Meet the Board

Tim Thompson

Chairman and Board Member
Tim Thompson is the President of the strategy firm Revolution Thinking, Inc. Tim lives in Williams, but continues to support motion picture and television production clients in New York and Los Angeles. He received his B.A. in Media and Arts from Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California, and an M.A. in theology from Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California. In addition to his work with Pacifica, Tim founded The Church Works, a ministry dedicated to helping others discern their life’s calling and teaching the skills to pursue it. Tim and his wife Katie homeschool their 5 boys and enjoy being active members of the local community.

Ray Prag

President and Board Member
Ray Prag received a B.A. in Botany from the University of Wisconsin, followed by an M.S. in Horticulture from the University of California, Davis. His masters work was especially concerned with plants for revegetation. The combination of botany and horticulture and a great love of plants provided Ray with an excellent basis for growing a wide variety of plants from all over the world. He and his wife have developed Forestfarm Nursery, which produces over 5,000 kinds of plants and had become one of the largest mail order offerings in the country. Ray has been the Williams observer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for thirty-five years and writes a monthly summary of the Weather for the Williams news. He was a member of the Williams Town Council for nineteen years.

Dr. Lee Price

Treasurer and Board Member
Dr. Lee Price retired as the managing Director of Dresdner RCM Global Investors in the year 2000. Dr. Price was with Dresdner RCM Global Investors since 1972, becoming a Partner in 1976. During his tenure he filled the positions of financial analyst, Equity portfolio manager, economist, strategist and director of MIS. Dr. Price has a B.S. from Stanford in engineering, an M.S. from MIT in nuclear engineering, and a Ph.D. from Stanford in Business.

Al Cook

Board Member and Vice President
A long time Rogue Valley resident, Al graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Park Administration. Al worked for Oregon State Parks until 1991, when he moved to Grants Pass and became a Region Manager for Oregon Water Resources Department. He is now retired and is the current President of the JoCo Master Gardeners’ Association, and serves on the Josephine County SWCD board. He is an avid gardener and outdoor enthusiast.

Peg Prag

Secretary and Board Member
Peg Prag received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Davis. In partnership with her husband, she has created Forestfarm, one of the top-rated mail order nurseries in the country. In the beginning, Peg shared every task necessary to grow plants, modeling her commitment to hands-on learning. She is the bookkeeper for the nursery and produces two 500-page catalogs per year. She was instrumental in the design and development of a computer system to track inventory, orders, plant work, client base and other functions necessary to support the nursery.  She is an artist and founder of the Pacifica Arts Guild.  Ray and Peg have lived in Williams, Oregon for thirty-six years. She and Ray were co-founders of the Williams Community Scholarship Fund.

Dr. Rodger Miller

Board Member
Dr. Rodger Miller retired to Williams, Oregon in 1994. Prior to that, he practiced general dentistry in Vacaville, California for 25 years. Dr. Miller graduated from the University of the Pacifica School of  Dentistry in 1969. He then completed a tour of duty at North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego and a year in Viet Nam as a Navy dentist attached to the Marine Corps. He began his private practice in 1970 and over the years served as Ethics Chairman and later as the president of the Napa-Sonoma Dental Society. In addition to his service to Pacifica, Dr. Miller serves on the board of Communiversity. Communiversity is a Williams, Oregon nonprofit involved in community-based education. Dr. Miller also operates Williams Valley Ranch, an organically-oriented farming operation producing row crops and grass-fed cattle. Dr. Miller has been planning and creating challenge course equipment for Pacifica. Come see it and play with it!

Sue Thomas – Emeritus

Retired Board Member
Sue Thomas is currently the Environmental Education Specialist for the Portland, Oregon, Parks Department. From 1982 through 2001, Sue was the Program Director for the Hoyt Arboretum in Portland. Prior to that, she was a teaching assistant at Oregon State University and a high school teacher in Portland. She brings a strong background in plants and education to Pacifica. She is a past member of the Oregon Hardy Plant Society and the West Slope Community Library. She has been Adjunct Professor of Environmental Education for Prescott College (Arizona). Sue holds a B.A. in Biology from Reed College and a M.S. in Plant Genetics from Oregon State University. She has also engaged in graduate studies in Molecular Biology at M.I.T. and in Science Education at the University of Montana.

Pat Street – Emeritus

Retired Board Member
Pat Street is a Williams Valley resident who, with her partner, operates a small ranch. They produce sheep, wool and lavender for market. Pat has lived in southern Oregon for 17 years and originally comes from Hawaii. She holds an Associate Degree in Dental Hygiene from the University of Hawaii and a Bachelors Degree in Health Promotion from Southern Oregon University. Pat has served on the Board of Directors of the Rogue Valley Dental Hygiene Association. For many years, she has been a driving force in the development of the Pacifica Arts Guild. Pat is a hand spinner and a fiber artist.

Kelley Leonard – Emeritus

Retired Board Member
Kelley Leonard was born and raised in Palo Alto, California, where she began her horticultural career at age eight. Kelley spent her youth observing and getting to know the flora and fauna in the marshes and wildflower fields surrounding her home. She then studied the redwood forest ecosystem. Upon moving to Hawaii’s Big Island, Kelley became an orchid grower as well as a founding member fo the Puna Forest Preserve Geothermal Committee. After returning to the mainland, Kelley owned and ran a commercial landscape company in Chester, Pennsylvania. She then moved to Medford, Oregon, and owned and ran a small wholesale specialty nursery. She became a Master Gardener in 1993. She designed and installed the landscape at the OSU Hanley Road Research and Extension Building. She is a long time member and former President of the Siskiyou Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society. She does consulting work related to rock gardens, native plants and garden design. Her current interest is focused on repairing disturbed ecosystems.

Hyla Lipson

Consulting Board Member
Hyla views herself as a community ripple – reaching into various ponds here and there. Her main activities center around The Rotary Club of Grants Pass. Other organizations she is involved with include Artworks, The Asante Hospital Foundation, Barnstormers, The Women’s Crisis Support Team, and the Committee On Public Art for the City of Grants Pass. She is currently an electronic newsletter editor for Rotary on the club level and on the District level. Her websites include: www.flisign.com, www.fliinc.com, www.artworksgp.com. She has two grown children, daughter Courtney who lives in Bellingham with her husband Scott Jensen and Evan who lives in Talent, Oregon with his partner Ashley. They are both artistic and way more clever than their mom. Her long-time partner John Jones is also her business partner for Fiberoptic Lighting and their dog Buddy keeps her involved in dog cookies and squeaky toys and walks.

Mike Demith

Consulting Board Member
Mike Demith is currently working with the Eagle Scouts and the Boy Scout Troop 77 – Grants Pass, Oregon in the hopes of generating future eagle scout project plans, bridges, and trails for the perimeter of Pacifica.