Board Members & Staff
OFEA offers many opportunities for our members to get involved and support our efforts to be the best resource for events and festivals in Oregon. To learn more about how you can get involved and volunteer please visit our Committee page or contact Jill Ingalls, Executive Director, at Jill@OregonFestivals.org.
Board of Directors
Kathy Crosby
President
Kathy Crosby was long ago dubbed by Scott Ingalls as the "OFEA's Biggest Cheerleader" and is thrilled to bring those talents to the Board of Directors in official capacity.
An Oregon native, she has been hosting and organizing events since the 1970's when she was a Rainbow Girl in Clatskanie, Oregon. Since those days she has become, not only a global and internationally award-winning entertainer and songwriter but has over the years planned and hosted events as part of the Oregon Hospice Association, The Alzheimer's Association, the Oregon Bluegrass Association, and the International Music and Entertainment Association where she served as the Program Director. Kathy is also a member of Folk Alliance International, the Americana Music Association, and the Recording Academy – where her focus is advocacy issues for those in all aspects of the entertainment industry.
Kathy is also an emcee, writer, and public speaker on a variety of topics and a well-known mentor to entertainers in multiple countries.
Her goal with the OFEA is to assist in growing membership and helping both vendors and small festivals understand how this amazing organization can bring their product or event to the next level of success.
Kathy performs in the award-winning duo Phoenix with her husband Tim Crosby. In her spare time, she is the house Mistress of The Phoenix House in Salem, Oregon.
Steven Bledsoe
Vice President
Steven Bledsoe has 25 years in the Special Event Industry. Steven is the Waterfront Event Manager for The Portland Rose Festival, the Official Festival for the City of Portland. Steven’s main area of focus is the production of CityFair, Portland’s longest running Waterfront Park event. Prior to Rose Festival, Steven was with the Oregon State Fair in Salem. Steven’s experiences also include ten years with FASTIXX/ TicketWest where he gained his large scale event experiences with Oregon Country Fair, Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band, Jimmy Buffett, and Pavoritti.
Rodney Lutgen
Treasurer
Rodney is a native Oregonian who grew up in the Santiam Canyon area. He has been farming for 35 years and currently works for IOKA arms as a mechanic. Rodney believes in community involvement and has participated as a volunteer in the Sublimity Harvest Festival for 12 years and has sat on the board of directors for 10 years. It’s through that involvement that Rodney became associated with Oregon Festivals and Events Association. In his spare time, Rodney enjoys participating in truck pulls and Civil War reenactments.
Terry Nelson
Secretary
Terry Nelson has a background in management, focusing on sanitation and facilities, and has been involved in strategic planning and setting the course for businesses to move forward. He works with events large and small to assure their needs are met and shares his event expertise whenever possible. Terry currently serves on the board of the Oregon Festivals & Events Association, and has headed up the Membership Committee and the Supplier committee, which is responsible for OFEA Supplier Code of Ethics and generating Scholarships for various OFEA educational opportunities.
Courtney Latham
Director
Courtney Latham, also known as DJ Flip Flops, founded Flip Flop Sounds in 2009 with just a couple of speakers and a mixer. Since then, he has grown his business into Bend’s premier sound and lighting company, known for delivering exceptional experiences at events of all sizes. From intimate weddings to large-scale festivals, Courtney's expertise and passion for music and entertainment have made Flip Flop Sounds a trusted name in the industry.
As an experienced DJ and event professional, Courtney is dedicated to creating unforgettable moments through high-quality sound, lighting, and entertainment. His commitment to customer satisfaction, combined with his technical skills and innovative approach, has earned him a loyal following in Central Oregon and beyond.
He remains passionate about helping his clients bring their visions to life, and his dedication to the craft continues to elevate the standard of event production in the region.
Cindy Kerby
Director
Cindy is the CEO and Lead Designer at Gateway Imprints, Inc., renowned for her strategic acumen and deep-rooted passion for community and events. With over 25 years of expertise in management and leadership, Cindy excels in identifying and overcoming the challenges businesses and events face while striving for growth and success.
A pillar of the Lebanon community for more than two decades, Cindy’s commitment extends across numerous roles including President of the Lebanon Strawberry Festival Association. Additionally, Cindy plays a key role on the Holidays in the Park and Lebanon Parks, Trees, and Trails Committees, and holds leadership positions as Vice President for both the Lebanon area New Business Generations and the Lebanon 4th of July Event.
Residing in Lebanon, Oregon with her husband Matthew, Cindy enjoys quality time with her grandchildren and tends to her garden in her spare moments. Her unwavering dedication to both her professional and community roles exemplifies her commitment to fostering growth and connection in every facet of her life.
Rachel Bivens
Director
As of October 2023, Rachel Bivens became the Chief Operating Officer for Iron Shield Security. Prior to making this move Rachel was with the Lane Events Center and Lane County Fair for nearly 20 years. She started her career there as an as an Events Coordinator working with clients on their events and with commercial vendors and in the Fair office during Fair time. Rachel moved into the marketing role after about 4 years and added Assistant Fair Manager to her duties in 2013. Rachel has a true passion for events and the complexities that we all go through to follow them from inception to completion. She has a keen understanding of how critical relationships building, partnership, excellent communication among all parties involved is to the overall success of events. Rachel’s education is in Business and Public Administration from the University of Puget Sound where she attended prior to returning to Oregon. She currently resides in Eugene with her husband, two sons and super sweet black Lab!
Haley Hamilton
Director
Haley has been in the event industry for what feels like forever but started out in high school planning school events. She continued into her adult life volunteering at and planning events which eventually led to a career. Currently she is the Director of Shows and Events for the Home Builders Association of Marion & Polk Counties and you might see her at random events throughout the area that she tends to get herself roped into. Haley is active in the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, sits on some non-profit boards, volunteers for most anything and has been a part of OFEA for about 15 years. In her spare time Haley enjoys “chicken farming”, golfing, being at the lake and is attempting to find the best wine in Oregon.
Staff
Jill Ingalls
Executive Director
Jill has been involved in putting on events and horse shows since she was 8. She has worked in the hospitality and tourism industry in the Portland area and has been the Manager for the Albany Downtown Association. She was appointed by the Linn County Board of Commissioners to complete the construction and launch the new Linn County Fair & Expo Center. Serving as the marketing director, she re-established the Linn County Fair and attracted hundreds of new and self-produced events to the new facility. After 10 years of she returned to her passion of association management and embarked into self-employment with Ingalls & Associates in 2004. She is now the contracted executive for several associations. She and her husband Scott own Ingalls & Associates where together they produce their own festivals, contract for production of conventions, trade shows and annual events and for sponsorship and marketing development for others.
Scott Ingalls
Volunteer Extraordinaire
Scott has extensive experience in promotions, boasting ownership or management of over 200 different events. Scott provides training and workshops for the OFEA as a volunteer extraordinaire. Because he is the spouse of our Executive Director, he claims to just be the “show pony” and simply is part of the team. Scott provides training, workshops and ask the expert advice for members, plus shares his expertise and experiences. He has become known as the “voice” at the annual conference – as the emcee of the annual Ovation! Awards. Scott also volunteers as the committee chair of the Ovation! Awards, Showcase Committee and Trade Show for the conference. In his real life he owns and operates Ingalls & Associates, an agency that provides services ranging from consulting to full production of events and marketing campaigns. He is a civil war reenactor and enjoys getting together with friends and clients to plot and plan bigger and better events.
Macy Henderson
Office Administrator, Finance
Macy is here to keep us organized. She organizes staff and resources for various events including setting up cash handling, ticket sales and merchandise. She will track your conference registrations, payments and invoicing too! She prepares financial statements for the OFEA Board and serves as a main point of contact for the association. Macy enjoys her 4 young children, camping, horses and working on her farm.
Ashley Christie
Member Services
Ashley is here for you, our members. She is working behind the scenes to be sure your membership listing is looking top notch and you are taking full advantage of your membership benefits. She works to keep the membership program fresh and information coming your way. She will be monitoring the member Facebook group as well as working to promote and increase membership, event listings and visits to the website. When not working with OFEA she also runs her own design company - Ashley Christie Designs and listens to a lot of Taylor Swift.