Download a copy of the Long-Term Care Advisory Committee Roster

Bill Bard, Chair, Portland

Appointed July 1, 2010 by the Governor

(term expires June 30, 2014)

Bill came to Oregon ten years ago with his family to care for his mother. After her passing, he found the Ombudsman program to be a great place for him to use his advocacy, investigative and professional skills to volunteer with an agency where he knew he could make a real impact on someone's life. “Helping people has been so rewarding for me. I encourage others to volunteer and know that they can make significant contributions to the community by being an Ombudsman.” After more than twenty years as a database systems developer and consultant, he shares his expertise with the LTCO serving as Technology Committee Volunteer Chair. Besides his work as an Ombudsman, Bill has been a hospice volunteer for many years.

Claudia Kyle, Vice Chair, Salem

Appointed December 27, 2010 by the Speaker of the House 

(term expires June 30, 2013)

Ms. Kyle, who has lived most of her life in Oregon, spent thirty years in the construction industry as an IBEW member reaching the position of field supervisor supervising sixty to eighty people. Ms. Kyle was in management as a project engineer and project manager during the last ten years of her career. In her recent run for election to the Oregon House of Representatives, the primary issues were the economy and jobs and public education, but she believes that issues related to seniors and people with disabilities should receive more attention. Ms. Kyle’s mother was the resident of a LTC facility near the end of her life. Shortly after joining the Committee, Ms. Kyle successfully completed training and is now a Certified Ombudsman.

 Teena Ainslie, Portland

Appointed July 1, 2006 by the House Minority Leader 

(term expires June 30, 2014)

Ms. Ainslie, a native of Portland, is the owner of The Career Coach, a service in which she guides middle school and high school youth and adults in transition to achieve career planning and personal goals. She is retired from the David Douglas School District where she was the School-to-Work Coordinator for 20 years and from the Boy Scouts of America after 12 years as a Professional Exploring Executive. Ms. Ainslie’s passion for the welfare of residents of long term care facilities stems from caring for her mother from when Ms. Ainslie was 10 years old until she was 37 and wanting the best for her mother while she was living in a long term care facility. Ms. Ainslie's volunteer experience includes the Mt. Hood Community College Board of Education and Foundation Board, Rotary International District 5100, Blueback Navy League Council, and is currently a Board member of the USS Ranger Foundation.

Glenn Berk, Ashland

Appointed December 7, 2012 by the Governor 

(term expires December 6, 2016)

Mr. Berk is a California native who has lived in Oregon since 1991. In 2002 he retired from the contractor/developer firm he had founded in 1973.  He has shown skills and interest in issues affecting elderly Oregonians, both in his Ombudsman work and with other community-based organizations in Southern Oregon.   He has been a Certified Ombudsman with the agency since 2009 with extensive hands-on experience and information about issues that long-term care residents face in Southern Oregon.

Dan Dunham, Corvallis

Appointed October 1, 2010 by the Governor 

(term expires June 30, 2014)

Dr. Dunham, a long-time resident of Corvallis, is a retired Professor of Education at Oregon State University and has a wide background of leadership and experience on the local, state, national, and international levels in career, vocational-technical and adult education for nearly 40 years.  In 1980 he was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to serve as the first Assistant Secretary of Education for Vacational and Adult Education in the newly formed U.S. Department of Education. He is currently an active Certified Ombudsman Volunteer in Benton County. In addition to past volunteer experience as a Benton County fair board member, Dr. Dunham has been the public address announcer for OSU sports and currently for the OSU marching band.

Michele Edwards, Baker City

Appointed October 13, 2011 by the Senate President 

(term expires June 30, 2015)

Michele became an ombudsman five years ago after returning to the northwest and settling in Baker County. After a 42 year career in the broad field of mental health working nationally, internationally, developing and directing various community programs, and working with disaster situations, led Michele to seek opportunities for volunteerism that would make use of past experiences and provide opportunities for new ones. “With one family member in memory care and another in assisted living, being part of LTCO as a Certified Ombudsman and member of the Advisory Committee is very personal.” Currently, Michele teaches in a graduate program for the University of Missouri, and serves as a federal reviewer for various national programs.

Peter Fuchs, Bend 

Appointed July 28, 2010 by the Senate Minority Leader 

(term expires June 30, 2014)

Dr. Fuchs, a resident of Sisters, enjoyed a career in Pathology and spent over thirty years at St Vincent Hospital in Portland, including being the director of the Microbiology Lab. Dr. Fuchs has received both a Ph.D. and an MD from the University of Maryland in Anatomy and Microbiology. Dr. Fuchs was a Certified Ombudsman Volunteer for over six years in the Central Oregon area as an advocate for the rights of elders in licensed long-term care facilities.