The People of eDev

Jennifer Teehan so s.l.o.w.l.y departed that, in the end, it snuck up on us! After she finished the first year of her MBA studies at Bainbridge Graduate Institute by commuting to Washington one week per month and engaging in distance-learning options, we finally said good-bye. In May, she gave notice to her renters, said hello to her own hardwood floors in Seattle, and has since participated more fully with her cohorts in the program.

Martin Desmond's transition happened more quickly. He left eDev in February to open Desmond Financial Group, Inc, where he continues to provide help to small businesses and non-profits to obtain access to capital.

Many know that Leah Murray has also returned to university and that she is very good at juggling her UO studenting and her eDev teaching and training. She plans to graduate from PPPM with a Bachelor Degree. She is majoring in Planning Public Policy and Management and minoring in Nonprofit Management. Naturally, she brings much of what she is learning back to her work and keeps us on our toes!

We would like to properly introduce and welcome Donna McNeil! She brings a wealth of program management, resource development, and grants administration, experience to eDev. She quickly filled the Loan Coordinator role and is eager for more time in the classroom. Besides brief entrepreneurial explorations, she's also married to a piano-tuner-wood-artisan-entrepreneur and she's familiar with all the classic symptoms.

Our administrative staff member, Juli Brode, continues to change things up (now you see her, now you don't) as she scuttles between eDev and her part-time teaching in the UO Architecture Department. She remains an invaluable resource, as the critical first contact for those calling or coming to eDev.

Executive Director Shawn Winkler-Rios has been crazy busy with classes, counseling, and executive directing  throughout this year. He has been focusing on getting eDev's new services ready for launch in 2012 and is looking forward to their roll out.

As sad as we were to see her go, RARE participant Ellen Kaufmann left us to explore new adventures in Denver, CO and get her Masters at U.C. Denver. We miss her smile around the office but wish her the best of luck!!