We Are Here To Help, No matter how stroke affects your life it is a difficult thing to work through. Our mission is fulfilled through partnerships with volunteers, donors, businesses, and the medical community.
If you would like to get involved or volunteer please send us an e-mail admin@strokeawarenessoregon.org or call 541-323-5641
Marc Beebe received his Bachelor’s Degree from Amherst College and was a Junior High teacher at a small private day school in Connecticut for three years. He then spent 7 years in the US Army Reserves while working on a law degree at the University of Denver College of Law. A believer in public service, he served as a VISTA volunteer with Idaho Legal Aid Services in Twin Falls, Idaho followed by serving as the managing attorney at Idaho Legal Aid Services in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Mr. Beebe entered private law practice at the Casco Legal Clinic in Portland, Maine where he served for 26 years before semi-retirement to Oregon in 2007. From 2010-2016, he practiced Bankruptcy Law in Bend. Mr. Beebe’s prior Board experience includes The Woodlands Club, Falmouth, Maine and Crooked River Ranch Homeowners Association in Oregon.
As a critical care specialist, involved in building capable, well-oiled, and healing teams of doctors and nurses, Sarah Burke’s past life was all about taking care of people. A car accident resulted in a closed head injury that ended her medical career. Years later her doctor recommended an MRI of her head that revealed a number of past strokes that had gone undiagnosed for years.
Rather than letting this bring her professional life to a stop, Sarah transitioned to bring the same focus, compassion, and attention to her clients as a real estate professional. Sarah’s energies are now directed towards helping people find their perfect home and make wise investments in commercial real estate, and she’s every bit as committed to their well being.
Sarah was drawn to the Stroke Awareness Oregon because of the organization’s focused work to help individuals who have survived a stroke navigating through this new reality. She brings her expertise of medical background and understanding of best practices.
Libby is originally from Austin, Texas, where she attended nursing school and worked as an Oncology Nurse. She quickly became a Charge Nurse, and got certifications in Oncology and in Med-Surg. Following that, Libby would later transfer to Case Management and became certified as an ACM (Accredited Case Manager) and CHPN (Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse). She found her way to Bend to help her son, who’s a stroke survivor, in any way she could. Libby is now retired and enjoying all that Bend has to offer. She has been an active and involved volunteer for SAO for quite a time before becoming an official board member. Her hobbies include cooking, gardening, hiking with Spencer, her Goldendoodle, and going on road trips. She was honored to be nominated to the SAO Board of Directors.
Stephen (Steve) Van Houten is a retired Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor who last worked with the Oregon Department of Human Services in Bend. He received his Master’s Degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Oregon
During that time, he helped originate the Oregon Association of Rehabilitation Professionals in the Private Sector (OARPPS) dedicated to establishing ethical competent services for Rehabilitation companies in the state. The business grew to 9 offices and 40 counselors before closing in late 1980s.
Concurrently and after the business closed it’s doors, he was also a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) and worked as a Vocational Expert Witness for the Social Security Administration for about 20 years. Other iterations of his career were:
In October of 2019 he experienced a “wake up stroke”. He is committed to the continued work to recover from his own stroke and passionately dedicated to helping others recover from their stroke experiences.
Lawnae Hunter holds both an Oregon Principal Broker’s License and a California Broker’s License. She is also Principal Broker/Owner of PLUS Property Management serving Central Oregon and California Central Coast. She has over thirty-five years of experience in general real estate brokerage including land development, commercial and industrial land sales, new home sales, property management and general resale. Lawnae was appointed by the Governor to the Oregon Real Estate Agency (OREA) in 2018 and serves as Vice-Chair. Ms. Hunter thrives in a dynamic and competitive sales environment with a strong understanding of the market and economic forces affecting Central Oregon and the state.
In 2014 Lawnae suffered a severe Stoke. After her stroke she began a rigorous rehabilitation program and committed to returning to a normal work and personal life. Public Service has always been an important part of her life. After the stroke she committed herself to prevention and stroke awareness. She is currently treasurer of Stroke Awareness Oregon, which she co-founded with Dr. Goins.
Mindy Laidlaw graduated from Pacific University in 1987 with her degree in Occupational Therapy. She completed her Acute Care internship at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, and knew this was where she wanted to start her career. She has now been with the organization for over 31 years. Most of her career has been practicing on the ortho/neuro floor. She then went on to supervise the Acute and Rehab therapy teams. Her teams were an inspiration to her because they had such a positive impact on patients and their families in the community. She is now the Intake and Post-Acute Community Coordinator.
Mindy was drawn to Stroke Awareness Oregon because their mission was to educate everyone about the importance of FAST. She knew she wanted to be on this board because the team moved with intention.
Other interests include Cooking, gardening and spending time with her family and friends.
Bob Ludwick joined Pacific Southwest Realty Services (PSRS) in 2008 and currently holds the title of Principal. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Westmont College and his Master of Arts from Willamette University. Prior to joining PSRS, Bob worked as an investor, developer, and commercial real estate consultant. Over the last four decades of his career, he has developed, owned, and managed about 400,000 square feet of industrial and mixed-use properties and has been part of the development and sale of more than 1000 residential units. Despite his noteworthy accomplishments in real estate, Mr. Ludwick is most proud of his role as husband, parent, and grandparent to his four children and eight grand kids. His passion for Stroke Awareness Oregon drives our mission through his consistent efforts in assisting with outreach and building strong relationships in the community.
Dr. Newby, a neurosurgeon retired from The Center in Bend, graduated from OHSU in Portland in 1970. He looks forward to assuring SAO thrives as it strengthens its foundation to educate communities about stroke and to support stroke survivors and their families.
Dr. Michael McLaughlin is a board-certified diagnostic radiologist who comes to us from Salt Lake City, Utah. Originally from Kansas City, he attended medical school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and completed residency in diagnostic radiology at the University of Utah. Following residency, Dr. McLaughlin served in the U.S. Air Force for 3 years as a general radiologist at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas. After completing his active duty commitment, he returned to Salt Lake City for fellowship training in neuroradiology. Dr. McLaughlin has experience in general radiology interpretation with additional expertise in imaging of the brain, head and neck, and spine. He also performs therapeutic injections of the spine. As a neuroradiologist, Dr. McLaughlin has seen firsthand the impact that prompt recognition and treatment can have on improving patient outcomes in stroke. That is why he is very excited to contribute to the mission of Stroke Awareness Oregon.
In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and son, hiking around Central Oregon, skiing, and if there is any time left, playing ultimate frisbee.
Keith Taylor is a passionate and dedicated leader in the stroke community. He is dedicated to helping stroke survivors regain their own power and strength in order to live a full and productive life.
While owning and being the sales manager of a large manufacturing business in Oregon, he had a stroke at the age of 48. After looking for, and not finding anyone to help with the depression and lack of confidence after having such an event in his life, he decided to fill that void for other stroke survivors.
Keith says, “I am extremely excited to be a part of SAO and believe the impact and support we can have on the stroke community, and those that help with such a debilitating event, is beyond significance.”
Gerry O’Brien has been the managing editor at The Bend Bulletin for 2 1/2 years. He previously was editor for the Herald and News in Klamath Falls, Ore., for seven years and prior to that was the editor for The Helena Independent Record, The Montana Standard in Butte, and The Billings Gazette for a total of about 30 years. A New Jersey native, he’s a graduate of Fordham Prep high school and the University of Colorado School of Journalism. He and his wife, Vikki, have a daughter, Molly.
Lara Lieberman, RN is an SAO board member and the Stroke Program Coordinator for St. Charles Health System. She has over 20 years experience in stroke and cardiac care. She brings both her drive and advocacy to the award-winning stroke program and with her leadership she ensures St. Charles Medical Center remains a nationally certified center of excellence. Throughout her career Lara has worked tirelessly to advocate for early recognition and treatment of strokes and myocardial infarctions. It is her goal to increase awareness of the healthcare disparities that exist among high risk underserved populations. When not at work Lara can be found hiking, skiing, or stand up paddleboarding with her son and Siberian husky.
Jim Patterson is a stroke survivor with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Portland State University and was most recently the Executive Vice President and Chief Communications and Experience Officer for Oregon State Credit Union in Corvallis. In that role He led Marketing, Public Relations and organizational philanthropy and legislative advocacy while making sure the credit Union’s 130,000 members enjoyed great experiences when engaging with the Credit Union. Prior to his work in the financial services industry. Jim served as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for fundraising at Oregon State University. Jim played a key role in raising 42 million dollars for the Valley Football Center renovation and expansion. He served as City Manager in Corvallis and Sherwood Oregon Jim is a powerful force in the workplace relying on servant leadership and his positive attitude and his love for people to encourage others to work hard and succeed to overcome challenges. He is inspired daily by his faith, family and friends top of the list is wife Valorie and three grown children. and his 3 grandchildren. In his free time Jim plays golf and continues his rehabilitation and recovery from stroke He has given himself a doctorate in living life after stroke from the. School of real life. His life’s purpose now he believes is to help others find ways to live a life of high quality and hope for the future while recovering from stroke.