Leadership

Over the past 6 years UKANDU has grown from one full-time employee to four full-time staff members.

We are thankful to have over 200 dedicated and committed volunteers who work closely with our full time staff to plan and execute year-round programming for families impacted by childhood and adolecent cancer.

UKANDU Employees

Jason was born and raised in Portland. Prior to becoming the new Executive Director for UKANDU, from 2001 to 2016, held roles a business development and government relations consultant, living in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. In his consulting roles, Jason has served clients in the U.S., Africa, and Asia, interfacing with business executives and officials at the highest levels of government. Jason joined Camp Ukandu as a counselor in 1988. Camp Ukandu became a formative influence in his life and he has attended camp every summer since 1988. Jason has served as a counselor, lead counselor, and head counselor as well as two different stints as a member of the board of directors. As Ukandu launches a new phase, Jason is excited to be back home and hopes to combine his breadth of personal and professional experiences with his deep and passionate commitment to our families and relishes the opportunity to work with the staff, the board, and other volunteers to grow the outreach and impact of Ukandu in our community.

Jason Hickox

Chief Executive Officer

Robin was born and raised in the PNW, but has also enjoyed some time living in both Philadelphia and Denver. During her college years, she spent time as an after school coordinator in Philadelphia as well as 3 years as a camp counselor and camp director during the summers in Washington State. After graduating from Portland State University, she joined InterVarsity where she worked with college students in leadership development, community development, and spiritual formation. In this time, she also developed and ran the Denver Urban Program where college students could participate in an experiential learning internship through conversations, training, and engagement around issues of justice that impacted the city of Denver. Over the past few years, Robin has enjoyed being home as a full time caretaker of her two young children alongside her husband as they have relocated back to Portland. Robin is excited to join the amazing UKANDU team and share this community’s hope, joy and connection!

Robin Emerick

Program Director

Sage is a Portland native with a passion for using strategic communications to foster community and positive change. Prior to her role with UKANDU, she was the Communications Manager for local non-profit Pioneer Courthouse Square, Inc. With a heart for service and volunteering, she has dedicated countless hours of volunteer work with local schools and most recently took on a volunteer leadership role with Vote Save America, working to expanding voting access. Sage graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelors in Public Relations in 2019 and is excited to help bring hope, joy, and connection to the UKANDU community.

Sage Palmer

Marketing and Communications Director

Johnna comes to UKANDU from the fields of higher education and prison reform. After graduating from Macalester College, Johnna returned to Portland to serve her community through AmeriCorps at College Possible where she worked to improve college access for low-income high school students. Most recently, Johnna worked with the Washington Department of Corrections to help people who are incarcerated successfully transition back to the community. With a mission-driven outlook and several years of direct service experience as her foundation, Johnna is delighted to join UKANDU and use the things she has learned to help grow and sustain the organization and their vital impact on children and families in the community.

Johnna Loreen

Development Director

Board of Directors

Our board is comprised of impassioned leaders with diverse skills and experiences committed to the mission of providing hope, joy, and connection to the families of UKANDU. If you think you're talents would be well-suited to this year-round volunteer positions please reach out to us.

Mark McGraw is retired from a career that spanned such diverse experiences as an employee at McGraw Hill Publishing, to an EMT, and as a manager in avalanche-control and rescue work for the Mt. Hood Meadows Professional Ski Patrol. In addition to joining the board of directors in 2018, Mark has brought his experience and passion for the outdoors to UKANDU as a volunteer since 2002. Mark is a humble but confident leader who's professional wilderness experience provides complementary resources to the volunteer medical professionals who help make UKANDU a safe place for children battling cancer to enjoy the outdoors. Mark and his wife Nancy - who is also a long-time volunteer - spend their time between homes in Hood River, OR and Scottsdale, AZ. As an avid golfer and outdoorsman, when Mark is not on the course, he can be found riding one of his 15 bikes or working on one of several classic and antique bicycle restoration projects.

Mark McGraw

Chair

Chris is a native Oregonian, having grown up in southeast Portland and Milwaukie. When he isn't working as a Mortgage Advisor with Associated Mortgage Brokers he is enjoying time with his beautiful wife Colleen and their baby girl Adeline.

As a former youth basketball coach of 10 years with MMYBA he has a passion for helping children gain confidence in themselves and strive to reach their fullest potential. He has been sharing that passion with our campers since 2015 as volunteer counselor for Camp UKANDU and hopes to help them remember what it means to 'just be a kid' and have fun. Joining the board of directors in 2019, Chris is excited to help lead the next generation of support for UKANDU in our community and grateful for the opportunity to be a part of an organization that means so much to him, personally, and to his family.

Chris Schwab

Vice Chair

Julie Desimone is a business assurance partner and national practice leader for the Energy and Utility National Practice at Moss Adams LLP. Julie graduated from Washington State University with a Bachelor of Arts, Accounting in 2000 and since that time has been working in public accounting and serving utility entities. In addition to being a licensed certified public accountant, Julie is a 2014 recipient of the Portland Business Journal’s “40 under 40” award, has recently been appointed to serve on the Moss Adams Assurance Services Committee, is a member of the Washington State University Business Advisory Board, serves as an AICPA peer reviewer, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Oregon Society of Certified Public Accountants, and Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants. Julie is passionate about giving back to the community and proudly supports such causes as Build-On, World Vision, and Camp UKANDU. Julie hopes that her business and accounting skill set will help Camp UKANDU grow and provide even more outrageously fun life experiences for kids who deserve to be kids. Julie lives in Vancouver, Washington, and is married with two children. She enjoys traveling, golfing, reading, and spending time with her family.

Julie Desimone

Treasurer

Ted is the president of Advanced Wealth Management, a local wealth management and financial planning firm. A native Oregonian, Ted grew up in the Portland area and graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities. He later went on to earn an Executive Certificate in Financial Planning from the University of Portland. He is very involved in the financial planning community, and he has served as both the President and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Financial Planning Association of Oregon and Southwest Washington. Ted has also served as a Subject Matter Expert for the CFP® Board of Standards, working with an elite group of other CFP® professionals to write test questions and improve the CFP® exam. He is a member of the Estate Planning Council of Portland, and has been named as one of Top 500 Millennial Advisors by Forbes magazine. Giving back has always been a core value of his, and he is active in several local non-profit groups and associations. For him personally, outdoor experiences and adventures have been integral in shaping his worldview. With that in mind he was excited to join the board of Camp Ukandu in 2017. His mission on the board is to help ensure that kids affected by cancer have the opportunity to enjoy outdoor adventures. Outside of the office, Ted loves to explore the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest at every opportunity. He and his family also love to travel and are avid soccer fans.

Ted Haley

Secretary

Marcie is the VP Home Lending Loan Closing Manager at Umpqua Bank. She has worked in the mortgage banking industry for 18 years and was in retail banking prior to that. Marcie's first exposure to UKANDU was through one of her associates who had been a previous camper and was a counselor at that time. She found her energy and excitement about camp to be contagious. As it turned out, there were numerous associates Marcie worked with who were involved with UKANDU. She became involved as a sponsor for the Breakfast Around the Campfire fundraiser. After attending several fundraisers, Marcie was inspired to get more involved in the organization. She has been involved with UKANDU since 2014 and on the Development Committee since 2019. Marcie is the mother of three, grandmother of four, and dog mom of one. She currently resides in Vancouver, Washington. Her hobbies include outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, and gardening. She loves books in any form- paper, audio, and eBooks.

Marcie Walsh

Director

Development Committee Chair

Cecil comes to UKANDU with over 20 years of health care public policy experience. He currently serves as Vice President of Government Affairs and Senior Counsel for VSP Global. In this capacity, Cecil leads VSP’s government affairs efforts, working with decisionmakers at the Federal, state and local levels to forward the company’s public policy agenda. Prior to joining VSP, Cecil worked on Capitol Hill for a decade for three different U.S. Senators. While focusing on Congressional oversight and investigative matters, his portfolio on the Hill included Medicare, Medicaid, retirement income and consumer protection issues related to our nation’s seniors.

Cecil was drawn to UKANDU by its mission of providing hope and joy to children and their families who are impacted by cancer. Having lost his own mother to cancer, he intimately understands the challenges and opportunities cancer presents to those battling it and the loved ones who stand by their sides. He hopes to utilize his background in health care, relationship development and advocacy to support and grow the programs and services UKANDU provides.

Cecil holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Michigan, a M.P.H. focused on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention from the George Washington University and earned his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Cecil lives just outside of Washington, DC with his wife and two sons and in his free time enjoys spending time with family and friends and every now and then swinging a golf club or two.

Cecil Swamidoss

Director

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee

Brandon has spent his career proving that advertising means nothing if it can’t make a lasting impact on culture. Like any visionary, he learned the rules before he broke them. Brandon worked on some of the world’s most iconic brands; Absolut Vodka, McDonalds, PlayStation, Heineken, Coke Zero and then helmed as Global Creative Director of Samsung. He then became the Managing CCO and CEO of Kastner North America. While also driving other entrepreneurial triumphs as co-founder and CCO of SNKR INC. and founder and CCO of Fluent – a venture-building innovation studio with the cultural impact of a lifestyle brand. Brandon was born and grew up in Europe and the Middle East where he learned that people have way more in common than we will ever have different. Seeing the world through the eyes of a “Third Culture” kid, he and his wife loves nothing more than showing their daughter the wonderful places and people that make up this third rock from the sun.

Brandon Rochon

Director

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee

A Portland native, Chris graduated from Linfield University with a BS in Business where he pitched for the Wildcat baseball team. Chris works in business development at OCHIN, a nonprofit leader in equitable health care innovation and in providing expertise to improve the health of underserved communities. Prior to OCHIN, his professional work experience also includes eight years in finance and wealth management.

A three-sport athlete at Central Catholic HS in Portland, Chris enjoys serving as a volunteer baseball and basketball coach for a variety of youth teams. On weekends, you can find Chris spending time with his dog, Barley, serving as a "Funcle" to his two nephews, or doing yet another project on the house he has been fixing up for four years. It was Chris's passion for giving back to the community and supporting youth that led him to join the Board in 2022 and he serves on the Development Committee.

Chris was honored and humbled to be asked to join the Board as UKANDU's Mission aligns with his commitment to make a positive impact in kids' lives. Chris is excited to use his talents and energy to serve the UKANDU community and its Mission.

Chris Renfro

Director

Development Committee

Rebecca is an adaptable professional with over 20 years of experience in the corporate travel industry and a proven knowledge of global corporate travel programs including contract negotiations, relationship management and technology solutions.

Between 2018 and 2020, Rebecca completed a three-year commitment on the Board of Trustees at the Multnomah Athletic Club, holding the position of Vice President her final year. She served for many years on the Grace Arnold Guild in Seattle and as President of the Hutch Holiday Gala on behalf of the Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center.

She volunteers regularly at the Tualatin School House Pantry and is involved with National League of Young Men with her son.

Rebecca graduated from Washington State University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, golfing, working out at the MAC and boating.

Rebecca Frinell

Director

Development Committee

Lisa comes to Ukandu as a parent of a camper. Her teenage daughter was diagnosed with brain cancer in the fall of 2018. After eight months of doctors, MRI’s, radiation treatments, chemotherapy and two brain surgeries, Camp Ukandu gave Lisa and her family a break and a moment to catch their breath. The impact of a week at camp was so profound that when Ukandu sent out a request for ambassadors, she immediately signed up. Public speaking has always been a part of her professional life, first as a trial attorney and then as a community volunteer. Educated at the University of Oregon in Rhetoric/Communications and at the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College, Lisa first practiced law in Oregon as a trial attorney and then later in Massachusetts both as a trial attorney and manager for the Department of Revenue. Wanting to return to the west coast, she became a licensed attorney in California, but ultimately came home to Oregon. After starting a family, she turned her attention to volunteering in her local community by helping to raise money for teachers, campaigning for school bonds and state legislative measures that help fund schools, and serving as parent teacher association president. Lisa hopes to make a valuable contribution by combining her experience as a parent of a camper with her ability to tell Ukandu’s story.

Lisa Kolve

Director

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee Chair

Leadership Team

These dedicated volunteer work closely with our Program Director all year long to plan and execute our two week-long reisdental summer camp programs each year