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Meet the RVM Team

Laura Pinney

Executive Director

she/her

Laura Pinney has worked with nonprofit organizations, communities, schools, and individuals across North America, bringing connective practices, and fostering education programs that nourish communities for over 15 years. She has a background in expressive arts therapy, the art of mentoring, community systems, and nature connection. Laura is passionate about building bridges of connection that create meaning for individuals and foster stronger, more resilient communities. A mother of two, and known for her laughter, compassionate questions and deep listening, Laura is thrilled to be able to work with RVM to support our youth to find a true sense of belonging and purpose through their connection to this amazing community.

Email: [email protected]

Kat DeCayette

Programs Director

she/her

I see my journey as an amazing tapestry woven with adventures, memories and meaningful relationships. My daughter—Krista, and my cat, Maji– are central to and inspire my passion to make a difference in the world and help others make a difference in their lives. Teaching, listening, sharing, these are my cornerstones. One of the most rewarding steps on my life path has been as an educator. I taught High School English, where I both empowered and became empowered by my students through the singular gift of education—the willingness to listen, to share and to learn.

Working as Program Director for Rogue Valley Mentoring is natural to my journey. We all have the ability to leave a meaningful footprint—a small gift of ourselves that shapes the world in which we live. It comes down to choice. The choice to care about the legacy we leave and our imprint on the lives around us. As Program Director for Rogue Valley Mentoring, I am afforded the opportunity to work, teach and learn with incredible individuals who care about the youth in our communities, to share knowledge and ways of being that facilitate empowerment and aid in choosing a mindful legacy—that footprint on a path toward meaning and making a difference.

Email: [email protected]

Lynn Chertkov, MSW

Mentor & Youth Support Specialist

she/her

Lynn came to RVM from Washington, D.C., where she devoted her professional life to work with under-served children and their families. Graduating with a Masters in Social Work, she established a cooperative preschool for working parents, and a center that provided after-school and summer programs for children who needed specialized emotional support. Developing programs that boost children and families toward emotional health and well-being have been a driving force in her life.

Living in the Valley, she is finding time to paint, and enjoy theatre and the outdoors, while bringing her background in youth work to RVM. Training and supporting mentors, responding to schools who want to bring mentor circles to students, and facilitating circles enrich Lynn’s life, and that of others’.

Email: [email protected]

Adelaide Gadde

Development Manager

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Adelaide holds a Master of Public Administration in Nonprofit Management and a Master of Art in Curatorial Studies from the University of Louisville. With a background in human service nonprofits, she brings a highly analytical and human-centered approach to fundraising and including individuals in community solutions. Her work focuses on public services, social justice, and developing an equitable future.

Email: [email protected]

Nechelle La Londe-Grimes

Office Manager

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Nechelle (pronounced knee-shell) is from Etna California but came to Southern Oregon in 2005 after experiencing homelessness and is happy to now call herself an official Oregonian. She is a survivor of many things and has never let anything stop her from creating the stable life she always dreamed of.

She became the first person in her immediate family to not only graduate high school but move onto higher education where she graduated from SOU in 2014 with a Bachelors of Psychology and an Associates in Gender, Sexuality and Women Studies in tandem with further education in bully prevention and sexual assault advocacy. She enjoys singing, crafting with friends, going to concerts, getting tattoos, traveling and having down time with her husband and animals Juniper and Meepins.

Email: [email protected]

Chelsea Beeler

Match Program Coordinator

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Chelsea grew up in Medford and is delighted to call this beautiful valley home. She studied at Pitzer College in Southern California, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Studies, with minors in Spanish and Chican@/Latin@ Studies. Before returning to Oregon, Chelsea spent two years living in San Jose, CA, participating in community transformation in the same neighborhood where Cesar Chaves started his community organizing work. Chelsea comes to RVM with years of experience working with volunteers and with children who have experienced trauma and neglect. She believes strongly in the power of community and connection, especially for youth. She enjoys backcountry backpacking, playing with her cats Bash, Frida & French Fry, and renovating her 110 year old home with her husband, Sam.

Email: [email protected]

Carlos Tinoco

Unidos Program Coordinator

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Carlos Tinoco was born just outside of Mexico City and raised in Medford. He received an Associates degree in Media and Design from RCC in 2022.

Carlos found his passion for working with youth during his time as a skateboarding instructor for “SkateDogs” in Long Beach/Orange County, California. Carlos came to RVM to work with youth in a more involved and meaningful way: He was hired as a Lead Mentor in January, 2022, and promoted to Unidos Program Coordinator in October, 2023.

He believes in the power of community, and the importance of uplifting marginalized and BIPOC communities. He knows firsthand the importance of having supportive adults in your life. He works to provide a space where youth feel seen, heard, and supported. Outside of work, he spends his time skateboarding, art and working on my motorcycles

Email: [email protected]

Freddy Banda

Program Coordinator

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My name is Freddy Banda; I was born in Northern California, and raised in Mexico for most of my childhood. I moved back to the U.S. by the age of 9, and I have been living in the Rogue Valley for the past 23 years. I’m bilingual, but Spanish is my first language. I graduated from South Medford High School in 2009. Shortly after graduating, I became a part owner of my family’s restaurant, where I’ve managed to build many relationships with families in the Rogue Valley.

After working for 17 years with my family business, I decided to make a career change to have more family time of my own. I recently joined RVM and look forward to this new journey and mentoring the youth. In my free time I enjoy going on runs, hikes, playing video games, and spending time with my kids having adventures.

Email: [email protected]

Ken Adamson

1:1 Match Mentor

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Ken came to RV Mentoring from Santa Rosa, CA; he has been mentoring young men for over 30 years. His career was in juvenile probation, where he worked as a Counselor in a county residential program for boys and girls in trouble with the law. A particular 12-year-old boy was having an especially hard time, and Ken’s supervisor asked if he would want to spend extra time mentoring him: that young man turned 43-years-old this year. Mentoring became a lifelong passion for Ken that has not diminished with time.

Sayuri Pineda

Lead Mentor

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Sayuri moved to Medford from Mexico with her family at the age of 6, and has lived in the valley since. Before becoming a mentor, she was a caregiver. She enjoys helping people of all ages, and is looking forward to her new journey mentoring and making memories with the youth. When she is not working, she likes to volunteer to share what she has learned about the Bible with others, offering and providing free Bible courses. She enjoys being outdoors, especially fishing with her husband and her two yorkies, Java and Canela.

She calls herself a “plant mom”; as she likes to collect different indoor plants. Other things she likes are calligraphy, painting, drawing, and cooking recipes from different countries.

Email: [email protected]

Jimena Franco

Lead Mentor

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Hi! My name is Jimena Franco; I was born in Mexico and lived there for most of my life, until I moved to the U.S when I was 16. I have been living in the Rogue Valley for the last 5 years. I graduated from Eagle Point High School in 2020 with the Oregon Biliteracy Seal, and since then I have been developing and growing my own small business, creating handmade crafts and jewelry.

I recently joined Rogue Valley Mentoring to pursue another of my interests: working with youth and the community. In my free time, I enjoy going to the library to read, watching weird movies, cooking for my family, and my favorite, making arts and crafts.

Email: [email protected]

Emma Martinez, MSW, LCSW

School-based Mentor Support Specialist

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Emma is originally from Oakland, California and has spent the last 18+ years living and exploring all regions of Oregon. After working and volunteering in various nonprofits in the Portland Metro Area for many years, Emma now calls the Rogue Valley home.

Emma is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who has devoted her professional career to advocating with and for marginalized youth, families, and communities. She possesses a strong commitment to equity, social justice, and social change and is grounded in a firm belief in the responsibility to positively impact her community. Emma’s passion for working with youth is further rooted in active listening, leading with curiosity, strong collaboration, and being playful! She originally became involved with RVM as a volunteer in their 1-to-1 Match Program and joined the Circle Program team shortly after, supporting youth in school settings.

Emma is often found adventuring with her husband and two dogs, Rio and Osa. Camping, cooking, puzzles, creating art, making pottery, and spending time with family are some things she truly enjoys.

Email: [email protected]

Michelle Ignacio

Lead Mentor

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I officially began working with kids in 2021, and ever since, I’ve been deeply inspired by the experience. Mentoring 6th graders at Rogue Valley Mentoring has been incredibly rewarding and has confirmed my passion for guiding and inspiring the youth. I aim to help young people realize that life is what you make of it and to empower them to shape their own positive paths forward.

Email: [email protected]

Meet Our Board

Tom Marks-Ladd

Board Chair

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Tom Marks-Ladd is a husband, father, and friend who lives in Ashland Oregon with his wife and two children. He enjoys yoga, music, mountain biking, and martial arts. He is the Founder of Rogue Natural Foods, the Rogue Valley’s only certified organic food distribution center. Tom is a fierce champion of life and the commitment it takes to focus in the age of distraction. He believes that having the right mix of strength and technique to meet life’s challenges is crucial to being healthy and happy. Recently, after some deeply challenging personal times, Tom shifted his focus into leadership and mentoring work.

Email: [email protected]

Todd Iversen

Board Treasurer

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Todd Iversen joined the Board of Directors in 2016. With over 15 years in various leadership and management roles in the software industry, Todd brings extensive organizational, operational and financial management skills to Rogue Valley Mentoring. Having been the beneficiary of many formal and informal mentoring relationships both in his personal and professional life, Todd is passionate about fulfilling and strengthening the agency’s mission to serve the community’s need for youth mentoring in the Rogue Valley.

Email: [email protected]

Jessica Therkelsen

Board Member

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Jessica Therkelsen is a strategist and human rights lawyer who advocates for the rights of all persons, regardless of migration status. She believes deeply that equitable organizations share power and insert transparency in every process and decision. Jessica currently serves as Director of Legal Protection at HIAS, where she works to ensure refugees have access to their rights, no matter where they are. As the Director of the Pro Bono Justice Program at OneJustice, she organized life changing legal services for travelers trapped by the 2017 travel bans, survivors of 2017 wildfires across California, DACA recipients losing status, and immigrants seeking defense from deportation. As Global Director of Advocacy and Communications at Asylum Access, an international refugee rights nonprofit, Jessica worked closely with leaders in refugee response at the UN – and in the US, Ecuador, Tanzania, Thailand and Malaysia – to advocate for systems, laws and policies that help refugees build a new life. Her work has focused on access to jobs and labor protections for refugees around the world.

Jessica is currently a Tutor at the University of London, and has been an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco, School of Law (USF Law). She received her JD and Honors Certificate in International Law from USF Law, and her BA from the University of California, Irvine. She has been named one of the American Bar Association’s 2016 Top 40 Young Lawyers on the Rise.

Email: [email protected]

Kellie England

Board Secretary

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Kellie England joined the RV Mentoring Board of Directors in 2022 and is excited to work with the organization. Previously, Kellie spent 12 years working with a Sacramento, California-based non-profit, Women’s Empowerment, which focuses on job readiness for homeless women and children. While there, she was a mentor to homeless women, as well as served various Board of Directors positions, including Secretary, Vice President, President, and past-President.

Kellie leads Member Experience at Rogue Credit Union, including branches, the contact center, and remote delivery. She is new to the Rogue Valley, and is enjoying the new landscape. Kellie has over 30 years of experience in financial services. Before Rogue Credit Union, she led the branch network in California and Nevada for Umpqua Bank.

Outside work, Kellie enjoys spending time with her husband and two dogs.

Email: [email protected]

Bea Bacher-Wetmore

Board Member

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Bea came to Ashland in 2015, following 5 years living in Ecuador. With her 2 adopted boys now adults, she still wanted to engage with youngsters. She’s been a volunteer mentor for Rogue Valley Mentoring for a young lady for 3 years now, and is enjoying watching her grow up. Bea decided to also volunteer as an RVM Board Member in Summer, 2023.

Her background is in biology, in biomedical research, and she spent 3 years teaching biology at the high school level in Oakland, California. She continues to share her enthusiasm with her husband in reading, cooking, art, exercising, and tending to their dog and cat.

Email: [email protected]

Anne Williams

Board Member

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Anne has firmly established her roots in the Rogue Valley for over two decades, where she and her family have thrived. Her household includes her husband, Ron, and two daughters, one of whom is a recent graduate of Boise State, while the other is a high school senior. Two loyal canine companions, Toby and Roxy, complete the family.

Professionally, Anne is a seasoned corporate strategist with a diverse background. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, and has had a successful career that spans the fields of insurance, real estate, and tax and accounting. Her multifaceted expertise allows her to see opportunities and potential where others might not.

Beyond her corporate endeavors, Anne finds solace and adventure in two favorite pastimes: crafting and hiking. Her personal goal is to conquer the Oregon Pacific Crest Trail, a journey she eagerly anticipates.

Mentoring is the cornerstone of Anne’s vision for the future. She firmly believes that today’s youth are the architects of tomorrow. She is dedicated to ensuring that the next generation has caring and compassionate adults in their lives, providing the support and guidance necessary to create the best possible future.

Email: [email protected]