Paul Steinle
President
Paul Steinle is a journalist, documentarian and educator. From 1961-1990, Steinle was a broadcast journalist and news manager. He was the president of UPI (1988-1990) and the Financial News Network (1984-1986) ; TV news director, KING-TV, Seattle, and WIXT-TV, Syracuse; he reported from Saigon and Hong Kong for Group–W radio news; and he was a reporter and producer for WBZ-TV and WCVB-TV, Boston. From 1991-2001, he launched graduate journalism programs at the University of Miami and Quinnipiac University; from 2001-2010, he taught journalism and served as associate provost, Southern Oregon University, Ashland, Ore. Steinle has an M.B.A. from Harvard, an M.S. from Syracuse University and a baccalaureate from Amherst College. He is the co-author of “Commune: Life in Rural China” and “Practicing Journalism: The Power and Purpose of the Fourth Estate.” In 2010 and 2011, Steinle and his wife, Sara Brown, founded the nonprofit organization Valid Sources and launched the Who Needs Newspapers? project, a 50-state snapshot reporting how American newspapers began recasting themselves in the digital age. Their research is reported in “Practicing Journalism: The Power and Purpose of the Fourth Estate” (Marion Street Press, 2014).
Laura Simonds
Treasurer
Laura Simonds had a long career in book publishing as Director of Marketing and Sales for three publishers in the San Francisco Bay Area, specializing in management, nonprofit leadership, human resources, and performance management. She has volunteered with several nonprofit organizations in leadership positions: Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Southern Oregon University, currently Vice President/President Elect, member of the Communications & Community Outreach Committee (2020-present); Filoli Historic House and Gardens (a property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation) member of the Board of Directors, chair of the Friends of Filoli (the volunteer organization), and chair of the Docent Committee (2013-2021); and Mercedes-Benz Club of America (MBCA), National Vice President, National Treasurer, and currently chair of the Governance Committee (2005-present). She holds degrees in Communications: master’s from the University of Oregon and bachelor’s from California State University, Los Angeles.
Lorrie Kline Kaplan
Secretary
Lorrie Kline Kaplan started her career in healthcare communications and editorial management, but quickly moved into nonprofit leadership roles in the Washington, D.C., area. She served as Executive Director of the National Home Infusion Association from 1997-2007, and as Chief Executive Officer of the American College of Nurse-Midwives from 2007-2016. In these roles, she built expertise in nonprofit governance, management, strategic planning, communications and public relations, state and federal advocacy, facilitation, and conference management. Since moving to Ashland in 2019 with her husband, Bob Kaplan, she co-founded and currently serves as President of the Ashland Climate Collaborative, a nonprofit organization working toward rapid adoption of locally appropriate climate solutions. Lorrie grew up in Hyde Park, New York, earned a bachelor’s degree cum laude in economics and English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural Paraguay.
Connor Babbitt
Connor Babbitt says he is “a disorganized organizer of essays, bad punch lines, and laundry.” As a dedicated student, he has presented at the National Undergraduate Conference of Literature, prepared academic articles for publication, and planned community-centered events alongside his peers. He is currently studying to receive several professional certificates concurrently with bachelor’s degrees in English and in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies from Southern Oregon University. In between classes, conferences, and community events, Connor has worked in both private and public health settings on the frontlines against COVID-19. He is determined to create a healthier community through his advocacy for worker’s rights and fair labor practices, as demonstrated by his union-organizing efforts in Rogue Valley. His says his belief in the power of human connection drives his every move, as witnessed by his cat, Bruce, who refuses to use his opposable thumbs to do Connor’s laundry.
Tod Davies
Tod Davies is an editorial director and publisher who has also worked as a screenwriter, film and television producer, social activist, radio show host, actor, and amateur cook. She is the founder of Toxteth TV, an educational/media studio for young people based in Liverpool, and the editor/publisher of Exterminating Angel Press. In 2005, she was Artist in Residence at St John’s College, Oxford, and is a member of the Senior Common Room there. She’s the author of The History of Arcadia visionary fiction series, as well as the Jam Today cookbook/memoir series, and has served as program director for the Ashland Literary Arts Festival. She lives in the mountains of Oregon with her husband, filmmaker Alex Cox, and their slightly crazy dogs. She passionately believes that culture is formed at the story level, and that many of the most ignored stories tell us the most about ourselves. . .and can help us change our world. Which world definitely needs some change right now.
Tara Houston
Tara Houston is a scenic designer, educator, facilitator, and advocate. She currently serves as Community and Engagement Manager for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival — a position which takes advantage of her theater skills alongside facilitating and community building. Previously, Tara worked in higher education and, in December 2022, she finished her final semester as Assistant Professor of Scenic Design at Louisiana State University, a role she held alongside that of Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the College of Music and Dramatic Arts. While her work is centered in the performing arts, she holds humanity’s ability to create connection in any circumstance as central to all work that she does, inside and out of performance spaces.
Hillary Larson
Hillary Larson is a native Oregonian born in Portland who grew up in Medford. She left Southern Oregon to pursue a career in radio, first by attaining a bachelor’s degree in Communications, which included studying at BBC TV, the Royal College of Art and BBC Radio 4 in London. From there, she worked as a reporter for Broadcast Week before going on to produce nationally syndicated radio shows in New York City. Aside from a career in broadcasting, Hillary has been committed to racial and social equity since the early ’90s, initially centering her focus on education by serving the African American community in Portland. Deeper than any professional title she’s attained, she values the idea that human beings can accomplish great things when they come together in the name of inclusion and collaboration and that reliable community news is one of the essential pillars in facilitating that possibility.
Bob Palermini
Bob Palermini spent more than 35 years at a range of newspapers from small country weeklies to the then-largest metropolitan newspaper in the country. He started his as a photographer and reporter, and later publisher, at weekly newspapers in northern Illinois. He moved into leading technology, production and project management for small dailies in Illinois and Iowa and then at Tribune Company newspapers in Virginia, Florida and Illinois. He was named Senior Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer at the Los Angeles Times in 2000 where he led the technology, advertising production and facilities departments. In 2005 he was named Senior Vice President of Production Technology for all of Tribune’s newspapers. He was responsible for selection and installation of major content management and production systems for the group’s newspapers. He and his wife, Tracy, moved to Ashland in 2016 and are involved with a number of local organizations. He has been a photographer for Ashland.news, Southern Oregon University athletics, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland Parks and Recreation and other local organizations.
D.L. Richardson
D.L. Richardson is an educator with 25-plus years of experience in teaching, diversity training and public speaking. D.L. has taught communication courses at university and high school levels, including everything from Public Speaking to Media and Civil Rights History, as well as Journalism and Public Relations. He also served as Chair of Southern Oregon University’s Communication Department. He has served or still serves on the Oregon Cares Fund for Black Relief and Resiliency, The Oregon African American/Black Student Success Advisory Committee, The Governor’s (Oregon) Healthy Schools Re-opening Council, the Oregon Racial Justice Council’s Education Recovery Committee, and the Jackson County United Way Board of Directors. He is also a board member with Foundations for a Better Oregon and sits on diversity, equity and inclusion committees for the Oregon Community Foundation and JCUW. He worked as an Equity Specialist with the Medford and Ashland School Districts, and currently serves with the Southern Oregon Education Service District as the Southern Oregon Black/African American Success Specialist. He is also a board member with the community-based organization Black Southern Oregon Alliance. He has lived and worked in Southern Oregon for more than 20 years.
Charlie Ter Bush
Charlie Ter Bush retired to Ashland in 2014 after a 34-year career primarily in legal publishing, starting as an editor writing about tax law. He was a tax accountant with Arthur Andersen in Chicago, and returned to legal publishing as a strategic planning manager and later director of marketing with CCH (later Wolters Kluwer). He served as President of STF Services, a provider of electronic tax and business forms and later as Vice President and Managing Director of Tax Markets for Lexis-Nexis, an international provider of electronic information for professionals. Just prior to retirement he was Director of Book Publishing and Business Manager for Publishing at the American Bar Association in Chicago. He holds a bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University, a law degree from the University of Illinois, an MBA from DePaul University, and a CPA certificate. Charlie and his wife, Ruth, are District Coordinators for the AARP Tax Aide program (an IRS co-sponsored free tax return service) in the Rogue Valley, and are active in various musical organizations in the area.
Emeritus: Founding Ashland.news President Herbert Rothschild, board member 2021-2023.
En memoriam: Founding Ashland.news board member Gary Anderson, 1945-2022. Read his obituary here.
