As defined in its By-Laws the SCEDC’s Board of Directors consists of no less than seven and no more than 13 members from varied business and government backgrounds within Skamania County. They represent public and private sectors, local governments, and private, industrial, commercial, recreational, and retail businesses. Directors serve two year terms and act as an advisory board to SCEDC staff. The Board meets on a monthly basis to advise and direct EDC staff on projects and programs affecting job creation and economic stability in Skamania County.
Ray serves on the EDC Board as a Port of Skamania Representative. He was appointed District 1 Port Commissioner on October 15, 2019, and was elected on 12/31/21 to a 6-year term.
Ray and his family are long-time residents of Skamania County. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from Portland State University and currently works as a Mortgage Loan Originator for CrossCountry Mortgage. You can often find Ray volunteering at the Fire Station or coaching his daughter’s softball team.
Jolene Emerson serves on the EDC Board as a representative of the Riverview Community Bank. Jolene is Vice President/Branch Manager for Riverview Bank in Stevenson.
Jolene is a long-time resident of Skamania County.
John Goodman serves on the EDC Board as a Community Representative beginning in July of 2023.
Previously he served as a representative of the local PUD. John had been the General Manager of Skamania County PUD since April 2017. He is a graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, California. He spent the first 20 years of his career as a Plant Engineer, Facilities Manager, Project Manager, and Program Manager operating, site selecting, designing, and constructing more than 3 ½ million square feet of High Tech facilities on four continents for Intel and National Semiconductor. He has ten years of experience working in the construction industry for FSC, McKinstry, and Hoffman Construction. He has worked an additional four years in the consulting engineering field for CH2M Hill and Glumac. John is a US Navy veteran of the Viet Nam era.
John has enjoyed living in the Stevenson area for over 20 years with his family.
Tom Lannen serves on the EDC Board as a representative of Skamania County. He was elected County Commissioner in 2016 and began his term in January of 2017.
Tom is a native of Ohio. He taught Science in Michigan and with the DOD in Okinawa. In 1973, he left teaching for the private sector, which led to a position with a major technology supplier for the petroleum industry. He retired after 28 years, having served in sales, marketing, logistics, and manufacturing. Executive positions included assignments as General Manager in Saudi Arabia and later in Canada. He and his wife, Sofia, bought their property in Skamania County in 2001. They retired in 2006, moved to Stevenson, and built their home.
Tom has been active in the community since 2008 volunteering with CERT teams, and the Emergency Operations Center. In 2012, he founded “Saving Skamania County”, a non-partisan volunteer group to promote active, responsible, and sustainable management of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest for the benefit of county schools and services.
Kelsey Phillips serves on the EDC Board as a Community Representative.
Kelsey grew up in Northwest Portland, and currently lives in Underwood, Washington. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. In her early career she traveled across the country as a hospital management consultant before meeting her husband, a native of The Dalles, and moving out to The Gorge. Kelsey currently works as a Project Manager for a primary care physician’s office in the area and cares for her family’s two young children. Kelsey is passionate about fostering entrepreneurship and workforce development in Skamania County.
Diana is co-owner of La Gula Mexican Food in Carson. Diana grew up in Carson, where she lived until moving to Bellingham, WA to attend Western Washington University. After graduation, she and her husband, Walker, moved back to the Gorge where they now reside. She is excited to be involved in the community where she has lived most of her life. On her days off, she enjoys walking around the woods with her dog, Rudy, listening to comedy podcasts, and spending time with family. “Ben Shumaker serves on the EDC Board as a representative of the City of Stevenson. Ben is the Stevenson Community Development Director for the City.
Ben is blown away by the Gorge and chose Stevenson because of all the amazing things it has to offer. He aims to give back to Skamania County and keep it amazing through service. He embraces the assets our community has instead of lamenting what might be missing. As a board member, Ben wants to see the EDC articulate what success means for the Skamania County economy, develop a strategy to help it thrive, and then make investments that advance that strategy.
When he’s not at City Hall, you can find Ben at home with his wife and daughter, outside pulling blackberries, or in the stands at a Timbers game. He’s also a member of the Stevenson Community Pool District board where he works to make sure the new district runs as efficiently as possible on a limited budget.
Before landing in Stevenson in 2008, Ben grew up in the flatlands of Illinois. He followed the Mississippi south to Louisiana State University where he got bachelor’s degrees in Sociology, History, German and International Studies and was a 4-year letterman on the cross country and track teams. At the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign he received a degree as Master of Urban Planning. He has worked for the cities of Baton Rouge, Vancouver, and Vernonia.
Deanna Syron serves on the EDC Board as a representative of the City of North Bonneville. Deanna has been the City Clerk/Treasurer for North Bonneville since January of 2017.
She worked as the Human Resources Manager at Silver Star Industries for four years prior to that and spent 15+ years in retail management at Fred Meyer, Dress Barn, and Meier & Frank before happily moving to Skamania County, which she now calls her forever home. Deanna enjoys spending time with her new grandson, anything music-related, and has found new interests in the planning of Gorge Days and networking in her community.
Angela Rogers is serving on the EDC Board as a community representative.
Angela has lived in Skamania County for more than 35 years. She and her husband, Alan, moved
to Alan’s hometown of Mill A and raised their two sons there. Angela worked in advertising
before retiring in 2019 to work their alpaca farm full time. She has been raising alpacas since
2009 and the business has grown to include a retail boutique on the farm. She loves to educate
people about alpacas and the many uses of their fiber by giving demonstrations and hands-on
classes. Angela enjoys volunteering her time to help her community and is looking forward to
representing the Skamania County EDC.
Kara Owen joined the EDC Board in January 2023 as a representative for the Skamania Lodge. She is the General Manager of Skamania Lodge. Her experience in the hospitality industry has deep roots in the Pacific Northwest. She began her career as a sales professional at the Lodge in 2012. Prior to that she served as director of sales for the RiverPlace Hotel in downtown Portland Or. and for the Portland Marriott City Center. She is a seasoned veteran in the hospitality sector, she brings with her a deep knowledge of the marketplace and an understanding of the hospitality industry. She lives in Stevenson Washington.
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