Dear ARCS Community!

I have great news. January 1, we launched a pilot program to attract new members. (For more specifics, click here) I am excited to share that in the first two months, we have eleven new members! Three are current scholars and two are alumni. We all have friends and family who are passionate about STEM education. If someone in your circle might be interested in ARCS, invite them to an upcoming event. Any questions, contact me at kenda.singer@gmail.com. I will keep you updated on our continued success!

Kenda Singer
VP, Member Relations Committee

Meet Our Newest Members, Debra, Olivia, Grace, Mary Ruth, Hillary, Joanna, Wyn & Krista

Debra Pellati, MBA, CFP

An experienced financial services professional at KeyBank, Debra works with successful families and individuals, including retirees, business owners, executives, physicians, and professionals to guide them through the complex wealth management process. Working with a team of experts, she helps clients define their goals and develop strategies and solutions for their unique situations.
Prior to joining KeyBank, Debra was a Trust investment Advisor with a national financial services firm, as well as several international banking and investment organizations. Debra holds an MBA from International College of Cayman Islands/University of Tampa; a Graduate Diploma in Business, Finance and Financial Management Services from Lakehead University; and a certificate in Adult Education from the University of Manitoba. She also has several professional certifications.
An active volunteer, she has served as a board member for Dress for Success Oregon and Thunder Bay Businesswomen's Network.

Olivia Williams

Olivia is an ARCS Oregon Alumnus. She is a member of the American Geophysical Union and the Center for Oldest Ice Exploration. Olivia is pursuing a PhD in geology from Oregon State University. Check out Olivia’s website here: https://www.oliviawilliamsgeo.com/

Grace Su

Grace is a second-year ARCS scholar in OHSU's Biomedical Sciences PhD program. She received her bachelors of science degree at Doane University. Grace is researching lipid nanoparticle gene therapy for inherited retinal degenerations. She is an officer at OHSU's Student Learning Center, a graduate student union steward, and a member of the Program in Biomedical Science (PBMS) curriculum committee.

Mary Ruth Shifflet

Mary Ruth is a first-year ARCS scholar, an aspiring chemistry/biochemistry professor and is currently a graduate student at the University of Oregon, where she plans to earn a PhD in Biochemistry. She graduated from Bridgewater College in '23 with a biochemistry major and computer science minor. At Bridgewater, she was a chemistry lab teaching assistant and tutor for three years. During those years, she grew to love teaching and helping students learn chemistry. This sparked her desire to pursue a PhD to teach. Also, she participated in research through Bridgewater college and completed two research experiences for undergraduates (REUs). During one of these experiences, she worked on developing STEM education hands-on demonstrations with the Australian national indigenous science education program. This experience solidified her goal to develop youth STEM education programs. Throughout high school, she would volunteer with a local Ruritan food booth during fair week and a fellowship of Christian athletes week summer camp. Currently at UO, she is part of a peer-mentor program known as JUMP. She is paired up with three science undergraduate students that she meets with biweekly to advise and encourage.

Hillary Le

Hillary wholeheartedly agrees with the ARCS mission, and she is beyond excited to graduate from being a scholar to a member. Hillary plans on being involved for the rest of her life. She is a first-generation Vietnamese American who is the first to pursue her PhD in the family. She is an incredibly passionate about advocating for increased science communication to minoritized communities and to achieve equity regardless of race, socioeconomic status, gender, sex, and sexuality.

Joanna Ehlers

Joanna has 30 years of fundraising experience in both health care and higher education, including service with Providence, Oregon State University and currently, the Oregon Health & Science University Foundation, working with the Knight Cancer Institute. While not native to Oregon, she has spent much of her professional life in Portland, raised 3 children here, and enjoys the many outdoor activities the Pacific NW has to offer.

Wyn Bowler

Wyn is a native of upstate New York. A few years after earning a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Michigan she arrived in Oregon. She worked as a computer programmer, quality assurance engineer, operations manager, and technical writer, mainly in the high-tech industry. She became a student of parliamentary procedure in the1980s and is currently a member of National Association of Parliamentarians. She served as parliamentarian and board member for an international, non-profit educational organization. She is currently serving her third term as parliamentarian for the Assistance League of Greater Portland, where she served as president for the 2021-2022 term. Wyn likes to garden, cook, read, and sew.

Teri Patapoff

Teri has been working in nonprofit fundraising since 2007, with a focus on supporting healthcare and higher education organizations. Her experience includes working with missions that support medical education and research, community colleges, elder care, and blindness prevention. Currently, Teri serves as the Director of Development for the OHSU Foundation, where she has been since 2022. Before joining OHSU, she worked as a Major Gift Officer at the Portland Community College Foundation. In 2023, Teri earned the CSPG (Certified Specialist in Planned Giving) credential from the American Institute of Philanthropic Studies at CSU Long Beach. She also holds a Certificate in Nonprofit Fundraising from PSU/WVDO. Teri is an active member of the Northwest Planned Giving Roundtable and has volunteered with organizations such as the Girl Scouts of Oregon and SW Washington, Oregon Public Broadcasting, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and The Moth. She has also served as a Board Member and Past President of the Oswego Playschool (est. 1953 by John and Betty Gray). Teri lives in West Linn, OR, with her husband, two children, two cats, and one perfect rescue pup. Her free time is spent supporting her active children.

Krista Habing

Krista is a PhD student in the Biomedical Engineering Program at Oregon Health and Science University. She is researching how recovery from severe muscle trauma can be improved in elderly populations using regenerative medicine and rehabilitative exercise. Krista is originally from Illinois where she got her B.S. in Bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Krista has an extended history of supporting women in science with previous involvement in the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and Alpha Omega Epsilon. Krista currently serves on the executive board of a Portland non-profit, Women in Science Portland, whose mission is to support the connection, community, and career development of women in STEM. Besides her passion for science, Krista also loves Irish dancing and playing with her dog, Twiggy.