Emi Cornelius is a technologist helping solopreneurs and small businesses maximize technology to meet their business needs. Even so, she believes that direct connection is more important than ever. She joined the MountainStar board in March of 2018. She has a huge passion for the MountainStar mission and the population we serve. Emi shares, "Focusing on keeping families whole and healthy, helping prevent abuse and neglect, and supporting families into better circumstances is so important to me and our community."

Cindy moved to Central Oregon in 2020 and joined the board in October 2022. She is semi-retired, but still works part-time as a psychotherapist. She has experience working in nonprofits, county-level social services, and running an S-corporation mental health clinic. "My passion has always been to find opportunities to prevent harm, which is a difficult task. I believe the work MountainStar does will lead to prevention of future mental health issues and substance abuse, and possibly keep people out of our child welfare and criminal justice systems." In addition to being a Central Oregon Master Gardener through OSU Extension, Cindy enjoys running, hiking, swimming, biking, and generally being active.

Jennifer Mitchell moved to Bend in 2015 and works as a family doctor. Her family loves Bend and dreamed of living here for a long time. Jennifer started looking for a way to give back to her new community In a medical lecture, she learned about the importance of the first 1000 days of a child’s life-how healthy attachment formed during that time is so vital to creating healthy and resilient humans. Jennifer was thrilled to discover that MountainStar directly addresses that very issue in Central Oregon. She started volunteering in 2019 and joined the board in the summer of 2020. She said “The work MountainStar does with vulnerable children and families and the results they have achieved in prevention make me so proud to support this organization.”

Donna Mills has over 20 years’ experience as a Chief Financial Officer and Nonprofit Executive Director. She has a strong background in finance, healthcare, and healthcare payer systems. She is dedicated to advancing Healthcare Transformation and ‘never spending the same dollar twice’ (her words).

Donna Mills recently retired from serving the Central Oregon Health Council (COHC), as their Non-Profit Executive Director. Prior to joining COHC she was the Chief Executive Officer for Integrated Community Health Partners (ICHP), one of the first Regional Care Collaborative Organizations (RCCOs) in Colorado serving the Medicaid/Medicare population. Donna also serves as the Non-Profit Board Treasurer for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and is on loan to Oregon, from Colorado State Patrol Chaplaincy Division.

Donna is pleased to serve the Central Oregon region both professionally and personally. She and her husband have five grown children and 5 grandchildren. They enjoy serving in their community and being outdoors. Donna is especially fond of stand-up paddle boarding.

Margaret is a former civil litigator. She and her husband, Jim, raised their children in Moraga, CA and Lake Oswego, OR. They moved to Bend in 2017 and Margaret joined the MountainStar Board in August 2018. Margaret has long had an interest in early childhood education and mental health. She served 13 years on the board of an agency much like MountainStar in the Bay Area; helped start an after-school reading program in Oakland, CA; has been a CASA; and has been a SMART reader. Margaret and Jim enjoy hiking and kayaking in Central Oregon. Her other interests include cooking, reading, travel and photography. Margaret share, “Too often people think that trauma ends once a child is removed from an abusive or neglectful situation. But that is not the case; the trauma is multi-generational. MountainStar works to determine the stressors that can lead to trauma, help alleviate those stressors and strengthen the entire family unit.”

Carina grew up and lives on the Warm Springs Indian reservation. Her professional background includes working as a social worker for Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and as a teacher for the Head Start program with Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Currently she works at the Warm Springs Community Action team. She has served with several groups for the benefit of her community and others throughout Oregon, including currently serving on the Columbia River Gorge Commission, the Oregon league of Conservation voters and Foundations for a Better Oregon. “After spending nearly a decade focused on really hard policy work, I want to spend energy on resources close to my own family and life. Not only are MountainStar services something our community needs, but the overall mission is something I support deeply." Carina has two young children and will be welcoming a third summer of ‘23 and is focused on how to make the future better for them by connecting resources in her community and removing barriers for families to be their healthiest.

Lynn is a commercial Lender with First Interstate Bank and has 19+ years in the commercial lending and banking industry. Lynn moved to Bend in June 2020 and joined the Mountain Star Board in September 2022. Raising her daughters as a single mom, she is passionate about organizations that offer families opportunities and resources that will allow children to be in a safe and loving environment. “I endured many challenges, like any other single parent, and could not have done it without my support system that included my friends, neighbors and childcare staff.” Lynn served as treasurer and board member of a family oriented non-profit in southern California for many years and is excited about being a part of the Mountain Star Family. Lynn enjoys hiking, kayaking/paddle boarding and snowshoeing with her husband Mark. They have 4 adult children and two grandsons.

Adriana brings over 15 years of eCommerce Technical Project Management expertise to MountainStar and is currently the Digital Technology Lead for Les Schwab Tires. One of Adriana's biggest passions is fitness. She swam and played competitive volleyball through school and still plays competitive volleyball. Adriana strength trains with her husband daily, takes trail runs and mountain bikes. Adriana loves boxing as well since her Dad was a golden gloves champ for California and taught her since she was a little girl. Besides that, Adriana loves language and helping others and in her spare time helps by offering translating services to Spanish speaking community members. She also enjoys cooking and teaching her eight year old step daughter new things. Adriana is excited to join MountainStar and help in any and every capacity.

Shannon is an emergency medicine physician with a decade of experience. Her work has provided her with firsthand insight into the challenges families encounter during crises. Born and raised in Bend, she returned home in 2023. She feels privileged to support MountainStar's mission of preventing child abuse and providing essential support services

Bio Coming Soon!