After growing up in Georgia and studying at Cambridge University as a Marshall Scholar, Diana moved to an Applegate mountainside, taught part-time at Rogue Community College, and wrote commentaries for Jefferson Public Radio (JPR). Diana has published three books of selected JPR commentaries: Fire from the Dragon's Tongue (an Oregon Book Award finalist), Living with All My Senses: 25 Years of Life on the Mountain, and An Explosion of Stars. She has also published Favorite Hikes of the Applegate: A Trail Guide with Stories and Histories with Janeen Sathre. She holds a PhD in English from the University of Oregon.

William C. Whitney (Whit) graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a BFA in painting and a minor in photography/motion picture. In 1978 he moved to New York City to launch a career as a fine artist and found work at Rapp, a large ad agency, as an Art Director. After 25 years at Rapp, he was promoted and relocated to Los Angeles as their Executive Creative Director. After four years in L.A., Whit retired from advertising. In 2016, he and his wife, Cheryl, moved from their home in the central coast of California to the Applegate Valley. Whit joined Rogue Credit Union as Creative Director/Manager, serving for three years, and retiring for the final time in 2019. The Whitneys volunteer at Mercy’s Gate, a local nonprofit, and have served on a number of boards, including Symphony of the Vines, a California symphony orchestra.

Roger Wirth was born and raised in Klamath Falls, Oregon, and graduated from Portland State University in 1982 with a degree in Business Administration - Accounting and passed the Oregon CPA examination that year. Roger then had a long career in Federal Law Enforcement, retiring in 2007 as the Special Agent in Charge of IRSCID in San Francisco, California, and thereafter working with the DEA Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force as a forensic accountant for 13 years and subsequently with the Medford Police Department and the Jackson County Sheriff’s office. Roger and his wife, Cheryl, moved back to the beautiful Applegate Valley in 2011 to be close to family. This is his first volunteer position with a non-profit since his final retirement in 2023.

Annika Hodges moved to the Rogue Valley from Portland, after graduating from Eastern Oregon University with a cum laude degree in English and writing. As the previous editor in chief of, social media manager of, and reporter for Eastern Oregon University’s student newspaper, The Voice, Annika comes well-qualified for her job here. With that experience, she already knows how to oversee production of a paper and how to manage a team of writers, copy editors, and others who serve to put a newsmagazine such as the Applegater together. She has been meeting people and learning about our community. She has connected with A Greater Applegate, learned about and contacted businesses and nonprofits in the area, and gone to open-air markets, libraries, and other organizations and activities in the Applegate Valley.

Lynn Towns has lived on Hogan Road in the Applegate for 30 years, coming here after birth in Georgia, childhood in Ohio, college in Alabama, and teaching in California. Lynn taught fourth grade in Burlingame, California, and brings to her position on the board a background of working with people and in the community. She has a deep understanding of nonprofit organizations and the importance of volunteers. Since moving to the Applegate, Lynn has done volunteer work with SMART (Start Making a Reader Today), Britt Festival, Friends of the Applegate Library, and Habitat for Humanity, notably in the capacity of interviewing potential recipients of housing.

Kat Gore was born and raised in Sonoma County, California, and attended college at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where she wrote for the student newspaper, Mustang News. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in journalism, she started a career in local journalism before transitioning to marketing and public relations for 10 years, alongside freelance work in journalism, copywriting, and editing. While working as a marketer at Sonoma County Library, Kat decided to pursue a Master of Library and Information Science degree with the goal of working in a public library. She graduated with an MLIS from Valdosta State University in 2024.

Kat was a longtime Applegate visitor before putting down roots in the area in 2022 with her husband and dogs. She is currently a library associate at Jackson County Library Services, a freelance marketing consultant, and a volunteer for A Greater Applegate’s community email list.