Our Team
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Jill Franko, Board Chair
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Dan Ruby, Board Vice Chair
Dan Ruby is one of the ASD board representatives serving in an advisory and foundational capacity on the Sunstone board with a common interest to increase student enrollment. He brings two decades of nonprofit leadership to the role, including experience with financial management, capital projects, grant administration, and organizational strategy. He lives in the neighborhood with his dog, and is the parent of two former ASD students.
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Noelle Christensen, Board Secretary
Noelle is a 30 year resident of Ashland and a working mother of two Ashland School District students (Bellview and AMS). She’s a native Oregonian who moved to Ashland to attend Southern Oregon University and later received her MBA from Western Governors University. After 20 years working for Rogue Valley companies, she launched a Supply Chain/Operations Consulting business in 2024 serving local and national clientele.
Noelle has volunteered with and served on many non-profit boards in her time in the Rogue Valley, including Red Cross, Consumer Credit Counseling, and EveryChild, focusing on their missions to support the families in our community. -
Steve Mitzel, Board Member
Steve Mitzel has dedicated over 25 years to serving the Ashland School District, beginning with a focus on educational technology and infrastructure before advancing to his current role as Executive Director of Operations, where he oversees Maintenance, Transportation, Nutrition Services, and Capital Projects. Passionate about community development, Steve serves as a Board Member for the Sunstone Housing Collaborative, working to address affordable housing needs in Southern Oregon. He remains committed to making a positive impact both within the school district and the broader community
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Krista Palmer, Executive Director
Krista is an Ashland resident and parent of an ASD student. She has a longstanding passion for supporting the flourishing of the community where she lives. Her experience as an early intervention teacher, Occupational Therapy Practitioner and community organizer around services for the unhoused inform her approach to facilitating collaboration and person-centered solutions.
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Sue Crader, Board Member
Experienced Executive Director skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Crisis Intervention, Fundraising, Strategic Planning, and Training. Strong business development professional with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) focused in Psychology from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
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Geoff Lowry, Treasurer
Geoffrey Lowry, M.B.A., has a proven track record of securing over $20 million in private and federal grants and managing budgets exceeding $80 million in the private and non-profit sectors. He excels in program and financial reporting to funders and has successfully negotiated and implemented numerous private and government contracts. With more than 40 years of exemplary experience in personnel and operations management, Mr. Lowry has conducted rigorous audits for both private and non-profit organizations at the state and federal levels.
In the realm of community relations, he has effectively recruited and retained over 20,000 children and families through powerful collaborations with a wide array of community organizations. Currently, as the Program Director for the Oregon Child Development Coalition, Mr. Lowry is instrumental in delivering exceptional early learning services to children in federally and state-funded programs in Ashland, Oregon.