Board of Directors

The Kinship House Board of Directors governs Kinship House, oversees significant program developments, and works with staff to prioritize strategies and raise public awareness of Kinship House mission and funding needs. They are men and women of diverse ages, professions, communities and backgrounds. Monthly board meetings are usually on the 4th Tuesday from 6:00-7:30 pm at Kinship House; terms are for 2 to 3 years. Board members are our first Kinship Circle participants and are involved with making our fund-raising events successful. They also are encouraged to follow their passions aligned with the Kinship House mission to advocate, educate and provide counseling services for children and families in transition to permanency. If interested in joining this dynamic team, please call us at 503.460.2796 x11.

Steve Larson, JD

BOARD CHAIR (October 2005)
Steve has worked as counsel for the Bonneville Power Administration since 1980. He and his wife are adoptive parents of two children, who are now adults. Steve was previously a member and Board Chair of the Outside In Board of Directors and is also a former Board Chair of the Sullivan's Gulch Neighborhood Association in Portland. Steve is an active member of the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Washington County. He brings sound judgment, thoughtful input and passion to the Kinship House Board.

Karen Pierson, BA

FORMER BOARD CHAIR AND FOUNDER (Founder 1995)
Karen worked for Oregon's child welfare system for 30 years, managing service delivery and statewide programs. Prior to retirement she served as the Manager of Permanency and Adoption Services. A long time advocate for children, Karen worked to improve services for children and families during her career and as a volunteer in retirement. Ms. Pierson is a member of an Adoption Committee for sensitive cases for the Department of Human Resources. In 1999 she received the Pioneers in Social Work Award from the National Association of Social Workers. She is a founding board member of Kinship House.

Anne Dorsey

BOARD DIRECTOR (October 2006)
Anne is a Merchandise Manager for Hanna Andersson, where she is the team leader of product development for the baby apparel and baby accessories divisions. Anne is actively involved in the Hanna Helps committee, which awards grants to premier non-profit programs in the Portland area that create sustainable improvements in the lives of vulnerable children. Anne is enthusiastic about increasing community awareness and financial contributions to Kinship House.

Paul Fruin

DIRECTOR (February 2007)
Paul is an organizational and fund raising specialist providing local churches with a strategic process to equip members to live out their faith in their work lives. Prior to his workplace ministry career, Paul worked in corporate and commercial real estate management with NIKE, Inc., PGE, Grubb & Ellis and The Rouse Company. He also has worked in higher education management at Lewis & Clark College, Northwestern School of Law, Montana State University and Chemeketa Community College. Paul holds a Masters of Education in College Student Services Administration and a Bachelor of Science degree in Liberal Studies from Oregon State University. Paul previously served as a Director on the local Portland, OR boards of the Building Owners and Managers Association and International Facilities Managers Association.

Richard Glassman

DIRECTOR (September 2007)
Richard has an extensive financial career that includes work in international and corporate finance. He began his career in the trading area for Credit Suisse and moved on to a merchant trading firm prior to obtaining an MBA from Portland State University. He has over 13 years experience with US Bank and recently attended Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington. Richard has experience lending to manufacturing, distribution and real estate entities, and serves as the co-chairman of the investment committee which manages the endowment for a non-profit organization, where he has also served on the board of trustees. He enjoys coaching youth soccer.

Sally Rhys

DIRECTOR (May 2007)
Former Director of Ethics and Compliance for PGE, Sally is an executive coach for corporate professionals, and heads up the Personnel Committee for Kinship House. Previously, Sally was a human resources professional and organizational development consultant, managing corporate development programs, coaching individual clients, leading process improvement teams and organizational change management efforts. She has trained public sector agencies on selection practices and co-owned an interpersonal styles survey and management system. Sally has a BS in Psychology and an MS in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources.

Jackie Scherer

DIRECTOR (September, 2007)
Jackie is passionate about helping socially responsible businesses and nonprofit organizations to maximize their potentials, applying her skills in graphic design, marketing, event coordination, and volunteer management. As former Marketing Assistant/Graphics Specialist at R&H Construction, Jackie has helped to strengthen corporate web presence and branding efforts. She has a degree in graphic design from Western State College of Colorado where she was Coordinator of Service Learning and Volunteer programs, working to connect students with local nonprofits. Her commitment to helping children in foster care includes volunteering as a CASA worker and as a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Yvonne S. Tingleaf, JD

SECRETARY, ADVISOR KINSHIP PRESS (November 2006)
Yvonne is an attorney at the Northwest law firm of Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, P.C. She focuses her practice in the area of Intellectual Property law and does both litigation and business work. Yvonne earned her Juris Doctorate from Willamette University, and while at Willamette, she served as an Executive Editor of the Willamette Law Review. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English, along with a minor in Journalism, from Seattle Pacific University.

Paul Wathen, CPA

TREASURER (June 2006)
Paul has been in private practice for almost thirty years in a local CPA firm providing tax and accounting services to individuals and small businesses. His practice has included financial audits for a number of small not-for-profit organizations. He graduated from Princeton University and studied accounting at Portland State University. Before entering private practice he was a unit production manager with the ABC television network in New York and assistant controller at KPTV in Portland. He has served as treasurer on the board of the Children's Museum and provides financial oversight to Kinship House.

Ann Witsil, MBA

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (July 2005)
Ms. Witsil brings over 20 years experience leading agencies in providing focused, profitable, and learning operations as former executive at US Bancorp and Nike, Inc. She has an MBA in Finance and Marketing from the Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University and a BA in Government from Smith College, Massachusetts. In 1990, Ann founded Catalyst Strategies, providing organizational development, team leadership and strategic facilitation services to organizations throughout the NW. Ann has served as Interim Executive Director for several regional non-profits, as a member of the Executive Transitions Services team of TACS.

Melissa Smith-Hohnstein, MSW, LCSW

EX-OFFICIO, CLINICAL COORDINATOR (Founder 1995)
Melissa received a B.A. in Psychology, a M.A. in Social Work from Portland State University in 1989 and has been a licensed clinical social worker since 1992. She has worked in a residential treatment program for adolescent girls and boys, has provided crisis emergency services, and therapy to adults and children in community mental health and in a variety of home settings. She is a founding board member and Clinical Coordinator for Kinship House. Her current clinical specialties include providing adoption transitions, sibling assessments and treating the prenatally exposed child. Melissa herself was adopted as a young child and is an adoptive parent.