Libby Gill is an executive coach, leadership expert, and award-winning author of six books, including You Unstuck, Traveling Hopefully, Capture the Mindshare, The Hope-Driven Leader, and Leadership Reckoning (with co-authors Dr. Thomas Kolditz and Dr. Ryan P. Brown). Libby’s debut novel, Malibu Summer, will be published in June 2024 by Penguin Random House.

A former columnist for the Dallas Morning News, she was the head of public relations and communications for Sony, Universal, and Turner Broadcasting, and the “branding brain” behind the launch of the Dr. Phil Show. An international speaker who has delivered keynotes on four continents and in 41 US states, Libby’s clients include ADP, Disney, Ernst & Young, Google, Honda, Intel, Kellogg’s, Microsoft, Rogue Credit Union, Safety Professionals of Southern Oregon, The Human Bean, United Healthcare, Warner Bros. and many more.

Libby has been featured on the CBS Early Show, CNN, NPR, the Today Show and in the New York Times, Time Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal. After many years living in Los Angeles, she and her husband relocated to the Rogue Valley in 2021. Libby serves on the board of the OHRA Center and, in her spare time, travels, hikes, gardens, and attempts to learn golf.

With more than 35 years in the corporate and private sector arenas, Tammy brings a plethora of expertise in marketing project management. She is a seasoned professional in print production and creative services project management.  Her understanding of the creative lifecycle of a project, from beginning to end, enables her to implement a bridge between the creative and structured environments. She has worked with various design firms, advertising agencies, and corporations in the Bay Area, before settling in her current position with Wells Fargo for the last ten years, as a Senior Marketing Production Consultant. She currently produces all marketing materials for the 4,000 branch offices nationwide, manages direct mail programs, and supports the third-party vendor management program.

Tammy and her wife moved to the Rogue Valley in 2018, and she immediately discovered the Women’s Leadership Conference. She has volunteered for the Logistics and Content Committees prior to becoming a board director. She has a long history of standing up for underserved communities, women, and the LGBTQIA community is near and dear to her heart. She currently is a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee at Wells Fargo, and participates in various networks within the bank, including the Women’s Resource Network and the LGBTQIA Network. She is passionate about clearing the path for the next generation, hoping to guide and mentor them into crafting their careers.

Tammy brings to the WLC board the ability to devise effective strategies, mobilizing the right resources to achieve mission-critical initiative. When she isn’t working or volunteering, Tammy enjoys exploring her creative side with various mediums, hiking with her wife and dogs, exercising, traveling, and gardening.  An avid soccer fan, she catches as much of soccer as possible!

Theresa has called Southern Oregon home for over 30 years. Throughout her long career, she has served in leadership roles for multiple businesses before finding her true passion in adult learning and development. Theresa holds a BS in Innovation and Leadership from SOU and a Master of Education degree with a focus on Adult Education and Lifelong Learning from UARK.

Community service and volunteerism have always been important to her, as she has demonstrated by being involved in youth programs such as Girl Scouts, SMART Reading, and Junior Achievement. She serves on the RVSHRM board of directors, Jackson County Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, and the Bear Creek Greenway Joint Powers Committee. 2023 is Theresa’s first year serving on the WLC Board as Treasurer and a member of the Executive Committee.

Theresa enjoys traveling with her husband and has a hobby business specializing in her favorite form of travel—cruises. She has three grandchildren and enjoys spending as much time as possible with each of them.

Emmory Bergene has worked at Southern Oregon University since 2021. She is the Administrative Program Coordinator for the School of Science and Business.

Emmory is currently pursuing her BS in early childhood education.

In her free time, Emmory enjoys hiking, camping and spending time with her family and pets.

Katie Baldassar is a nonprofit executive living in Southern Oregon. She currently serves as the Partnerships Director for the international Climate Smart Forest Economy Program (CSFEP), leading communications, fundraising, and partnership strategy to support the organization’s current work and future growth.

Before joining CSFEP, Katie conducted fundraising and organizational development efforts at several US-based organizations, working across the fields of public health and economic development. She was the founding executive director of Lake County Build a Generation, a nonprofit that engages residents and organizations in the work of community change. Build a Generation’s initiatives were instrumental in securing Lake County’s prestigious 2019 Culture of Health Award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Katie has also served on the Lake County School District Board of Directors (including terms as president and vice-president), and on the El Pomar Foundation’s High Country Council. 

Sandra is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in learning and development, renowned for infusing joy into training while aligning it with organizational goals. She currently serves as the Director of Global Sales Enablement for a technology company and runs her own business, Revel Up Learning, on the side. Sandra bridges innovation and effectiveness in training solutions, catering to startups and Fortune 100 companies alike. Her passion lies in witnessing learners’ transformative “AHA” moments, prompting her to recently obtain her coaching certification.

Beyond her professional realm, Sandra is passionate about improving her community. She is a member of and has served on the board as President for the Junior League of Jackson County. Additionally, she is thrilled to join the board of WLC to help women advance their leadership skills and careers. In her free time, Sandra enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids, traveling, and enjoying the amazing wineries in the area.

Julie Gillis is a non-profit development professional who specializes in transformational storytelling and philanthropic events. She holds and co-builds space for creative people to build great things. Julie uses human systems processes, storytelling, improvisational theater forms, change management, and good old-fashioned relationship building in all of her work to allow staff and volunteers to thrive while also resourcing organizations to achieve their missions.

Julie currently serves as the Chief Development Officer at Britt Music and Arts Festival and recently worked at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as their Director of Individual Giving and Major Gifts. Other roles include Rogue Workforce Partnership in Medford and Director of Development at Southern Oregon PBS. She also developed and led a student philanthropy program at The University of Texas at Austin.

As a dedicated board member and volunteer committed to the arts and social justice, Julie has supported many diverse organizations in several US cities. In addition, she is an artist with over three decades of experience in film, theater, public speaking, and improvisational comedy performing in hundreds of events that merge artistic expression and cultural change.

To relax and play, Julie loves hiking with her dog, watching documentaries and scary movies with her cats, listening to podcasts, cooking with her family, and enjoying Oregon wineries with her husband.

Casey Hayes-Hicks is an object maker and designer. A 6th generation Floridian, she holds BA degrees in both Philosophy and Art from the University of South Florida. She received her MFA in Applied Craft + Design from Pacific Northwest College of Art.

Her work focuses on delighting in life in the face of existential dread and the nature of our shared reality, where embracing the absurd is the answer. Her work and personal ethos bring joy, delight, novelty, and some opulence to this reality.

By day, Casey is a Student Success Coordinator at Southern Oregon University as well as an instructor in the Design department.

Jillian has lived most of her life in Southern Oregon and is an Instructional Designer and Culture Trainer for Rogue Credit Union. Her instructional design work allows her to embrace her creative side by creating colorful and engaging virtual training courses. In addition to volunteering as the marketing liaison for the Women’s Leadership Conference, Jillian volunteers as the Marketing/Design Coordinator for the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show of Central Oregon. You can find her spending time with her husband and son, painting, or watching movies in her free time. 

Michele Mitzel has over 32 years of leadership experience in non-profit and corporate administration, marketing, public relations, event management, and board relations. Her background includes employee payroll and benefits management, travel planning, fundraising, branding and content design, social media, and website management.

After an 18-year career at the Ashland Family YMCA, Michele retired as the Community Relations Director and Executive Assistant, a role in which she directly supported the CEO and board of directors while also managing all marketing and annual campaign efforts.

Michele fills her time planning, decorating, and executing events around the Northwest. Whether it is helping couples celebrate their marriage or families celebrating the lives of their loved ones, she enjoys organized chaos and is available by referral only.

Having launched her career in the non-profit world, she loves to give back and volunteer with local organizations. She currently serves on the board of directors for HOPE Equestrian Center and the Women’s Leadership Conference of Southern Oregon. She also enjoys being a lunch buddy through the Soroptimist Strong Girls Strong Women program.