Pam Pearce, CRM
Executive Director

Pam, a long-time resident of West Linn and originally from Lake Oswego, Oregon, is passionate about helping others to prevent substance use concerns in youth, families, and the community. She has three children; all brought up in the West Linn Wilsonville School District. Pam is a person living in long-term recovery.

Over the years, Pam has been a contributor and prevention resource for prevention and recovery arenas. She has shared her recovery experience as a prevention leader on local and national blogs, magazines, and news sites.  In addition, she regularly speaks at local and statewide engagements like OHSU, County agencies, and youth groups to national speaking engagements like her college alma mater, the University of Southern California, where she could share her story with families.  

Her passion for prevention awareness education led her to get involved with local, state, and national groups supporting prevention, awareness, and recovery. She is a member of several groups/councils/boards:  The Clackamas County Prevention Coalition working to create healthy communities supporting prevention education and support.  An Executive Board Member of the Mental Health and Addiction Council with Clackamas County. An appointee member of the Oregon Alliance to Prevent Suicide, and a prevention subcommittee member of the Alcohol Drug Policy Commission.

Her work involves board participation too.  She participates as a board member of the Oregon Public Health Association, working on Addiction Prevention. She serves as an appointee member for Oregon Recovers, a movement of people in recovery, their friends and families, and the healthcare workers fighting on the front lines of Oregon's addiction crisis. She is also a board member of 4D Recovery Centers. She is also a committee member of the Alcohol Drug Policy Commission Prevention Subcommittee. A board member for CLEAR Alliance, a statewide coalition focused on reducing and preventing youth substance abuse and impaired driving through fact-based education in Oregon, and an executive committee member of the Mental Health and Addiction Council for Clackamas County.

She has been honored personally and professionally at the local, state, and national levels for her work in prevention and recovery awareness and support. Serenity Lane’s 11th Annual Community Leader Service Award Winner (September 2021). Recognized as the Volunteer of the Year in her local school district, where her work to engage, empower and educate youth on drug/alcohol prevention started. Chosen in 2018 as the Freedom Award winner given by Fora (formerly DePaul) Treatment Centers, an honor given to those who help battle the stigma of addiction by sharing their story of recovery and giving back to the community in a meaningful way.

National organizations have recognized her work professionally for work in her local community.  Facing Addiction with National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence launched a Pilot Project to reform the public response to “face” addiction. Community Living Above was one of 15 cities selected in the national search. In addition, the Addiction Policy Forum, a leading national nonprofit, recognized Pam’s work with Community Living Above in its Oregon Innovations to Address Addiction report, spotlighting innovative programs in Oregon that address addiction and provide support for families and communities.

Pam co-founded the Oregon Recovery High School Initiative, a coalition of recovery advocates, educators, health system professionals, and business leaders committed to launching Oregon’s first recovery high school, Harmony Academy. The recovery high school is the first of its kind in our state. Pam’s mission is to create communities where youth receive the information they need to protect themselves (prevent) having a substance use concern. Where young people can grow and heal from the effects of substance use disorders and other high-risk behaviors.

Pam feels her work supporting young people, their families, and the communities served is her highest calling thus far. Her mess is now her message, and redemption is the gift.

Steve Burch
Board President

Steve and Stacey are native Texans who moved to Oregon several years ago to begin a new life chapter. Their three children have all been students in West Linn School District. Steve is a Certified Financial Planner with View Pointe, and Stacey is thankful to be able to stay at home to wrangle the children and their crazy schedules. They are active in the community, have served on PTO boards as facilitators for Financial Peace classes, regularly volunteer in various positions, and have been known to attend a city council meeting or two. They are honored to be a part of the prevention work being done in their community. Like many others, their lives have been touched by substance use, and they look forward to working with other community members to bring about awareness and positive change.

Ryan Opsahl

Ryan Opsahl is the Director of Clinical Outreach for Crestview Recovery Services. Ryan manages and maintains various marketing processes and is responsible for developing and maintaining referral sources nationally while generating referrals from clinicians and other sources. Ryan has worked in the addiction treatment field since 2010 and is passionate about helping guide individuals down a path to successful long-term recovery. He uses his experience as a recovering alcoholic/addict to help referral sources access any helpful resources that will assist their clients in achieving growth, change, and wholeness.

Ellen McMillan
Treasurer

Ellen is a 15-year resident of West Linn with one child who graduated from West Linn High School and another at the high school. She has over 25-years’ experience in corporate income tax. Currently employed as tax director at Cascade Corp. in Gresham, Ellen has worked for Tektronix Inc., NACCO Materials Handling Group, and Arthur Andersen.

Dana Free
Secretary

Dana Free is part of the Newport Academy. Her focus is providing services to find appropriate treatment for people needing addiction and mental health services.

Dana enjoys her time on the Community Living Above (CLA) board. Dana moved with her family to West Linn, Oregon, 15 years ago and is the proud mother of two sons, a high school Junior and a University of Oregon Sophomore (Go Ducks!).

Anne Marie Lowe
Operations Director/Manager

Anne Marie is a career financial director, bringing over 20 years of banking and nonprofit management experience to local nonprofits. Her financial expertise includes working as a commercial banker in Portland bringing an array of financial products and services to a commercial banking client base. Over the course of her career, Anne Marie has spent time working within the nonprofit sector, bringing relationship management and cash management needs to the nonprofit industry. Her nonprofit experience includes organizational advancement through development and fundraising initiatives, fiscal management, budgeting, grant writing, workshop creation and facilitation, event management, and strategic planning facilitation to various nonprofit missions within the Portland metropolitan area.

Lowe holds a degree in International Business from Linfield College. An active member of the community, Anne Marie is an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Portland where she served as President in 2010-2011. Other community involvement includes serving as an Advisory Board member for the Salvation Army and a member of the Royal Rosarians.

Garth Swanson

Garth is an Oregon native, a graduate of West Linn high school and a person in long term recovery. Garth is self-employed in investment real estate. Growing up in West Linn, he experienced the problems associated with teenage use of drugs and alcohol and came out the other side in recovery. He joined CLA to see how he could make a difference in the community he grew up in.

Coalition Members

Representatives from community sectors organize and meet to address local youth substance use. Together, as a coalition, they are driven by local conditions to implement local solutions to build a safe, healthy, and drug-free community.

Steve Burch, View Point Wealth

Ellen McMillan, CLA Board Member

Rosemary Reynolds, Retired KXL Radio

Nalini Velutrein, MD

Sergeant Oddis Rollins, West Linn Police Department

Jennifer Epstein, Song for Charlie

Robin Henderson, PsyD, Chief Executive Behavioral Health Providence, and Chief Clinical Officer, Work2BeWell

Ryan Opsahl, Regional Director of Clinical Outreach, Crestview Recovery and Bayview Recovery

Representative Jules Walters

Kathleen Self, Riverwest Church

Lee Stewart, Parent

Cheryl Wilson, LSW, West Linn Wilsonville School District

Sophia McCarty, Student, Lakeside High School

Brian McCrady, Drug and Alcohol Prevention Specialist, Children, Family & Community Connections, Clackamas County

Sammy Ems, Recovery High School Graduate, GS Testing, LLC

David Goode, West Linn Rotary

Garth Swanson, CLA Board Member

Kelly Sloop, Community Member, School District Board Member

Priscilla Koczian, Young Life West Linn

Tracy Swartley, Parent West Linn Community