Betsy is a retired educator, a mother of 2 adult sons, and a grandmother of 3. She splits her time each year between Eugene, Oregon and Spa Buena Vista, BCS, with her husband, Will Ettling.
Her early educational career was spent serving students who struggled with the traditional system; i.e., students at risk of not graduating, those in treatment for substance abuse issues, and many others who weren’t able to attend school due to long term illnesses or social/ emotional problems. Later she was hired first as the director for the Eugene School district’s talented and gifted (TAG) program and a staff development specialist in curriculum and instruction. Those were followed by time as both an in-district and private consultant in the areas of facilitation, conflict resolution, mediation and leadership. The private work included contracts with education districts, government agencies and non-profits. Betsy was a member of a national dialogue cadre, trained by Sue Miller Hurst, and more recently was a trained facilitator in the “Courage to Lead” work of Parker Palmer.
These experiences and background led her to a keen interest in the mission of Leaders2Give, whose goal is to empower others to become leaders in a variety of arenas. She is very interested in being a part of the many programs and services supported by Leaders2Give, and is thrilled to be a new board member. Betsy is a graduate of Ohio State University and received her Masters and doctoral degree from the University of Oregon.