About Us

I was born in California, and moved to Central Oregon in 2007 with my family where I graduated from High School.   I volunteered at my mom’s assisted living facility and applied for my first job working in the fast-food industry at 18. I stayed with the job for about 8 months before realizing that it was not what I wanted to do. I was told about this company,  Central Oregon Collective in 2018 so I investigated what the company does and was very interested so I put in my application and was hired as a Direct Support Professional. In my first year, I was trained and worked at all the houses within the company.  I worked my way up in the company by getting promoted to Lead Support Professional and by my second year I was promoted to Associate Manager. I felt supported and welcomed every day being here. By the end of my third year, I was asked to be Manager for Gemstone.  I have been with the company for four years now and I am ready for many more to come.

‍

I have been married to my wonderful husband for 26 years.  We have three adult children, eleven grandchildren and one great grandchild. As a family we enjoy Camping, hunting, and fishing the beautiful lakes in Central Oregon.  

I moved to Central Oregon in the Fall of 1994. I worked for the Residential Assistance Program -RAP (which is now Central Oregon Collective) for a year before my employment with Opportunity Foundation. I enjoyed working there for 8 years, 4 years as the Program Manager of the Bend Work Center.  There was opportunity with RAP as the Program Manager of their 5 group homes and after 4 years of enjoying Residential work, I began to Independently Contract my own In- home and Community Inclusion clients with Full Access Brokerage.  I joined Integrity Encompassed around 2012 and worked side by side with the Director,  building and maintaining supports for 30 IDD clients until September of 2023.  The director for Integrity Encompassed  retired, and Scott Pelham the Director of Central Oregon Collective gave us a new home.

‍

I moved to Central Oregon with my wife and daughter nearly a decade ago and not only did we fall in love with the easy access to outdoor recreation here, but we were also impressed with what an inclusive community Bend is. I had not worked directly with disabled populations since my days as a summer camp counselor in my youth, but living in this community inspired me to begin volunteering for local organizations and to return to college so I could make helping others my career. As a certified recreational therapist my goal is to help break down barriers to community access and recreation participation for people of all different abilities and backgrounds. Since joining Central Oregon Collective I have been able to pursue these passions with a team of like-minded individuals who aspire to see our clients thrive in the community, pursue their goals in life, and achieve greater independence.

I was born and raised in Central Oregon. Once I graduated High school, I attended Central Oregon Community College. I majored in psychology and was also involved with the early childhood education program. While attending College, I worked part-time as an in-home caregiver with the elderly and adults with disabilities. Towards the end of my time in college, I got amazing news. I was pregnant with my son. I decided to put my education and career on hold to become a stay at home mom. This was a very rewarding time in my life. When my son was two, he was diagnosed with autism. This opened my world up to intellectual and/or developmental disabilities also known as I/DD. When I was ready to go back to the work force, I knew I wanted to be working in the caregiving field, but I didn’t know how lucky I would actually become. I started my career at Central Oregon Collective in April 2018 and mixed my passion of caregiving with another passion of supporting individuals with I/DD. I have been blessed with this wonderful job that I love. I get to spend my days supporting and enriching individuals’ lives that bring such joy and happiness to everyone around them.

I was born in Portland Oregon and moved to Terrebonne Oregon when I was young. I had an uncle that was paralyzed from his neck down and I started assisting him with daily living when I was 9 years old. We moved to Redmond Oregon and I continued to help my uncle until I was 16 years old. When I turned 18, I started working with the elderly for a bit then stopped working when I had my first child. I started working for Central Oregon Collective in the end of 2014 and left briefly to have my second child. I took care of my grandparents until they passed away then started working for Central Oregon Collective again. I was an Associate Manager for a little over 3 years until I became a Manager.  I love what we do and the clients we support are amazing and I enjoy helping them live their best lives possible.

Carolyn joined the Central Oregon Collective team in April of 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and a Minor in K-12 education. Carol’s passion for art and kindness led her to pursue a career in enriching the lives of individuals. Carolyn was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska while growing up she spent most of her time in a recreational gymnastics and dance studio, where she started coaching and teaching children aged 6 months to 16 years old. She always had a passion for helping others become their best selves.  Carol later worked as a professional pet photographer and a freelance graphic designer in her free time. In 2017, Carol moved to Bend, Oregon, to be closer to her parents, along with her husband and two dogs. She worked at a local kombucha brewery however, she was looking for a more meaningful way to contribute to the community. Carol volunteered as a photographer for three local animal rescues for a year. She also spent a summer feeding baby birds at a local wildlife rehab facility. Carol enjoys giving back to the most vulnerable members of the community, whether they are humans or animals. She worked at a social media company for a month before discovering Central Oregon Collective, where she realized she was meant to be. After working as a Caregiver,  Carol saw a need for consistent in-home enrichment and was given the opportunity to create the Activity Enrichment Program. She brings not only fun activities but also social skill-building, emotional well-being, kindness, and fun to every client she meets. She believes that anyone can do anything with the right amount of preparedness, encouragement, and enthusiasm and is honored to be a part of a non-profit and spend time with all the beautiful people in the company.

I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, graduating from high school with a focus in horticulture. I spent 15 years in the floral design industry, working in Portland and Alaska- where I lived in the late 1990s purely for the adventure of it.

After that chapter, I shifted into office administration and have continued along that path ever since. In 1999, my family and I moved to Bend to enjoy all the wonderful things this region has to offer.

In Bend, I’ve worked in administrative roles across real estate, mortgage, and escrow, and served as an event coordinator through the Bend Chamber of Commerce. That was a time of movin’ and shakin’ with the powers that be in our community- a period that helped ground my roots even deeper into Central Oregon.

As a granddaughter, daughter, and widow of a veteran, I hold a deep passion for supporting our veterans. I’ve volunteered with several local organizations to raise funds and awareness for veteran needs, including planning and executing events, parades, and motorcycle fundraiser rallies. I’m currently part of adynamic group of gals who raise money for veterans while dressed in 1940s and ’50s pin-up attire — participating in many community events and hosting our own throughout the year.

Joining the amazing team at Central Oregon Collective as the Engagement and Development Specialist has deepened my sense of purpose and connection to our community. I’m driven to show Central Oregon and beyond- what it truly means to support this cause and the impact it has on the incredible people we serve. It’s not just support — it’s love in action.

I have two amazing grown children, a beautiful granddaughter, and a fabulous baby grandson. I love my fur-babies, driving my 5.0 Mustang, and being involved in everything Central Oregon has to offer.

‍

‍

I have lived in Central Oregon since 2007 but have lived in a few other states as well from Kansas, California and Ohio. Growing up I was able to experience most states at least 2x. It was an amazing learning experience. I started as a CNA when I was 18 years old and have for the most part stuck with that. I have tried a few other positions including working for the County Tax Collectors office in California. This on the other hand did not seem to peak my interests leading me back to what came natural to me. All my life I have found much fulfillment in helping another person. I started at COC in 2012 as a DSP and went through to be an assistant manager before taking a leave in 2017 to help my mother in law with her declining health. After assisting her I was able to return to COC. Today I am The Manager at Hill street house and loving every minute of it.

While in high school I worked as a certified nursing assistant for about a year. After high school I got a job for a small family-owned company where I worked my way up and for 20 years managed that business with a focus on account management, budgeting, payroll and HR.  In 2014,  I got certified as a medical assistant and credentialed through the AAMA.  After 35 years of living in Fairbanks Alaska  my husband Rodney, my beagle Zoey and myself loaded all our earthy possessions and moved to beautiful Bend, Oregon. I worked as a certified medical assistant in a GI office for about a year and then as a certified medical assistant in pediatric cardiology office for 6 years.  When the opportunity was presented to join the team at Central Oregon Collective and especially after meeting the administrative team. I just knew this was a perfect fit for me.  I am excited to see where this new adventure takes me. My favorite quote ”make today amazing”

For a job title I simply prefer “Chuck” although for professional reasons currently it is Senior Manager/Behavior Specialist. In the decade plus years that I have been with the company I am grateful to have had the privilege to have been engaged in a number of roles. Currently, I am continuing to support our company as a Behavior Specialist, American Red Cross Instructor, and administrator for the ALMSA and Therap systems, and also as an OIS instructor and more. In my work experience, personal life and as well as academia I have demonstrated strengths in self-motivation, problem solving, communication skills, organization, project planning and development, and helping others. I am dependable, organized, innovative and willing to do what it takes to get a job done. I have a passion to contribute to a company that strives to increase quality of life, create a sense of community, build partnerships, increase personal potential and growth, and where all people are valued.

I began my career with Central Oregon Collective (formerly RAP), in December 2007 as a part-time employee. At that time, my responsibilities entailed handling the financials for all of our group homes & supported living clients. It was a great opportunity for me to really get to know our clients on a personal level, & better understand the important role we play in the local community. Even today, our clients may not remember my name, but they know I’m the person “who handles their money”, which is truly an honor for me!

Since that time, the agency has grown by leaps & bounds! We have expanded outside of our agency to offer Representative Payee services to several people in our community as well. Although this is an often time-consuming & tedious task, it’s certainly more than worth it & very rewarding.

In the 14 years I’ve been with this great organization, I’ve advanced from handling client funds, to taking over the agency’s financial operations and payroll entry. As part of the Executive Management team, it’s exciting to see just how far we’ve come, & even more exciting to see our future growth!

I was born and raised in Beaverton Oregon where at the age of 21 I started my Career in Personnel, Human Resources and Program Management and over 30 years later I find myself doing the same work and can’t imagine doing anything else.

In 2002 my husband and our 2 girls moved to Central Oregon simply for it’s beauty and because we love the outdoors, lakes and boating where we added 2 more girls to our family and I continued my Career as a Workers’ Compensation Program Manager for 10 years for the largest tire retailer in the NW.

In 2014 we moved to Maui where I was the Human Resources Manager for Hawaii’s largest Tours and Transportation company and after 8 short years we moved back to Central Oregon to be closer to family and grandbabies and that is when I got to join the Central Oregon Collective team.

I have always had the privilege to work for leaders in the Industry so when I joined Central Oregon Collective I was very excited to be part of a Non-Profit and a company that makes the difference in the lives of others but to be able engage with our very special clients and spend time with them has been more fun and fulfilling then I could have ever imaged and has been a true blessing. The Team at COC and being part of the Executive Management Team has also far exceeded my expectations and I look forward to all the good things we will get to do for the years to come.