Get to Know Helen
Helen the Professional...
Innovative Leadership
Natural Collaborator
Helen’s core belief is “We’re stronger working together." She is a skilled convener and facilitator who brings people together with intention and purpose.
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Developed a partnership in 2010 with Benton County Health and Boys & Girls Club to operate the youth dental Clinic. This partnership continues to this day
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Partnered with Samaritan Health Services to bring behavioral health services to the Boys & Girls Club campus
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Formed consortium of youth and family social service CEO's to effectively support the continuum of care
Plugged-In
Helen keeps pace with the ever-evolving needs of the County through her network.
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Oregon Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs member & past Treasurer - advocates for 170,000+ youth and teens across the state
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Oregon Area Council of Boys & Girls Clubs - Secretary
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Central Willamette Credit Union Board Member
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Corvallis Chamber of Commerce Board member - 2012-2015. Vice President, Government Affairs Chair, Business Advocacy Committee
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Corvallis School Board member - 2005–2009. Chaired the committee tasked with identifying and addressing budget shortfalls and declining student populations
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Corvallis Public School Foundation Board Chair 2002 – 2004
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Corvallis City Club – Board member and President-Elect 2013-2015
Helen leads with passion, boundless energy and persistence. She is an active listener who values bringing many voices and perspectives to the table when decision making, and has a unique capability of building vision while understanding the pragmatic steps needed to bring big vision into practical reality.
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Selected as the 2020-21 Rotary District President of the Year for Large Clubs
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2020 Recipient of the Boys & Girls Club of America – Horizon Award. Given to the CEO who has a long legacy of serving youth
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Robert C Ingalls Business Person of the Year 2018
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Hans Neukomm Leadership award for exceptional community service and leadership 2014
Helen the Person...
Helen was born and raised in Olympia, WA as the youngest of 8 children. She graduated and headed first to Eastern Washington University to study and play tennis, and then was offered a tennis scholarship at the University of Oregon where she competed and received her degree in Rhetoric and Communication with a minor in business and met her husband Clay. They moved to Boise to work for HP where they had their two sons.
Over Helen’s 18-year career at HP, her ability to catch on quickly and communicate effectively with diverse groups helped propel her career forward. Helen worked in technical marketing, managed a group of environmental engineers and toxicologists, worked on new business opportunities including HP’s entrance into the video telepresence market where she worked with fortune 10 companies and Federal Government agencies including the CIA and NSA to sell advanced teleconference solutions.
While serving on Corvallis School Board, Helen gained a deeper understanding of the challenges that some youth, and especially youth of color faced in the education system, including low graduation rates. She was moved to look for ways to do more to break the cycle reduce the hurdles that contributed to poor outcomes for some of the District's students.
It was during her first year on the school Board that the opportunity as the CEO for the Boys & Girls Club appeared. With a desire to do more to serve the children and teens of our community, Helen has served the community youth and their families since 2006.
Helen wants to take her 34 years of experience and broaden her positive impact in the service of all residents of Benton County. Her mix of business savvy, governance experience, community connections makes her an effective leader who makes great things happen through powerful listening for the purpose of understanding.
Helen has lived in North Benton County since 1998 and enjoys hiking on the many trails around the County with her husband and two dogs, playing tennis and pickleball, biking, reading, and volunteering across the community through her participation in Rotary.
