Board Members
The responsibility of the Foundation’s Board of Directors is to advise, govern, oversee policy and direction, and assist with the leadership and general promotion of the Foundation so as to support the growth of pickleball facilities and programs for the benefit of the public.
Tina Mickelson - President
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.
Laura Anderson - Treasurer
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.
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.
Joel Halberg
Joel Halberg was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon. He grew up playing tennis and became one of the top junior players in the Pacific Northwest, winning the Oregon State Tennis Championship in 2001. In 2021, Joel discovered pickleball and quickly fell in love with every aspect of the game — especially the supportive, welcoming nature of the pickleball community. He currently serves as Director of Sales for a branded products company and has volunteered on multiple non-profit boards. Joel is passionate about giving back and looks forward to helping the Regional Pickleball Complex positively change lives in the community.
Roger Schaljo
Roger has been a passionate advocate for pickleball since he was introduced to the game in 2012. With a degree in Recreation, and experience as a Director of Recreation for a park district, he knew that pickleball was not a passing trend, but a wonderful lifetime sport. He saw people having so much fun, getting meaningful exercise and being enthusiastic about making new friends.
Since then, Roger helped establish the Emerald Valley Pickleball Club, was elected President of the Club, appointed District Ambassador for USA Pickleball, is a Certified Pickleball Teaching Professional, and has introduced over 1,000 people to the game. He collaborated with local municipalities to create permanent courts at Meadow Park in Springfield and Westmoreland Park in Eugene. He also started the pickleball program at the Eugene Family YMCA and Eugene Swim and Tennis Club.
Roger is committed to helping create a new Regional Pickleball Complex that will benefit people of all ages and abilities. His vision for the Complex includes a very active youth movement with middle school pickleball teams as well as High School and University social and competitive play.
When not playing pickleball, Roger enjoys "playing" in his vegetable garden, occasional fly-fishing trips, lawn bowling, and slowing down enough to experience the magic in nature.
Tamara Welch
Tamara brings more than two decades of experience in healthcare operations, community engagement, and volunteer service. She retired from Oregon Medical Group after 20 years, during which she served in several key roles. For five years, she managed the organization’s OB/GYN clinic, where she also coordinated a women’s run that successfully operated for multiple years. In 1998, she transitioned to the back office as a medical assistant in pediatrics, where she continued to support families and clinical teams until the end of her career.
Since retiring, Tamara has remained deeply committed to community service. She donates her time weekly to Bags of Love and has contributed to the Foundation’s mission through two years of service on the committee for the annual fundraising dinner and auction.
Tamara discovered pickleball in 2020 and quickly developed both a passion for the sport and an appreciation for the meaningful relationships it fostered. Although she didn’t grow up playing sports, she has found great joy in healthy competition and in the lasting friendships she has built through the pickleball community.
Tamara’s blend of professional experience, volunteer leadership, and strong community connections reflects her dedication to service and teamwork.
Alan Rexius
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 Achtien
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.