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Jean Rosenbaum
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR A Portland native, Jean graduated with a master’s degree in counseling and has 38 years of experience in medical PR, marketing, advertising, management, and non-profit board development. In addition to founding and growing 3 successful companies, Jean was PR Director at Holladay Park Hospital and Business Development/PR consultant, then Director of Marketing for Signature Hospice. In July of 2010, she incorporated the Pacific NW Hospice Foundation to meet the unfulfilled wishes and dreams of hospice patients in the Pacific Northwest. In 2018 Jean spearheaded the change of growing the Foundation to become Gifted Wishes. |
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Paula Jordan
PRESIDENT Paula is a Portland native, Graduated with a BA in Human Development/ECE from Oregon State University, then received her teaching certification from Warner Pacific College. As she was job hunting for a permanent teaching position she was offered a job at a local insurance company that insured local banks and credit unions. She fell in love with accounting and has been working as the Accounting and Claims Manager for over 20 years. She also was on the Credit Union Women’s Association board as their Treasurer. Paula is also almost finished with her second degree in Accounting from Linfield College. She spends most of her spare time taking care of her family and enjoys traveling |
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Greg Childs, MBA
TREASURER I am a Financial Consultant with Charles Schwab. I am an MBA and a Certified Financial Planner. I am a husband and a father. Gifted Wishes champions a cause that is important to myself and my family. Both of my Grandmothers experienced Hospice. It was an emotionally challenging time for myself and my family but I will never forget that time period. As a family we were able to say goodbye and make peace with the transition ahead. For each person and each family that process of saying goodbye can be different but all people should have the opportunity to find that peace at the end of their lives. I want to do my part in helping others in this critical part of life and working with Gifted Wishes is a way for me to make a positive impact on the lives of others. |
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Gina Spanu
SECRETARY Gina is a Portland Native, with a Master of Arts in teaching degree from George Fox University and Bachelor of Science in Child Development and Family Studies from Portland State University. Gina teaches preschool and is the compliance director for an early childhood development center. She is also the speech and debate coach for a local high school. Gina has served as a volunteer on the gala committee with registration and silent auction help for two years. She will lead the registration volunteers for the 2019 gala as well as co-chair the auction. She brings 10 years of experience in auction planning and fundraising experience. Gina has been a member of the development committee since 2016. Gina brings a passion for fundraising, building connections within our communities to share the vision and presence of Gifted Wishes. |
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Deborah Wardrop-Threadgill
Deborah has resided in the Pacific NW (Seattle & Portland) for almost 40 years and has had many occupations since getting her BA in Sociology and Psychology from Rider University in New Jersey. She believes that her role as co-owner of Threadgill Memorial Services and as a funeral service practitioner is the culmination of that journey. Deborah & Ron have always loved helping people and believe that this is more than a business; it’s a calling. They have been entrusted to care for families at the most tender, most difficult, the most stressful time of their life. |
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Sheda Dikeman
Sheda Dikeman is the Administrator of Serenity Home Care which is a family owned and operated comprehensive in-home care agency. Building off of her family's 12 years of experience in the Caregiving industry, Sheda founded Serenity Home Care in 2014 and continues to manage the daily operations. Sheda believes that Caregiving is a true life calling for herself and her family as they have invested their whole lives to the growth and well-being of their family, Clients, and Caregivers. Sheda's motto is "The harder I work, the more efficiently I work, the more I can provide not only to my family but the more I can provide to my Clients, and the more I can provide to my Caregivers and their families." Sheda is honored and extremely excited to have the opportunity to work with Gifted Wishes and continue to make a difference in the lives of hospice patients by being an active participant in the change she wants to see in the world. |
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Carolyn Reynolds
An Oregon native Carolyn brings her passion for sharing the hospice philosophy and her career in marketing to the Foundation. Past Honor the Journey guests will have had the opportunity to see Carolyn in action as she has been an active Board Member and Gala volunteer for over four years. When she's not donating her time to the work of Gifted Wishes, she is outside enjoying the The Columbia Gorge or an afternoon downtown. |
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Tim Minks
I am a 31 year old devout husband and father of two beautiful daughters. While I originated from Lake Tahoe, CA, I have spent most of my life in Oregon and call it home. I graduated from Western Oregon University in 2010, where I found my passion to serve people and began my path into healthcare and have done so for the last 10 years. My first job out of college was a caregiving opportunity with Signature Home Care in Medford. I had been awarded the opportunity to serve the people of a lost generation and found my calling. I was blessed and given opportunities to grow within the Avamere family of companies serving in marketing roles and multiple Administrator roles, Currently serving as the Regional Director of Operations for Avamere. Throughout this time, I have found a true passion working with people at the end of their journey. The Gifted Wishes foundation has touched my heart in a way that is beyond words. I stand by the vision of such a passionate organization and am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of a great organization. |
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Ron Threadgill
Ron has resided in the Pacific NW for almost 30 years. Co-owner of Threadgill’s Memorial Services, he has nearly twenty years of experience as a funeral director helping families successfully navigate this time in their lives. Ron also has had an active insurance license for over 25 years and vast experience in the estate planning industry. He also has professional experience in marketing and advertising and has served in many managerial roles. Ron has a B.S. in Business and Communications from Concordia University in Portland. |
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Ken Salt
Ken Salt is the Sales & Marketing Manager for Servpro of NW Portland as well as ProBuild Contractors, and oversees four franchisees. Prior to Servpro, Ken managed two sales territories in the electronic manufacturing industry as a product distributor and a capital manufacturer’s representative. Much of Ken’s business savvy comes from time with Stanley Black + Decker as a Corporate Distributor in the Mac Tools division. He also operated his own business and built the Beaverton and Tigard territories from scratch to one million dollars in 2 years. Ken holds a Bachelor’s degree from Portland State University in Marketing. He also served in the United States Navy as a submarine mechanic and pilot on the USS La Jolla where I earned campaign medals and awards. I am happily married to Holly Salt and proud father to five children ranging from 5 to 15 years old. Ken joined Gifted Wishes to “do my duty to the community and my goal is to align my philanthropic views with and organization and create moments that matter!” |
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Jeff Demland
Jeff is an attorney with Demland & Cromwell LLC, where he focuses his practice on estate planning, administration, and litigation. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Jeff worked in academic medicine and pharmaceutical research, where he worked closely with oncology patients undergoing experimental treatments. Jeff holds a J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School, a Master of Pharmaceutical Science from the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati, and a Bachelor of Music degree from the College-Conservatory of Music. Community service is important to Jeff, and he also serves on boards of MITCH Charter School and the Tualatin Community Police Foundation. In his free time, Jeff enjoys spending time with his wife and their beautiful two-year-old daughter. |
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Morton Simon, CLU, LACP
Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Mort earned a BS from Portland State University. A proud Oregonian, he is the father of two children and five grandchildren and has proudly provided professional financial services in the area for the past thirty years. Mort enjoys biking, racquetball, tennis, and golf, however, he has a true and demonstrated passion for fundraising for amazing causes. He has selflessly contributed time, community service and fundraising for the Jewish Welfare Federation of Portland, the Junior Chamber of Commerce, First Tee, United Way, and now he brings his passion for service to Gifted Wishes. |
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Jules Garza
Jules Garza has a very diverse background and has served on several committees and boards. She has been very active in Multnomah County, Washington county and other areas of Oregon doing political, social and community work. She also has experience in the private sector doing marketing, sales, and consulting for Local and International companies. Currently she’s working with an analytical company and Eunice vineyards. You can usually find her attending or supporting local Businesses, Organizations, or partaking of the many landscapes that Oregon has to offer. |
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Jae Douglas
I am a returning member of the Board, having initially served from 2011-2016. I was born and raised in Rhode Island, but found my true home in Portland over 35 years ago. Here I pursued the first leg of my formal education as a medical social worker and spent many years caring and advocating for people living with, and for many years, dying from HIV and AIDS. Here I completed my education and received my doctorate in social welfare research, and went on to complete a fellowship at OHSU studying health services research. It was also here that, in 2004, my career took an unexpected and major turn and I have spent the last 16 years working in the field of Environmental Public Health, working at the federal, state and county levels. It has been here in Portland that I have loved and raised my step, foster and bio-children, welcomed grandchildren, horses, dogs, kitties and a few other species into my home. My large and extended family/tribe is the source and light of my life and is made up of all kinds of folks who have come into my life by all kinds of paths. I believe deeply in the call to service - a clear and consistent refrain that tells me always to show up, to care, to give of myself and the abundance that I have been given - and I have been given in return the gift of deep knowing that we are all connected and we are all an expression of the divine universe revealing itself through the love we share. |
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Hidenao Kimura, MD.
Bio coming soon. |
Advisory Board:
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Kathy Davis-Weiner
Kathy, a retired Licensed Clinical Social Worker, was in private practice, and specialized in widowhood adjustment and adult counseling. She also worked at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center for over 25 years, serving as director of various departments and as Assistant Director. Giving back to the community is important to Kathy, who has been on the boards of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, Congregation Beth Israel, Mittleman Jewish Community Center and Vision Northwest. |
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Shanna Hancock, RN, BSN
Shanna is a Bachelor’s educated Nurse, and an Oregon Native with a background in Logistics, Warehousing, Process Improvement, Corporate Training and most recently Nursing of Geriatric and Hospice populations. She is passionate about increasing awareness of the Hospice benefit with the goal of “more hospice for more people” and increasing the average length of stay for hospice patients which allows for more Final Wishes to be fulfilled by organizations like the PNW Hospice Foundation and others. This is the second Board of Directors on which she has served. |
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Christina Sigwart
Christina settled in Portland 18 years ago while pursuing a successful career as a regional sales manager. She is not new to the non-profit world, as she was previously Vice President/President of PABA. Christina brings to the PNW Hospice Foundation her passion for fundraising and art. She was recently selected to be co-chair of the Honor the Journey Gala, 2016, where she will be unveiling some exciting new ideas for our attendees. |