FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Elaine Swyt, Secretary, Clackamas County Cultural Coalition
info@clackamasculturalcoalition.com
Dated:  May 22, 2021

We are excited to share with everyone the addition of several new members this past year to the Clackamas County Cultural Coalition.  Katinka Bryk, Clackamas County Cultural Coalition Chair, says: “We are impressed by the breadth of their skills, and based on their respective accomplishments, the positive contribution we know each will make to the Coalition.”

Corinn deTorres

Corrin joined us in October 2020. She has already assumed project responsibilities for the CCCC Youth Internship Program and is a tremendous asset with managing our social media marketing.  Corinn is a Chicago-area native but left 15 years ago to find somewhere more conducive to an outdoor lifestyle and made Portland home. Now a Milwaukie resident, Corinn and her husband own and operate Chapel Theatre in Milwaukie. Her connection with theatre stems primarily from her lifelong career in dance. Corinn started dancing at age 3, danced through high school and college, then 11 years ago, started her own dance company with friends in Portland called “TriptheDark.” Her company is a performance company for adults; they create shows based on known stories and pop culture such as Twin Peaks, Dirty Dancing, and Labyrinth. When not dancing or running the theatre, Corinn serves as Executive Director of the Rotary Club of Portland, where she has worked for over seven years. She has a Masters Degree in Social Work from PSU and her professional career has always had a balance between the arts and social work. Corinn and her husband have 2 young daughters and enjoy camping, canoeing, and pizza.

Tonya Gleason-Shepek

Tonya joined us in December, 2020. She is Kalapuya and a Grand Ronde tribal member from the Haller-Menard family; descended from Chief Joseph Sangretta. Her ancestors are the people of the Willamette Valley. Tonya works with the Oregon Health Authority.  She currently works in project management for the State of Oregon Department of Human Services, providing operational support to both Child Welfare and Self-Sufficiency Programs.

Rebecca Hanset

Rebecca joined us in September, 2020 and is currently helping shape the CCCC Youth Internship program.  She grew up in Estacada where there is a strong sense of community that celebrates art, culture, history and heritage of rural Clackamas.  She is currently the Teen Librarian for the Sandy and Hoodland public libraries.  Rebecca has served on several Clackamas County boards focusing on young adults and teens.

Karie House

Karie will be joining us in June, 2020.  She has been teaching music for 21 years and assists with a number of multicultural events in her school district.  She has performed in thirteen different countries and sung in over eight languages. Currently, Karie is the Choir and Creative Arts Director at Alice Ott Middle School in SE Portland. She is also a Teaching Artist at NW Children’s Theater & School and Chair of the Oregon Music Educators Middle School Honor Choir. She graduated from Portland State University with a BA in Music and a Masters in Education. Karie lives in Clackamas with her husband, four children, and their Husky Kylo.

Val Locke

Val Locke joined us December, 2020.  She earned three separate undergraduate degrees from Warner Pacific College: a BA in Music Studies, BS in Music Composition, and another BA in Music Education. She received her M.Ed. in Creative Arts from Lesley University. A 25-year teaching veteran, Val currently teaches K-5 general music, choir, marimba, and art in the David Douglas School District in Portland, OR. She is also an adjunct professor for George Fox University’s Graduate teaching program and for Eastern Oregon University.  Val currently performs on flute and piccolo with the prestigious Portland Wind Symphony (25 years) and with the local Portland Power Pep Band.  Recently, she was inducted into the Cadre of Distinguished Educators in her school district. Val served on the NAfME Council for General Music, served as the OMEA District 2 Elementary Chair, and five years ago co-founded the very first elementary honor choir for that area. Val recently earned the Oregon Music Education Association’s 2020 Elementary Music Teacher of the Year Award.

Elaine Swyt

Elaine joined us in June, 2020 and is currently Secretary, and also manages the CCCC website, alongside market communication efforts.  She holds a Masters in Organizational Development from the University of San Francisco.  After a career in corporate human resources, communications and community relations, Elaine founded Mediaphysics, a web development firm in the ‘90s; the Illusion Gallery in 2018, an online studio; and since 2015, editor of Charbonneaulive.com, a community news magazine. She serves on a number of boards besides the CCCC, past and present including the Charbonneau Arts Association, the Cypress Branch of Boys & Girls Aid, the Clackamas Country Art Alliance, City of Wilsonville Parks & Recreation Advisory Board, the Wilsonville Tourism Promotion Committee, the Wilsonville Arts, Culture & Heritage Taskforce, and the Charbonneau Women’s Association.  She was recently awarded “First Citizen” of Wilsonville by the Wilsonville Rotary honoring her community work.  Elaine exhibits her fine art photography at the Three Rivers Art Guild & Gallery and at the Chamber of Commerce, both in Oregon City, and will be showing at the ArtOMaddic, a new gallery opening in Canby. Her work was recently selected for display on Main Street in Oregon City as a part of the SAGE project.  Elaine is originally from Salem and currently lives with her husband, Joe, in Wilsonville.

Rebekah Vogt

Rebekah will be joining us in June, 2020.  She is the music teacher at Clackamas River Elementary School in Estacada. She graduated from Warner Pacific University with a BA in Music and Music Education and her Masters in Teaching. She currently resides in Estacada with her husband and their dog.