School Board Members
The Sisters School Board consists of five members elected to serve overlapping four-year terms as non-salaried trustees of the School District.

Board Members

The Sisters School Board consists of five members elected to serve overlapping four-year terms as non-salaried trustees of the School District. As elected officials, the Board is responsible for the scope, depth, and quality of education and its the official policy-making body of the school district.

In addition to establishing policies for the operation of the district, the Board defines the philosophy of the district, and in cooperation with the Superintendent, determines educational goals and standards, authorizes curriculum revision or development, approves employment and termination of personnel, approves the budget and sets the tax rate, approves property purchases, approves new building plans, and hears grievances of employees, students, and citizens.

The responsibilities of a School Board Director require the unselfish giving of time and service. There are an endless number of meetings and school functions to attend, unlimited amounts of reports, agendas, proposals, and other information to read and study, and a variety of difficult decisions to make.

Jenica Cogdill, Position#1, Director

Jenica Cogdill

Director

Term Expires: 06-30-2025
[email protected]

Most often introduced as “Kate’s mom,” Jenica is thrilled to represent parents with young children in the district. Jenica is committed to judiciously setting budgets and policies to preserve and improve the district’s fiscal health and quality of education. She is passionate about staying true to our greatest collective goal: ensuring that each student is accepted, inspired, and prepared.

Thanks to degrees in journalism and business administration, Jenica is a stickler for proper grammar, fact checking, and balanced budgets. And, after a couple of decades working with startups to global corporations, she has a knack for quickly organizing complexity and building consensus. Jenica currently works at Les Schwab Headquarters and serves on the Board of Directors of Hoffman Academy.

Dr. David Thorsett, Position #4 Chair

Dr. David Thorsett

Chair

Term Expires: 06-30-2025
[email protected]

David was raised in the Willamette Valley and has called Oregon his home for over 50 years. He moved with his wife, Sarah, and family to Central Oregon in 2011, primarily for the strength and reputation of the Sisters’ public school system. 

David works as an Orthopedic Surgeon at Santiam Hospital in Stayton and feels that he has the ability to offer fresh insight and perspective to the Sisters School Board.  Over the past nine years, he and Sarah have had the opportunity as parents to experience every grade through the elementary, middle, and high schools as their four children have navigated learning in this community.  He was appointed as an interim board member in 2019 and is working hard “chasing Jay up the steep part of the learning curve.”

His spare time is taken up with family and friends exploring the hills and mountains of this beautiful area.

Jeff Smith, Position #3, Director

Jeff Smith

Director

Term Expires: 06-30-2027
[email protected]

 

Jeff Smith served on the Sisters School Board for a dozen years from 1999-2011. He was appointed as an interim board member after a 3½ year hiatus and then elected for a 4-year term in May 2015.
Jeff retired as a university professor in 2004, after 30 years of teaching, primarily in the areas of governmental finance and public policy analysis. Jeff has been active in each of the schools in Sisters since moving to town in 1995.
He is committed to insuring that every graduate of our schools has the knowledge, skills, and values to be a great citizen.
In his spare time, Jeff serves on the Board of the Sisters Folk Festival, serves as the unpaid coach of the Middle School wrestling team, and hikes a section of the Pacific Crest Trail every summer.

Asa Sarver, Position #2, Vice-Chair

Asa Sarver

Vice-Chair

Term Expires: 06-30-2027
[email protected]

Asa Sarver is proud to volunteer on the Sisters School Board and help grow and maintain Sisters Schools as the best in Oregon. He has two young children in the school district and is an active volunteer in the community.
As a member of the school board, Asa goal is to work for policies that allow for strong educational access for all students, as well as awareness of an ever-changing job market. He believes safety in schools is a top concern, and making sure policies reflect what can best keep our kids and teachers safe. His primary goal is to create conversation and compromise as Sisters continues to grow.

Asa also serves on the City of Sisters Parks Board and Zimbabwe Rhino Project, a nonprofit that supports an anti-poaching team based in Southeastern Zimbabwe.

When he isn’t working, you’ll find him and his family skiing at Hoodoo, biking on Peterson Ridge, hiking Black Butte or playing in Village Green Park.

Edie Jones, Position #5, Director

Edie Jones

Director

Term Expires: 06-30-2025
[email protected]

 

Edie Jones graduated from Washington State University with a BA in Recreation and later received a Masters of Adult Education from Oregon State University.  Her work has consisted of being a Recreation Director for a city, teaching in a college, working for the Girl Scouts, owning and directing Camp Tamarack, and providing parent education and eventually directing the Together For Children parenting program.

She has served on Girl Scout Boards in two different states, the Board of the Bend International School, and now chairs the Board of Together For Children.  She has published a book titled Raising Kids With Love, Honor and Respect; Recipes for Success.

She is the mother of four adult children and the grandmother of 7.

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