Board of Trustees

Julie graduated Magna Cum Laude from the College of William & Mary with a degree in Business Administration and Marketing. While at William and Mary, she played Division 1 volleyball. Her early career had many paths including sports marketing, event coordinating, and teaching internationally. She also spent several years working for Backroads, an active travel company specializing in hiking and cycling vacations worldwide where she lead trips throughout Europe and South America and eventually managed operations for nearly 30 itineraries and 50 staff members in nine different European countries.

Julie and her husband moved Bend in 2005 so that they could begin a life together living on the same continent. Here she once again pursued her passion for education and discovered Cascades Academy, a place whose mission - weaving exceptional academics and meaningful and engaging hands-on experiences - embodies both her personal and professional values.

She began as the school's Associate Head of School in 2006. At that time, Cascades Academy served about 85 students and was located in a leased commercial office space in midtown Bend. With just two full-time administrators, Julie wore many hats and oversaw most of the school's operations including admissions, development, marketing, technology support, and plenty of "other duties as assigned." Julie took over as the Head of School in 2015, and she currently serves on the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS) Board of Governors.

Like many Central Oregonians, Julie loves to do anything outdoors including backcountry skiing, mountain biking, hiking, yoga, and cycling. Now, more than anything, she loves to share these experiences with her two children.

You can read more about Julie here in an article published in the "Bend Nest."

After graduating from the University of Delaware with a degree focused on internet marketing (before Google existed), Sally took an adventurous pilgrimage across the United States that ended in Central Oregon. Once in the small hamlet of Bend, she miraculously applied her college degree at an innovative local company and eventually met her true love and hero, Adam. Together they are on the exciting journey of raising their two daughters, Lilly and Allison. (And their dog, Henry. Can’t forget him.)

When it was time for Lilly to start school, they sought out Cascades Academy for its small class size. Once a part of the community, they discovered there was much more to the school than small classes. Through the years, Adam and Sally have become more connected to the supportive community of CACO.

For several years, Sally played an active role in the Family Association. It was an honor for Sally to be recognized for this effort and asked to join the board. Through working on the board, Sally hopes to help foster an environment that continues the growth and success of the fantastic school community for many years to come.

Matt and his wife Leigh have had a connection to Cascades Academy since their move to Bend in 2016. Moving from Portland, their two daughters had grown up in Waldorf schools. Matt and Leigh were attracted to the experiential education and community of Cascades Academy and it made their move to Bend so much smoother.

Matt is a brand and product designer with decades of experience working with outdoor and tech companies from Burton Snowboards and Smith Optics to Microsoft and Apple. After leading product and brand strategy at Cinco Design in Portland, OR for 10 years Matt now runs his own brand North Drinkware which he successfully funded on Kickstarter in 2015. Matt is thrilled to bring his passion for strategic thinking, his love for community and the outdoors to the Cascades team.

Blair Jenkins served Cascades Academy as Head of School from 2009-2015, and then as Co-Head of School until 2016. Previously, she served as Head of School at the Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and has over 35 years experience as teacher, Dean of Students, and Middle & Upper School Director at independent schools in Colorado, New York, and Connecticut. Blair has served as President of the Association of Independent Schools of New England (AISNE) and as Commissioner of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) accrediting agency. Blair earned her B.A. in history/government from Wells College and her M.S. in Educational Administration from Vanderbilt University.

Bio coming soon.

Jessica is a teacher, mother, partner and passionate supporter of Cascades Academy. She seeks to bring the perspective of over 20 years as an instructor of Spanish at the community college and university levels, as well as her time teaching in independent schools, to her role on the board of trustees. 

A native Bendite, she grew up water skiing at the lake, swimming competitively and spending time with family.  She left Bend in 1992 to pursue her educational goals in Hawaii, Washington and ultimately finished her Master’s Degree in Spanish at the University of Oregon. During those formative years, her passion for travel, cultural values and language led her to a love of teaching Spanish.

When Jessica returned to Bend with her husband and two sons in 2014, they sought out a small school environment for their children and were thrilled that travel and out-of-the-box thinking are central to Cascades Academy’s mission.  During the 10 years her boys have attended the school, Jessica has had the opportunity to be a faculty member and a family association rep, to head the auction committee and now is honored to serve as a trustee.

Barb and her husband Dan moved to Bend in 2017 when Barb became the Director of Admission for Cascades Academy.  Barb knew that Cascades was where she wanted to work the first time she toured the school, and she spent 4 wonderful years helping families learn about the school and welcoming new students to the school community. 

Barb retired in 2021 to spend more time enjoying all of the amazing outdoor activities that Bend has to offer, and to travel with her husband. Since retiring, Barb has traveled, enjoyed Bend, and volunteered with the Humane Society of Central Oregon, currently serving on their Board.  She has also taken up fitness dancing, and has recently become a dance instructor.  She and Dan have also just welcomed their first grandson.

Ken grew up and spent the majority of his life in Northern Virginia.  He graduated from Duke University before starting his career in public accounting.  Shortly thereafter, he became the co-founder, CEO and Chairman of Deltek, a global provider of enterprise software, which he then led for over 20 years.   At the conclusion of his business career he moved to Oregon and founded the Vibrant Village Foundation providing assistance and funding to rural communities and partners throughout the world.   Ken has served on numerous non-profit boards and is passionate about K-12 education and childhood development. 

Ken, and his wife Sarah, have been active and engaged members of the Cascades Academy community since 2018 when they moved from Portland to enroll their two children at the school.  In his spare time, Ken enjoys playing music, cooking, bike riding and growing vegetables on his farm.

Seeking a grounded, active mountain life style, Heather and her family moved to Bend in 2021.  In uprooting their family, it was imperative to maintain an educational journey aligned with the kids’ foundation of progressive, experiential education in a community centered school.  Cascades Academy was an essential factor in choosing to move to Bend.

With a Masters in Social Work, Heather’s background, training and expertise as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker is working with young people and their families.  The bulk of her engagement with adolescents is through school based programs and a residential treatment facility.  These career opportunities give Heather a solid understanding the various systems, structures and cultures  of operating within a school community and the impact and interaction of schools and the greater community.

Having spent 11 years deeply embedded in a leading southern California progressive school, Heather holds first hand experience in the importance of maintaining mission, vision and values while an institution grows and evolves.  She has intimate knowledge of community engagement initiatives and advancement processes.  

Heather is honored to serve Cascades Academy, a school where students think critically and creatively, form deep bonds with their peers and teachers and work to make an impact in their communities. 

Bio coming soon.

BJ Westlund was part of the 2007 graduating class from Cascade Academy (back when the school was on Studio Road) and went on to attend the University of Portland, graduating in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in marketing and management. Following his studies, BJ moved to Washington, D.C., for an internship and ended up working in the U.S. Senate for six years. During his time in the nation's capital, he gained valuable experience in federal policy, legislative affairs, and the intricacies of government operations.

In 2017, BJ returned to Central Oregon and took on the role of Field Representative for the U.S. Senate, where he worked closely with Central Oregon communities and local leaders. Today, BJ works at Farmers Conservation Alliance, an organization focused on helping irrigation districts across the western United States modernizing aging infrastructure to become more water and energy efficient. His passion for public service remains central to his work.

Jenny traveled across the country from her native California to Burlington, Vermont to earn her BA in Art History from the University of Vermont. She continued her travels east to London earning a post graduate degree from Sotheby's in the Fine and Decorative Arts. She returned west and continued graduate work at the University of Wyoming before settling with her husband in Bend in 1994.

Jenny is no stranger to the educational community of Bend. She worked at a private school when she first arrived in Oregon and taught Art History at Central Oregon Community College before shifting gears in 2003 to become one of the founding board members of Cascades Academy.

  Mark was born and raised in New York City and also attended college out east. After graduation he took on a variety of jobs including working at a casino in Lake Tahoe. Seeking a change of pace, he returned to New York and developed, operated, and managed a small group of restaurants for 10 years.

As his career as a restaurateur continued, Mark moved out west again to start restaurants in San Francisco and Salt Lake City.

Mark is passionate about Cascades Academy and its mission. He sees CACO as a community that appreciates all aspects of a young person's potential: mind, body, and spirit. Prior to his role as Business Manager, Mark served on the Board of Trustees, ensuring that these aspects are held in a dynamic balance, each as important as the other.

Craig Ladkin, a FOCUS Managing Director, has twenty-five years of experience managing complex financial transactions between private, public, and non-profit sectors in a variety of industries and international jurisdictions. He has advised on transactions from the very large - for clients such as the World Bank, IFC, the Treasury Departments of more than a dozen OECD nations, along with their state-owned and power and utility companies, down to the very small - angel level investments, small city urban renewal projects, and private school campus development.

Mr. Ladkin holds an MBA in International Finance and Marketing from the London Business School in London, England and a B.Sc. in Geotechnical and Petroleum Engineering from the University of British Columbia.