Our Board Members
Gretchen Vorbeck, President/Founder
Gretchen was born in Grand Junction, Colorado. Vorbeck Wholesale Sporting Goods
was the name of her family’s third-generation- business. As a young girl, she understood
the positive impact their family business had on the community.
Gretchen opened her first business Inland Oceans, a fresh seafood market, in Grand
Junction. She and a partner later designed and built Logwood Bed and Breakfast in
Durango, Colorado. Gretchen also restored a 1924 Victorian home and four cottages
to become a second bed and Breakfast in Manitou Springs, Colorado.
Throughout the years, Gretchen’s most rewarding work has been sharing her Roundtable Leadership Team Building Model with clients through her consulting business. Rather than a hierarchical structure, teams experienced the strength and synergistic creativity available when people with differing points of view work in unison to produce viable solutions while each member maintains his or her individuality and uniqueness.
http://roundtableleadership.com
Gretchen says, the fact her second and fourth grade teachers “saved her” is the impetus for We Value Our Teachers Foundation. She understands first-hand the value a compassionate and talented teacher brings to a child’s future.
*click above "saved her" to read excerpt from Gretchen's memoir.
Jan Manolis, Secretary
Jan was born in Glendale California, a suburb of Los Angeles. During her childhood,
she and her family spent many holidays and summer vacations with her grandmother
in Tempe and Flagstaff. It was always childhood dream that, someday, she would
move to Arizona. Jan fulfilled that dream when she moved to Prescott in 2014 after
retiring from the work force to be a caregiver for her late husband who had been diagnosed with Dementia and Parkinson’s Disease.
Jan began her career in Information Technologies after graduation from high school and held technical and leadership positions in the Information Technology field throughout her working career. She was a Senior Systems Consultant for Computer Associates for 10 years and served 20 years in a leadership role as Technical Services Manager for the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department. While continuing to focus on her career, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in business and accounting and Master of Science degrees in Information Technologies and in Business Administration.
As an Adjunct Facility Member for 7 years at the University of La Verne, she led undergraduate and graduate courses in technology to adult learners working towards degrees required by their employers for upward mobility/promotion within their work organizations. “I feel real learning is an interactive process and I feel my success in teaching was due to my strength to listen, to lead group discussions, and identify solutions to the situation at hand.”
She served for six years in a volunteer position as Vice President, Board of Directors, for Solheim Lutheran Home, a continuing care retirement community in Los Angeles. Upon moving to Prescott, Jan worked with the Alzheimer’s Association serving as Ambassador working to “provide clear messaging guidelines related to public policy outreach efforts.” She is currently involved with the non-partisan League of Women Voters of Central Yavapai County (LWYCYC) and other local organizations with special interests in education.
Judy Kelch, M.A. Professional Development-Education
Judy was born in the Chicago area where she enjoyed a small-town life with the city
minutes away – the best of both worlds! She spent most of her adult life in
Washington, DC and Northern Virginia with a stint of four fantastic years in Rome, Italy.
She has worked in many fields including art, program planning for a
quasi-governmental agency, and in membership and legislation for the National
Federation of Business and Professional Women Clubs, Inc. (now BPW). In education,
she has been a transliterator/interpreter for individuals who are Deaf/deaf or Hard of
Hearing, a graduate school instructor of Cued Language, and a high school English
teacher in general and special education where students spoke 67 languages.
Judy retired in Prescott in 2012 and feels this is where she belongs. She is involved in
many community activities and as the Communications Director for the non-partisan League of Women Voters of Central Yavapai County (LWVCYC) and a Local League Director on the state board, her primary focus is on educating voters and coordinating with other organizations to work on issues of importance to Prescott and surrounding communities. Judy considers herself a facilitator with special interests in education, environment, and social justice.
Judy was born in the Chicago area where she enjoyed a small-town life with the city
minutes away – the best of both worlds! She spent most of her adult life in
Washington, DC and Northern Virginia with a stint of four fantastic years in Rome, Italy.
She has worked in many fields including art, program planning for a
quasi-governmental agency, and in membership and legislation for the National
Federation of Business and Professional Women Clubs, Inc. (now BPW). In education,
she has been a transliterator/interpreter for individuals who are Deaf/deaf or Hard of
Hearing, a graduate school instructor of Cued Language, and a high school English
teacher in general and special education where students spoke 67 languages.
Judy retired in Prescott in 2012 and feels this is where she belongs. She is involved in
many community activities and as the Communications Director for the non-partisan League of Women Voters of Central Yavapai County (LWVCYC) and a Local League Director on the state board, her primary focus is on educating voters and coordinating with other organizations to work on issues of importance to Prescott and surrounding communities. Judy considers herself a facilitator with special interests in education, environment, and social justice.
