Becci Crane
Board Chair
Becci brings extensive experience working in social services with at-risk youth and families, along with a deep curiosity about people and what brings us together. A Six Rivers community mediator since 2019, she values building relationships through mutual respect, compassion, and open communication.
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Becci has extensive experience working in social services with at-risk youth and families, as well as a natural curiosity about people and what brings us together. One of her greatest strengths is building relationships through mutual respect, compassion, and open communication.
Becci has been a community mediator with Six Rivers since 2019 and is excited to serve as a member of Six Rivers’ Board of Directors. She is proud of the expansion and growth of Six Rivers’ services in recent years and looks forward to continuing to support her community by helping make conflict resolution options available.
Becci received her Bachelor of Arts in English, with a minor in Cultural Anthropology, from the University of North Dakota in 1990; her Master of Legal Studies from Pepperdine Law School in 2019; and her Master of Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution in 2020.
Becci has lived in the Gorge since 1991 and continues to be awed and inspired by the beauty that surrounds us. She loves spending time at the beach, watching competitive surfing, and hiking with her dogs.
Patrick G. Ward
Vice Chair
Patrick is an attorney, trained mediator, and Collaborative Divorce lawyer dedicated to helping families resolve conflict peacefully. He founded Clarity Law LLC in 2020 to focus on Collaborative Divorce and family mediation, helping families navigate difficult legal challenges and determine their own futures.
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Patrick G. Ward has practiced law since 2002 and is dedicated to compassionate and peaceful dispute resolution for families. He is a trained mediator and Collaborative Divorce lawyer.
Patrick opened Clarity Law LLC in October 2020 to focus on peaceful dispute resolution. His practice centers on Collaborative Divorce and family mediation, helping families determine their own futures despite the challenges and stress that can accompany legal disputes.
Patrick honed his skills as an attorney with the Oregon Department of Justice, first practicing as a trial lawyer and later as a prosecutor in child welfare matters representing the Oregon Department of Human Services. His experience gave him firsthand insight into the difficulties families can face in court and helped inspire his focus on peaceful dispute resolution.
Patrick is the proud father of a daughter and husband to his wife of 25 years. When he’s not helping clients, he can be found spending time with his family, trail running, skiing, or bouldering.
Jennifer Meisberger
Treasurer
Jennifer brings a background in law, dispute resolution, and public service to the Six Rivers Board. Her career has included juvenile law and supporting attorneys throughout Oregon, and she currently supervises state attorneys working in child abuse and neglect cases. A Columbia Gorge resident, Jennifer also has a longstanding commitment to community service.
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Originally from Washington State, Jennifer earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Puget Sound. After graduation, she began a career in the airline industry, working in areas including customer service and technical writing and traveling between hubs to provide training and services in different communities. Her experience in both labor and management roles sparked an interest in labor relations and dispute resolution and eventually led her to pursue law school.
Jennifer was drawn to the University of Oregon School of Law and its strong commitment to public service. While in law school, she became involved with Start Making a Reader Today (SMART), volunteering as a reader for local elementary school students. A course in children and family law also sparked an interest in juvenile law, eventually leading to a position with a nonprofit law firm providing court-appointed legal representation to children and parents in cases involving abuse and neglect.
After six years as a public defender in juvenile law cases, Jennifer joined Oregon’s legal malpractice insurance fund, where she provided practice-management guidance to attorneys. The role took her throughout Oregon, educating and supporting attorneys as they opened law firms, worked to prevent malpractice, and planned for retirement or closure of their practices. She later returned to juvenile law, practicing in communities across Oregon. Jennifer currently serves as a supervising attorney for state attorneys working in child abuse and neglect cases.
Jennifer and her family call the Columbia Gorge home. Outside of work and family life, she enjoys volunteering in the community, including with SMART and her local church. Jennifer is excited to serve on the Six Rivers Board and support a local organization that empowers people to communicate, collaborate, and resolve conflict.
Laurie MacDonald, MS
Board Member
Laurie is a longtime Six Rivers community mediator whose background spans conservation, nonprofit leadership, public policy, and historic preservation. Her career has centered on bringing together people with diverse perspectives and working across the nonprofit, public, private, and governmental sectors.
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Laurie has extensive experience working with a variety of nonprofit organizations in conservation, mediation, historic preservation, and other fields. She has been a community mediator with Six Rivers since 2017.
Laurie received her BA in Psychology from the University of Oregon in 1974, her MS in Zoology from the University of South Florida in 1986, and her mediation certification in 2017.
Laurie served as Florida Director for the national nonprofit organization Defenders of Wildlife, where she combined science and advocacy in support of biological diversity, endangered species, wildlife habitat, and networks of protected land and water resources.
She has served on numerous commissions composed of people with diverse perspectives from the private, public, and governmental sectors and has twice testified before U.S. congressional committees.