Board Members
C3 Board Members
At C3 our goal is to be a resource to the Career and College Readiness community; please reach out if there is something we can help you with. We love hearing about your work and what is happening with you and your students.
Director - Dr. Lori Ellis
Lori Ellis, a co-founder of C3, is dedicated to providing information on career and college readiness (CCR) across Oregon. She earned her Doctorate of Education from the University of Oregon and set out to bring greater accessibility for CCR resources. Lori’s doctoral dissertation, "Career and College Readiness: What is the community's role in rural areas?" inspired her to found create C3 as a nonprofit. Dr. Ellis has worked for Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission since 1997, assisting with the creation of programs like ASPIRE and FAFSA Plus+. With both her experience and determination, Lori continues to shape C3’s path from a fledgling volunteer organization to the educational nonprofit it is today.
Treasurer - Tammy Roche, MBA
Tammy Roche is a first-generation college graduate and small business owner who has worked for and with C3 for years. Tammy believes it is important to serve as an upstanding community member in a way that assists others, especially people navigating different paths toward career and college readiness. Tammy started her small business partnership from the ground up and uses her on-the-job learning and adaptability to great effect. With her Masters in Business Administration, Tammy has worked to bring both effective financial planning and strategic marketing to C3’s skillset. Tammy Roche maintains that different paths can lead to many places in life, and she always looks for creative solutions in any topic the board covers.
Vice President - Raquel Laiz
Raquel Laiz helped the diverse student body at Franklin High School with their post-secondary planning and career exploration and preparation for 14 years before becoming a CTE Career Learning Program Supervisor for Portland Public Schools in 2019. An attorney by training, Raquel has a passion for equity and inclusion in career development and access to higher education opportunities and resources. She is now the College & Career Readiness Program Manager for the PPSD where she prioritizes and implements initiatives that expose historically underserved students to a pathway to their educational and career goals. For her, a perfect day is one with many challenges and tasks to achieve but fueled by espresso and lots of learning for the future.
General Member - Gwen Soderberg-Chase
Gwen Soderberg-Chase has been an Oregon educator for 45 years. With abundant experience teaching as a high school biology, chemistry, and physics teacher at Roseburg High School, Gwen transitioned to administrative positions in the Roseburg School District. She held many positions in the district administration until she retired in 2012– at which she was the Director of Educational Services. In addition to her impressive positions, Gwen has taught at Umpqua Community College for 20 years. Her most notable achievements have been helping establish the Umpqua Valley STEAM Hub (retiring as its director in 2022) and leading the work of Bright Futures Umpqua, a collaborative career and college initiative in Douglas County. Bringing a long history of experience within the educational field to the board, Gwen is a positive force for career and college program development.
General Member - Kristin Vreeland
Kristin Vreeland is a Scholarship Portfolio Coordinator and State Grant Administrator at the Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC), part of the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC). Over 13 years working at OSAC, she has stepped into numerous roles and coordinated with multiple OSAC programs. Kristin has also proudly served on HECC’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Council during her career. Alongside her job and raising her 2 children, Kristin is pursuing a degree program at Bushnell University. Kristin’s educational experience as a non-traditional college student, Jobs Plus program participant, and collaborator on many state projects provides a direct and insightful perspective to the C3 Board of Directors.