funding from private foundations as well as local, state and federal governmental sources. Karen currently works as a Strategic Consultant for Funk/Levis & Associates, specializing in strategic planning, communications and public relations. In addition to her work on behalf of Lane County, Karen has previously championed the selection, purchase, and funding of a new church building for her congregation, and is currently an active member of Eugene Rotary. After decades of being an avid sports spectator, this year Karen was introduced to pickleball by her close friend, and has enthusiastically been practicing new skills and planning for much more play time during retirement. Karen earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Oregon, and a Graduate Certificate in Public Health from Oregon State University. 

Roger served for nine years as Recreation Director of the Quincy Illinois Park District. During that time, he developed a Community Education program that resulted in collaboration between the Community College, Park District, and School District to share facilities and joint programs. He also worked with other staff to plan and develop an 80-acre, multi-million-dollar Park. I and successfully wrote a grant to attend World Congress on Philanthropy and made presentations to Community organizations on fundraising. Roger has been on the board of directors of other organizations, is the founding President of the Emerald Valley Pickleball Club, and is a USA Pickleball District Ambassador. Roger is committed to helping create a new facility that will meet these needs and one that we all will be proud of.

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Tina is a proud native Oregonian and a 1980 graduate of the University of Oregon.  Following her graduation from Oregon, she enjoyed a successful career in the marketing and advertising industry. Tina’s passion is working with people and watching them become successful, as well as seeing their dreams become a reality.

Finding pickleball truly has been a life-changing experience for Tina. After many years of tennis in both high school and college, along with years of league competition, Tina retired from tennis in 2014. It wasn’t until running into a longtime friend and former Oregon teammate at the dog park that she learned about pickleball, and Tina hasn’t looked back.  She can be found playing at facilities all around Lane County! Meeting people, playing pickleball, and laughing with them on the courts is the main draw for her! She is absolutely thrilled to be a part of the Emerald Valley Pickleball Foundation and the efforts being put forth to build a regional complex at LCC. 

Alan is part of five generations to grow up in Eugene. He has four married children and 12 young grandchildren. He attended public schools in Eugene, including Francis E. Willard Elementary, Spencer Butte Junior High, South Eugene High, and the University of Oregon. After his undergraduate years, he went on to receive accreditations from the Wharton School of Business (UPENN) and Stern School of Business (NYU). Alan worked 20+ years at Rexius Inc, ending as Senior Vice President, before transitioning to becoming a financial advisor within one of the world’s largest global banks. He eventually left this large company to co-found the independent firm of “Sapient Private Wealth Management LLC”, from which he retired 4 years ago. Alan remains the Chairman of the Board for Rexius Inc. As a multi-sport athlete, Alan has experienced most types of competitions, but he enjoys the inclusiveness of pickleball the best and wants to partner in making Eugene “pickleball central” of the Pacific Northwest!

Chris’ experience has been in healthcare management, where he spent the last 30 years managing cancer centers throughout the United States. His areas of expertise include nonprofit and healthcare management, key decision making, creating high-performing work teams, process improvement, creating financial stability through short- and long-range planning and developing strategic partnerships to ensure the long-term success of the organization.  In addition to working in the private sector, Chris has over 12 years of experience working with non-profit organizations. He presently serves on the Planning and Design Committee and Major Gifts Committee for the Emerald Valley Pickleball Foundation. Chris is an avid pickleball player and hopes to increase the quality and quantity of Pickleball facilities in the Eugene/Springfield area.

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