2023-2024 Staff Senate Members

Senators are elected by a peer vote to represent staff at large and serve a two-year term.

Staff Executive Council

CHAIR
Mallory Hiefield '17 (2022-24)

Mallory (she/her) graduated from Pacific in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in Biology. She later found herself back at Pacific as a staff member in 2020 where she now serves as the Director of Intramurals and Recreation in Athletics. It's important to her that staff members feel a sense of community and purpose in their work and are recognized for the work they do. Mallory is an outdoor enthusiast and enjoys spending time in nature outside of the gym. Fun fact, Mallory has hiked the entire Pacific Crest Trail! 

CHAIR-ELECT
Natona Derleth (2023-25)
Natona joined the Pacific family in July of 2018, after getting her MA in Student Affairs Administration and working as a Resident Director, in New York, from 2013-2018. Currently, she works in Campus Living as an Area Coordinator and supervises three residential living communities (Cascade Hall, Gilbert Hall, and Vandervelden Court). When not working, Natona enjoys board games, reading, listening to music/podcasts, bike riding, bird watching, and pickleball.

SECRETARY
Martha Robertson (2022-24)
Martha Robertson serves as Program Coordinator with the Oregon Healthcare Workforce Institute - Area Health Education Center (OHWI-AHEC) under the Office of Scholarship and Sponsored Projects (OSSP), on the Hillsboro campus.  Previously, Martha served as Program Coordinator for seven years, with Western Montana AHEC, in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy, on the UM campus. Concurrently, she served as State Director for Montana HOSA.  When not planning programs or sitting on Zooms, Martha enjoys walking, quilting, reading, and counting waves (maybe looking for Bigfoot?) on the Oregon coast.

TREASURER
Kylie Hepler (2023-25)

Kylie has been a member of the Pacific University community for a number of years.  She started out in University Advancement from 2004 – 2007, took some time away to raise her two boys and returned to the Alumni Office in 2014.  She enjoys supporting students on their educational journey and engaging with alumni as they find ways to stay connected to their alma mater. 
Kylie is also a current student working on finishing her Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health. When not at work, Kylie can be found studying, spending time with her two kids, on the water stand-up paddle boarding or hiking.  

PARLIAMENTARIAN
Peter Morgan (2023-25)
Peter has been with Pacific for eight years and works in UIS supporting the enterprise data systems. He served as a Staff Senator and Governance Chair from 2014-2018 and is excited to serve again. He also serves on the Health & Safety Advisory Committee, including one year as chair. Outside of work he enjoys golf, cornhole, traveling, ham radio, personal preparedness, learning about a low carb/high fat diet, and listening to symphonic metal music.

 

Staff Senators

Scott Albritton (2023-25)
Scott joined Pacific University as the Coordinator of the Berglund Center's Boxer Makerspace in the spring of 2021. In previous lives, he has run Makerspaces, community coworking spaces, and helped companies develop/produce products. Even further back, he led the Ed-Tech efforts of Purdue's Krannert School of Management. All of these experiences have shown him ways that technical tools can be a core part of helping organizations of any size build a welcoming, secure sense of community. Now, Scott seeks to put his optimistic outlook and varied experiences to work helping the staff of Pacific University make it an even stronger institution and more magical place to share our time together.

Lisa Christensen (2023-25)
Lisa (she/her) began her journey at Pacific University in 2015 as the Office Coordinator for the Office of Financial Aid. Lisa has since moved to the position of Financial Aid Counselor, and helps our graduate students navigate the confusing financial aid process. Since starting at Pacific University, Lisa has served on the Welcoming Committee, Caring Committee, and Idea Committee. The Halloween event is definitely her favorite event that she has helped with. Lisa is looking forward to getting out of her silo, and meeting some folks from different departments. Outside of work she enjoys reading, playing pickleball, and spending time with her husband and three children.

Andra Dennis (2022-24)
I am the Associate Director of Campus Living and started working at Pacific in 2018. For most of my time at the university, I have worked as an Area Coordinator in Residence Life. I serve as one of the live-on professional staff for the Forest Grove campus, and love that my partner, Bryan, our kids, Bodie and Quincy, and our dog Charlie all get to be part of the Pacific community as well. When I'm not working, I love traveling, knitting and finding new spots to eat in Portland. I'm excited by the opportunity to serve Pacific in a new way through Staff Senate.

Kaitlyn Guild (2023-25)
Kaitlyn graduated from Pacific in 2008 and is now serving on Staff Senate for a second time. She works in the Registrar’s Office and gets to work with a large group of staff, students, and faculty members from across all campuses. She also serves on the Commencement Committee and College of Arts & Sciences Curriculum Committee. Outside of work, Kaitlyn enjoys spending time with her husband, cross-stitching, trying out new recipes and attending Portland Thorns games. 

Alma Heredia (2023-25)
Alma Heredia had the pleasure of joining Pacific University in 2018 as the Student Services Coordinator for the Dental Hygiene program. I am a firm believer that nothing is too difficult to achieve when you work hard enough. It is with this same conviction that I look forward to taking on any challenges that come my way.

Justin Li (2022-24)
Justin joined the Pacific community in the fall of 2016 and is currently the Assistant Dean of Students: Undergraduate Support.  In that role, Justin helps identify and support students facing challenges of any kind. He was previously a member of the University Diversity Committee and was Interim Chair in 2023, while also a part of several other committees including the CAS Academic Standards and CHP Diversity Committees.  In his free time Justin enjoys reading, food (both cooking and Portland's vibrant dining scene), and photography.

Andrea Lybarger (2022-24)
Andrea has worked at Pacific University in the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions since 2011. While at Pacific, she has worked with applicants for various graduate programs and is currently the admissions contact for the School of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training. Outside of work, Andrea enjoys spending time with her family and friends, being outdoors in nature with her dogs, working out, and cooking. 

Cat Marlow (2022-24)
Cat (she/her) has worked at Pacific since 2010 in the School of Pharmacy on the Hillsboro Campus. As the director of curricular operations, she assists faculty and staff in the school providing training and assistance in curricular technologies and supports the office of Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs to maintain effective curricular and assessment endeavors. When not at work, Cat enjoys spending time with family and friends, board and video gaming, and reading.

Rutul Patel (2023-25)
In the summer of 2022, Rutul joined Pacific University and currently works as a Senior HelpDesk Supervisor in the UIS Department. He has a great passion for the IT and Health Informatic areas, and enjoys helping others fill in the gaps so they can make the most of technology. Outside of work, he greatly enjoys hiking and reading.

Tatiana Piatanova (2022-24)
Tatiana has been in the exciting field of Instructional Design since 2009. Prior to her career in Instructional Design, she was a jill-of-all-trades (and even helped to build houses in the summer), graphic designer, and educator for over 20 years. At CETCI, she works with faculty and instructional staff across all university programs on the design, development, and management of online, hybrid, and technology-enhanced courses. She provides individual consultations for faculty to aid in instructional design and also develops and delivers workshops and other programming and technologies to support faculty teaching. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring numerous hiking trails with her beastie Opee, running, graphic and web design projects, reading, knitting, and painting (as in art). 

Andrea Stewart (2022-24)
Andrea has been a member of the Pacific community for over 16 years as the Executive Assistant to the Athletic Director. She has served on Staff Senate in the past, and is currently the chair of the Idea Committee. You can find Andrea in the Boxer Club tent at the football games and in the stands at many of our sporting events. She has a heart for service and holds an active role in Rotary. She has raised three sons and a daughter (three that will be alumni of Pacific). In her free time, she enjoys being a real estate broker, leisurely bike rides, heading to the lake with her stand-up paddleboard and traveling the world. She looks forward to continuing to serve the campus community.

 

Governance Staff

Maegan Jossy | Executive Assistant to the Provost/Governance
maeganj@pacificu.edu | 503-352-2215