Meet the Mentors

Margreet is an ICF-certified coach who focuses on increasing people’s well-being at work and in their personal lives. She especially focuses on people’s values, strengths, and interests to help them find fulfillment and balance in life. She coaches part-time as a contractor with an international coaching company and has a few private clients.

Margreet decided to join the Lake Grove Jobseekers Program due to her training as a coach and her own experiences, which included a pivot and being out of the workforce for a long period. Margreet grew up in Europe before moving to California with her husband. While raising their family, she returned to school to earn her B.S. in nutrition and dietetics from Sacramento State University. A year later she found a job as a lifestyle coach at an American Indian clinic in a rural area in California. Her responsibilities included developing, marketing, and delivering diabetes prevention classes for the community. Under her tenure it became a robust program, increasing participants’ physical and mental well-being long after they had finished the program.

Margreet's coaching, training and certifications include: Coaching for Life and Work from UC Davis, Continued Education, values coaching, and ADHD coaching from Mentorcoach LLC.

Margreet (Blom) Adriani PCC, CPT, NDTR | LinkedIn

Manoj is a senior technology executive with deep experience leading global teams across artificial intelligence, cloud computing, software engineering, and business strategy at Amazon Web Services, Intel, and VC funded start up. Over the course of his career, he has successfully built and scaled high-performing engineering and customer-facing organizations, led strategic initiatives for enterprise technology adoption, and hired and developed large, diverse teams across global markets.

He holds advanced degrees in Computer Science and Business Management, combining strong technical expertise with strategic leadership experience. His background spans executive roles focused on driving innovation, building strategic partnerships, and helping organizations translate emerging technologies into measurable business outcomes. Known for his collaborative leadership style, Manoj is passionate about team work with his peers and supporting his team's career growth.

Manoj's other interests include personal finance, investing, traveling and playing tennis.

Manoj enjoys working with job seekers at all stages of their careers. He helps mentees strengthen their professional story, improve networking and interviewing effectiveness, build confidence, and develop practical strategies for identifying and pursuing the right opportunities. He believes successful job searches come from a combination of self-awareness, focused preparation, persistence, and adaptability.

www.linkedin.com/in/agnihotrimanoj/

Colleen has been a global marketer for Fortune 100 companies, startups, and agencies, bringing strategic insights and innovation to new product launches and multi-channel campaigns. Her work spans consumer and business technologies—including software, services, and hardware—across a range of industries.

With her marketing and brand-building expertise, Colleen helps job seekers clarify their unique value, craft stories to promote themselves, and learn the art and science of successful interviewing. Whether navigating a career pivot, reentering the workforce, or aiming for the next level, she helps job seekers gain clarity and confidence to land a new job. 

Colleen has a master’s degree in organizational systems design—focused on leadership, high-performance teaming, and change management—that enhances her ability to help people through transformational change. 

Colleen initially engaged with Lake Grove Job Seekers in late 2017 when pursuing an entrepreneurial venture in residential real estate (career pivot) and several years later when transitioning back into tech marketing. She found the services and support to be invaluable as a job seeker and so she was happy to become a mentor as she moved into her “second half career.” 

Nadya has worked as an electrical engineer, software engineer, engineering director, and product manager. She has held several tech leadership roles including General Manager at New Relic, and Chief Product Officer with engineering responsibilities at DAT Freight & Analytics and at the cybersecurity firm Huntress.

Now Nadya teaches people how to brag as a force for good and provides executive and leadership coaching. You can find her free newsletter with practical leadership and communication advice at her web site nadyadukeboone.com.

Larry Bowman was one of the original founders of Lake Grove Job Seekers. He is well-remembered for his listening, motivational, honest and respectful approach to coaching and mentoring. 

The most important part of education is not what you learn, but who you become by what you learn.

CAREER FOCUS: Help others help themselves get better

CAREER PROFILE: Energetic, enthusiastic, innovative teacher, coach, mentor, consultant and business owner with over 40 years’ experience challenging students, athletes, job seekers and corporations to develop a positive learning attitude, good productive work habits and a willingness to work cooperatively to produce positive results through teamwork.

AREAS OF EXCELLENCE:

• Positive problem solver
• Relationship building conflict management
• Productive goal setting
• Good listener/encourager

STRENGTHSFINDER:

Connectedness * Relator * Belief * Positivity

David Donaldson recently completed a career spanning nearly 40 years primarily in local government, recruiting, and HR roles. In fact, David’s exposure to local government started in childhood. As the son of a City Manager, David watched his father’s local government career progress across such places as Montclair, CA, Scottsdale, AZ, Tacoma, WA and Cincinnati, OH. 

David himself started his career in the city manager’s office in the town of Dallas, Oregon, where he wrote his master’s thesis on Economic Development in small Oregon communities. From there he went to work in Los Angeles for the world’s largest Executive Search Firm, Korn Ferry International. After traveling the country for 12 years, conducting searches for both public sector and nonprofit clients in 20 states, he returned to Oregon to start a career in local government.  

Once back in Oregon, David worked for 10 years as the Deputy City Manager and HR Director in Wilsonville, 7+ years as the Assistant City Manager and Interim City Manager for Lake Oswego, and his final 4+ working years as the Public Works Director in Beaverton OR where he helped them receive APWA accreditation in 2019.

Since retiring, David has served as the Interim Public Works Operations Manager for Lake Oswego OR, taught HR Management at Portland State University, was a census taker for the 2020 Census, and volunteered at the World Track and Field Championships in Eugene. 

David enjoys helping people with their career and continues to mentor many of people he’s worked with over his career. He’s delighted to be able to continue mentoring with Lake Grove Job Seekers.

Stan is an accomplished leader of people and organizations. Over the past 40 years Stan has enjoyed success driving organizations to grow revenue & profits while developing new products and services. He has worked in Fortune 100 organizations and family-owned businesses. Most recently, Stan was co-founder of an Internet-of-Things Smart Home automation company serving the short- and long-term property management industries.

Growing up in Hawaii, Stan came to Oregon to complete his BS degree in Business with a minor in Computer Science at Oregon State University. He has held positions based up and down the West coast while serving clients around the world.

In addition to mentoring at Job Seekers, Stan volunteers for a non-profit that teaches financial literacy to high school students and is involved with his Church. He resides in Wilsonville with his wife and is father to two successful, grown children.

See Stan here in an interview about the value of job clubs and Lake Grove Job Seekers.

www.linkedin.com/in/stanearnshaw/

Renee is a founder and the retired CFO of RapidMade, an engineering services, additive (3D printing) and traditional manufacturing firm based in Tualatin, Oregon.  In August, they celebrated their 14th anniversary.  During this time, the company has experienced dramatic growth by leveraging advanced manufacturing technologies.

Passionate about promoting manufacturing careers, Renee founded and leads the Oregon Chapter of Women in Manufacturing.

Before starting her company with her husband and son, Renee worked extensively in operations and higher education.  Most recently, she was with Western Oregon University as its Director of Service Learning and Career Planning. 

She spent a year abroad in Surrey, England where she studied the English higher education system, completed college admissions counseling coursework, and traveled extensively throughout Europe and Northern Africa. 

Prior to her move, Renee taught management classes and career planning at the University of Portland’s Pamplin School of Business for 8 years.

She began her career in Manufacturing Management at Nabisco’s Pittsburgh plant where she worked for almost two decades.  During this time, she earned her MBA at the University of Pittsburgh. 

LinkedIn: Renee Eaton

Glen Hascall is a problem solver with 40 years of experience on large IBM main frame computers. He is best known for his ability to get to the bottom of complex computer problems and arrive at a solutions. He spent 33 years working at a large IT department in Northwest Portland, OR starting with Consolidated Freightways and progressing through a number of name changes (same desk, same computers) to the Con-way Freight company. In a reduction-in-force Glen was able to retire in 2010 and has been part of the mentoring team in the Lake Grove Job Seeker program ever since.

Glen has a Bachelors of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of Portland. While at the university he was a member of the Air Force ROTC program and, thus, at graduation was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. He spent the first 11 months of his AF time in training to be a Computer Maintenance Officer and the rest of his 4 year tour of duty in Germany as System Technical Director at a large NATO computerized air defense system. After his service time, Glen matriculated at Texas A&M University where he earned a Masters of Computing Science and after graduation was hired in the school's Data Center. He eventually became the technical worker on two research projects for NASA.

Besides mentoring in the Job Seeker program, Glen is an active church musician singing in the choir and playing in the handbell choir at Lake Grove Presbyterian Church. His love of handbell playing has led him to be Chairman of Area 10 of the Handbell Musicians of America (OR, WA, ID, MT and AK). He has attended a number of national and international events in this art. In April of 2016, Glen, a widower, remarried; together Glen and his wife have 12 grandchildren. Both Glen and his wife have a love of travel and take at least 2 major trips a year plus many shorter trips to visit family.

Debra has been in the healthcare industry for over 25 years. She began her career with StaffCare in Dallas, Texas as a physician recruiter prior to moving to Portland in 2006. In 2010, she was one of the founders of ICON Medical Network, a national healthcare staffing company that has received many awards, including being selected as one of Oregon’s Fastest growing private companies and one of the 100 best companies to work for in Oregon 5 years in a row.

Debra helped develop a staff that genuinely cares for the providers and hospitals they work for and the patients they see. Passionate about people, she has always strived to make a difference in the lives of her employees and clients.

In addition to mentoring at Lake Grove Job Seekers, Debra is also a mentor at Great Life Mentoring, a program that helps youth that have experienced trauma or face other circumstances that impact their everyday functioning. Debra also volunteers her time with Engin, a nonprofit organization that pairs Ukrainian youth with English speakers to practice online conversation and promote a cultural connection.

Growing up in Wisconsin, Debra is an avid Green Bay Packers fan and spends Sundays with her family cheering on her favorite team. Debra is also a dog lover at heart, her first pup was a three-legged stray named Joy, and she now has two dogs she gets to enjoy: Arthur and Zeus.

www.linkedin.com/in/debrahays/

Barbara joined Lake Grove Job Seekers in 2013 after a 25 year career in non-profit program development, volunteer management, and organizational leadership. As Executive Director of Child Advocates, Inc. She built a successful non-profit organization from the ground up, tripling the program size in 5 years. 

She was instrumental in establishing the Oregon CASA Network and collaborated in creating five new CASA programs throughout Oregon. Her advocacy efforts led to quadrupling statewide funding, negotiating the first statewide Memorandum of Understanding between Oregon CASA and DHS Child Welfare, and achieving significant changes in CASA volunteer access to the adoption planning process, including favorable Oregon Supreme Court decisions.

A native Oregonian, Barbara previously worked as an attorney and entrepreneur. She holds a J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School and a B.S. in History & Political Science from the University of Oregon. She was a 35-year member of the Oregon State Bar, and served appointments to the Oregon Commission for Voluntary Action & Service, the Oregon Law Commission and a number of Legislative Work Groups. 

Barbara enjoys time with family and friends, volunteering, reading, and a great cup of coffee. 

www.linkedin.com/in/barbarajohnsonoregon/

Jennifer joined the Lake Grove program as a job seeker in 2015 and was helped tremendously by the program's great speakers, networking opportunities, and structured process. She landed a fantastic job as the Director of Career Services at Oregon Tech from which she recently retired. She is excited to pay it forward by helping other job seekers to land their own great opportunities.

Jennifer grew up in Michigan and has lived in eight states from New York to Hawaii. She has a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan, an MBA in Marketing from New York University, and an MA in Counseling from The College of New Jersey. Her career spans nonprofit administration and fundraising, consumer products marketing research, and career coaching. She has experienced job loss in her family on several occasions and is very familiar with the challenges faced by job seekers, particularly those who are trying to reinvent themselves after a move or pivot to a new career.

Strengths: Women and Job Search, Nonprofit and Social Impact Job Search, Career Communications (Resumes, LinkedIn, Interviews), Trailing Spouses/Partners, Job Search Strategy

www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-kass/

Steve is an experienced engineer, technology executive and strategic consultant.  Fortunate to have had numerous mentors throughout his career and to also to have mentored many leaders along the way, Steve is excited to be part of Lake Grove Job Seekers to “pay it forward” and help job seekers find opportunities that fit their skill sets and passions while they simultaneously provide high value to the organizations they work for.

Curious by nature with a passion for change and an ongoing desire for new experiences and challenges, Steve has intentionally pivoted numerous times in his career. With expertise in advanced manufacturing, data centers, and cloud computing, Steve has worked nationally and internationally for firms of all sizes in numerous roles -- with a throughline of always working to solve systemic problems to improve organizations and creating actional strategic roadmaps to drive businesses forward.

Originally from Wisconsin and living in Oregon since 1994, Steve enjoys traveling and spending time with his family.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-knipple-5770363/

Robin retired in 2021 after 30 years in the automotive finance services industry, starting as a junior collector with Toyota Financial Services in 1989 and finishing her career as a National Manager for Volkswagen Credit, Inc.  Robin’s primary focus was managing risk, mitigating loss and recognizing and preventing fraud for a portfolio of $30B.  Robin is skilled in account management, budget planning, sales, financial risk but her favorite part of every role was building and maintaining relationships, both with external partners and employees.

Robin has always said throughout her career that she worked in the financial services industry, but her passion was helping employees grow and achieve their goals, both personally and professionally.  Robin has coached, mentored and hired hundreds of employees throughout her career and has always provided a compassionate perspective to achieving both long-term and short-term goals.

In August of 2020, Robin’s husband was given an international assignment in Tel Aviv, Israel and Robin decided to retire in February of 2021 and join her husband.  Robin made many new friends from around the world and volunteered with the International Women Club as their Innovation and Technology Chair.  Robin continued to coach and advise people in their careers and helped them with their development plans and goals.

After returning to the US, Robin looked for various volunteer opportunities and had been volunteering at Portland Workforce Alliance event helping young people with their interview skills when she heard about Lake Grove Job Seekers. Robin jumped at the chance to be able to use her depth of experience and desire to help people to find meaningful work and progress in their career. 

Robin has been a resident of Oregon since 1988 and is originally from Milwaukee, WI and has a BA from University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee in Economics and International Relations.

www.linkedin.com/in/robin-lacount/

Rich first came to Lake Grove in 2008 and credits his friendships and experiences there with landing his dream job with Nike in 2010. While at Lake Grove, he also co-founded the Supply Chain Gang with Bob Yokoyama and remains active there in supporting supply chain professionals finding their next positions.

Rich grew up in Minnesota (still roots for his beloved Twins and Vikings!), moved to the West Coast after high school, and graduated from UCLA. His background includes stints as a naval officer and math teacher before entering the corporate world, where he’s worked as a production manager, business consultant, and, for the past 30 years, a supply chain professional. After re-locating to Oregon in the early 80’s, he has held a variety of positions in bar-code scanning and display technology, power utility, and (for the past 10+ years) Nike.

Recently retired, Rich is looking forward to sharing his passion with his fellow Lake Grove mentors in helping others. He credits networking as the most important aspect of finding those hidden gems of opportunities, along with self-reflection, mentoring, and relationship-building. One of Rich’s mantras: “People hire people whom they know and like!” 

Check out this interview on networking that Rich did with Gina Riley, a well-regarded executive coach.

Strengths: Supply Chain, Lean Methodology, Networking.

www.linkedin.com/in/richl/

Peter is the owner of CareerMakers, Portland's oldest locally owned career and job transition company.

Since 1984 he has actively helped over 9,000 individuals find or create new and rewarding employment opportunities. His clients come locally from Portland, from around the U.S., and even internationally. 

Peter also provided outplacement services for numerous companies in his career, including US Bank, Adidas, PGE, Intel, Panasonic, Western Family Foods, Dr. Marten’s, Standard Insurance and the State of Oregon.

He is the author of two books including "Want a New Better Fantastic Job?" which sold over 50,000 copies. He facilitated PHRMA (the Portland Human Resource Management Association) for 12 years, he developed and hosted Career Talk on KXL Radio, and he has been an adjunct teacher at Stanford University and Portland State University.

On the personal side, Peter is a pilot, skier, and a lover of Hawaiian beaches.

Ellen worked in the high tech industry her entire career, with 10 years of experience at two start ups, and 20+ years with Intel. Her primary area of focus was business operations and innovation, and her work spanned strategic planning, innovation best practices, organizational and operations improvement, benchmarking, and internal communications. Besides business and program management roles, Ellen also managed Intel's leadership development programs for 3+ years, working with executives, directors, middle managers, and first line managers.

Originally from the east coast, where she received a B.S. in Computer Science from Boston College, Ellen moved to the Midwest where she earned her Master's Degree in Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and joined her first high tech company. She moved to Portland in 1990 to join another start up, and eventually found her way to Intel.

Besides extensive international travel, Ellen loves to read, cook, and eat all sorts of flavors and foods. She joined Job Seekers in January, 2018 and has enjoyed the friendships she's made with fellow mentors and job seekers alike, believing it is a privilege to be a part of their lives.

www.linkedin.com/in/ellenrecko/

George is a retired senior executive with experience at both startup and Fortune 100 and 500 companies. Skilled in management, product development, strategic planning and business development, he is an astute business strategist who built revenue and profit through innovative products, process improvements, and acquisitions/mergers (domestic and international). George enjoys building cohesive teams and achieving results through encouragement, mentoring and accountability.

Recently retired, George has been contributing to a variety of volunteer activities including Lake Grove Job Seekers, Medical Teams International, various church functions, and international mission trips.

A goal-driven leader, George believes in “Results through Empowerment with Accountability.”

www.linkedin.com/in/georgereis/

John was an Oregon classroom teacher (Economics and Government), and head football coach for 19 years. Over his career, he also served as an Elementary School Principal, Junior High School administrator, Assistant Superintendent Human Resources, and School District Superintendent.

John's areas of responsibility spanned Educational Administration, Human Resources Management, Contract Negotiations and Management of Collective Bargaining Agreements, District Budget Oversight, Public and Employee Relations, and Bond Issue Elections and Management.

Other related assignments included:

• Serving as a school district liaison for five Dine’ Nation (Navajo) Chapter Houses within the school districts’ boundary.
• Being selected as a coach for the Oregon ‘East-West’ Shrine Game.
• Successfully completing a $100 million+ bond election for school facility improvements.

Volunteer experiences include serving as:

• A City Council member
• President of ‘Habitat for Humanity’, San Luis Obispo County Chapter
• A Founding Member of the Arlington Education Foundation.
• An Advisory Board member for a San Francisco Financial Services firm assisting public
  agencies on bonded debt.

Favorite quote: ‘Seek first to understand, then to be understood’. Steven Covey

Gary started his career by attending Portland State University receiving his BS in Applied Science/Mechanical Engineering and added to his education with the Stanford/AEA Executive Program.

Gary’s road trip through corporate America placed him in the decision roles with ESI (Electro Scientific Industries), Hyster Company, and The Raymond Corporation. These companies, in one way or another, relied on his expertise in:

- High Tech Laser Systems
- Robotics
- Autonomous Vehicles
- Electric Lift Trucks for High Density DC’s and other Logistics Applications
- Business Unit and Divisional Management

Most recently, Gary was Executive Vice President of Exceed Enterprises. Exceed is a company that currently employs 150 workers who serve Oregon giants like: PCC Structures, The Boeing Company, Daimler Trucks of North America LLC with light manufacturing, assembly and steel cable lanyards. Other companies of note: Coca-Cola, Georgia Pacific, Recology, Northwest 4 Slide, Columbia River Knife and Tool, and Hood River Distillers. Together with a new CEO, Gary helped lead Exceed through a dynamic change period of financial growth designed to dramatically change and increase the opportunities for people with and without disabilities.

Beginning in 2019 Gary decided to retire from the day to day work force and focus on volunteering. This includes being a mentor for job seekers in career transitions, and helping non-profit organizations where his experience can benefit their missions. Previously Chair of the Oregon section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Gary is now on the Board of Directors for the Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership (OMEP).

Jan brings together decades of academic leadership and hands-on industry experience in project management. She retired from Penn State University after 15 years in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, where her STEM-focused research earned her the George McMurtry Professor of the Year award and recognition as an AACE International speaker on customizing online methodology for students and customers. She also designed and taught project management courses at UC San Diego's Rady School of Business, and at Portland State University she developed curriculum spanning the undergraduate Capstone, the MBA online supply chain program, and Engineering PhD coursework.

On the practitioner side, Jan led Penn State Executive Education's project management corporate training and spent three decades at IBM in roles spanning development, manufacturing, and the worldwide corporate deployment of SAP. Through Penn State, she managed multi-million-dollar projects for the Department of Defense and Department of Energy, and as a private consultant she has worked with organizations including KPMG, IBM, Deloitte, PwC, Saint Gobain, and Accenture.

Jan holds the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, the highest international project management credential. She has trained members of the Portland PMI chapter on how to pass the PMP exam and was a featured speaker at the 2018 annual PMI conference, presenting on common pitfalls in risk management.

She remains dedicated to empowering the LGJS community in their pursuit of fulfilling career paths.

www.linkedin.com/in/jan-mahar-sturdevant/

Mariek Witlox is a certified personal leadership coach, transformation consultant, and executive leader with 30 years of experience in the digital industry. Dedicated to empowering individuals and organizations, her work focuses on uncovering and leveraging unique strengths to foster both personal and professional growth.

As a transformation consultant, Mariek has guided businesses in bridging the gap between strategy, marketing, and technology. Her expertise lies in crafting value-driven solutions, translating performance goals into actionable results, and leading teams to create meaningful impact.

After relocating from Europe to Portland, Mariek discovered the importance of community and mentorship during career transitions. This inspired her involvement with Lake Grove Job Seekers, where she contributes to equipping jobseekers with tools, confidence, and strategies to achieve their career goals.

Known for a hands-on, results-oriented approach, Mariek helps align goals with values to enable lasting success. Outside of coaching, she enjoys Oregon’s stunning outdoors through running, cycling, skiing, and golfing, as well as traveling with her family.

www.linkedin.com/in/mariekwitlox/

Bob’s tag line is: “My goal is to work myself out of a job.” This is because he is dedicated to helping job seekers until there are "none" left, when he plans to “retire”. He is very passionate about “paying it forward”.

 After a 47 year career in Supply Chain Management, which included retail management, procurement, project management, business analysis, logistics, warehousing, and transportation, both in the food and drug industries, Bob has dedicated his retirement to helping others.

 As a youngster, Bob was a gang leader in the projects of San Francisco. His parents put him in the Scouting program, where he learned structure, character, and integrity. Bob has previously served as the Endowment Chair on the Executive Board for the Cascade Pacific Council for the Boy Scouts as well as serving on several committees. He has also taught Eagle Scouts to build strong resumes and has conducted mock interviews for them.  Today, he serves on the Eagle Scout Scholarship Selection Committee.

When Bob was laid off during the recession back in 2008, the Lake Grove Job Seekers taught him job search skills and provided him with moral support. As a result, when Bob retired in 2012, he became a Mentor there for two years before joining the job search ministry leadership team at River West Church for seven years. He returned to the Lake Grove Job Seekers during the pandemic.  Now,  Bob has again returned to Lake Grove Job Seekers to help during these trying times.

 Bob was also co-founder of the Supply Chain Gang Network Group, which helped and supported those searching for positions in the supply chain field.

 Bob has four grown children and four grandchildren. He enjoys spending time with them as well as traveling to Hawaii and Las Vegas.