Board of Directors
Eli Schroppel
Board Chair
Eli Schroppel is a licensed Psychotherapist in Hood River Oregon. His clinical experience has ranged from community nonprofits, Wilderness and Adventure therapy, academic research on therapeutic alliance, High Performance and Sports Psychology, Corporate and Organizational Psychology and, most recently, private practice here in the Columbia River Gorge. In his practice Eli specializes in suicidality, self harm, trauma and high performance psychology. Eli graduated from Portland State University, completed and published his Post-graduate work at the University of Edinburgh.
Kathleen Pratt
Kathleen Pratt is a naturopathic physician and midwife in Hood River Oregon. Her clinical experience has ranged from community clinics such as Outside In in Portland Oregon to more recently private practice here in the Columbia River Gorge. In her practice Kathleen focuses on functional medicine- to create optimization in all aspects of health- physical, mental and emotional. This includes supporting the current symptoms, as well as identifying what has led to these symptoms and how to create health moving forward in the manner of prevention. The importance of cultivating relationships with the natural environment and community are stressed in addition to focusing on health and vitality. Kathleen grew up in rural Maine with nature right outside her backdoor. These early years created a love of the nature that continues to be a priority in her life today with her family. Kathleen lives in the Gorge community with her husband and eight year old daughter. Together they explore the water and mountains in their truck camper- which they live and travel in for four months each fall. When at home she keeps busy biking, kiting, skiing and spending time in her garden with her beehives and chickens.
Kallie Kurtz, LICSW, LCSW
A licensed clinical social worker and public‑health policy specialist, Kallie champions trauma care and community resilience. Over the past decade she’s bridged emergency‑department crisis intervention, high‑trauma school counseling and rural substance‑use prevention—recently leading Washington’s 988 behavioral‑health crisis system initial rollout as a Senior Policy Analyst at the Department of Health. A seasoned grant manager for CDC and SAMHSA‑funded violence‑prevention and mental‑health initiatives alongside Tribal, community and rural partners, Kallie also brings her passion for whitewater kayaking and outdoor education to nurturing holistic, nature‑based healing.
Jody Sturdy O'Connor
MEd MSc
Board Chair
Jody is the owner and Director of Research and Evaluation at Colibri Consulting. Before starting her own business, she spent years working as an educator, nonprofit program manager and scientist - working with communities in the Pacific Northwest, New Mexico, Ecuador, Alaska and South Africa. She deeply enjoys using Popular Education and participatory research (in both English and Spanish) to empower nonprofits and the communities they serve. Living in the Columbia River Gorge with her husband and 2 kids, she embraces playing outside as a key part of emotional and physical wellness.
Roman Moretti
Roman is a teacher in Hood River who is passionate about serving the youth of our community. Ever since he was a teen, he has felt a deep connection to wilderness and outdoor adventures, whether he is hiking, white water rafting, rock climbing, or just sitting quietly in a meadow. You can find him chasing waterfalls, playing in various sports leagues, snowshoeing and snowboarding, and adventuring with my wife and son.
Roberta Grant
Way back in the 90s, originally from the Atlanta-metro area and after fleeing the city to the Appalachian mountains for whitewater raft guide lifestyle, I found myself 30 years later in the Columbia Gorge with a husband and a 16 year old boy. The outdoors is my family’s and my lifestyle, not only whitewater, also skiing, mountain biking, and etc. I am also a Medicaid provider private practice and I work with families, children, and individuals with anxiety, depression, and trauma. I am the mental health provider at the day treatment Gorge Academy for ESD 112. I am a DCR for Klickitat. I have a passion for helping others who do not have access to emotional and mental health support as well as access to nature and being outside. All youth deserve play and nature and without that I believe we lose connection to our own humanity and each other and to our home, tribe, community which is our resilience.
Amber Bello
As the owner of Strategic Insights with over 25 years of experience, Amber combines deep expertise in bookkeeping and financial analysis with a heart for the Hood River community. She is dedicated to using her professional background in fiscal management to support local initiatives that foster healthy relationships and connect youth with the natural world. By blending her passion for mentorship with her experience with financial planning, Amber works to ensure the next generation has the stable foundations and outdoor opportunities they need to thrive.
Daniel Lefco
Daniel Lefco is a mission-driven leader, longtime outdoors lover, and believer in nature’s power to support healing, growth, and connection. His early career was rooted in youth development, environmental / experiential education, and cross-cultural service learning, including leading therapeutic and service-learning programs for underserved and at-risk youth in the U.S. and Costa Rica. As Program Director of Rio Rapido in Costa Rica, he led a multicultural team, managed a significant budget, and built community partnerships grounded in dignity and respect. After earning his MBA, Daniel built a 10+ year career in product leadership at ChargerHelp!, Portland General Electric, HP, and Nike. He is honored to support CultureSeed’s work helping Columbia Gorge youth find belonging, wellbeing, and resilience through outdoor immersion and mental health support.
Miguel Mesa
Miguel is a Colombian immigrant who loves the outdoors and strives to make it as accessible for folks from all backgrounds. Growing up in Colombia there was always a lot of fear of the outdoors and having been able to connect with nature made him want to help others get that same connection. He is also an experienced kayaker and whitewater instructor with a lot of experience teaching kids. He is also currently in nursing school.
Jill Burnette
Jill is a retired resource development consultant with over 30 years of experience helping organizations connect to resources for projects, operating support, capital and endowments. Her areas of focus include sustainability, the environment, urban infrastructure, culture and human services. She has raised funds for Portland State University's Institute for Sustainable Solutions, Columbia Gorge Community College, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, ShelterCare and many others. Her experience includes facilitating public-private partnerships and collaborative projects with multiple stakeholders. Jill has secured support from public sources, foundations, corporations and individual philanthropists. Her skills include project planning, budgeting, case development, grantwriting, and project management. Jill holds a B.A. in English from Colgate University and an M.B.A. from Seattle University.