Our People
At RCAP, our team is a vibrant mix of people from all walks of life — engineers and educators, advocates and community organizers, dreamers and doers — united by a shared mission to strengthen rural communities. From small towns and tribal lands to agricultural regions and coastal villages, our staff reflect the places they serve: resilient, resourceful, and deeply committed to creating opportunity where it’s needed most.
Together, we bring a mosaic of backgrounds, skills, and perspectives to the table — because we know that lasting solutions come from listening, learning, and working side by side.

Olga Morales-Pate
Chief Executive Officer
Team Members
Lauren Caudle, Meeting & Events Planner
Andrea Chavez, Administrative Assistant
Emily Christ, Senior DCS Engineer
Katherine Coviello, Communications & Events Specialist
Gregorio Esparsen, Data & Impact Senior Specialist
Lisa Fought, Director of Capacity Development and Outreach
David Fredenburgh, Chief Financial & Administrative Officer
Coye Gerald, Communications Manager
Owen Griffith, Senior Development Coordinator
Scott Harmon, Sr. Training & Technical Services Specialist
Victoria Harrington, Research Associate
Kaitlin Harris, Senior Environmental Programs Specialist
Jennifer Hazard, Director of Community Programs
Jodi Hilsabeck, Senior Environmental Program Coordinator – EFC
Hunter Jackman, Senior Data & Public Policy Specialist
Ami Keiffer, Associate Director of Strategic Programs
Shayna Kernen, Senior Program Specialist
Laura Landes, Associate Director of Research & Data
Andrew Nordbye, Senior Environmental Programs Specialist
Vicki Perry, Senior Training & Technical Services Specialist
Amy Renner, Community Development Senior Program Manager
Lena Schlichting, Senior Research Specialist
Sherry Schmidt, Senior Training & Technical Services Specialist
Grace Blue Spitzer, Data and Impact Specialist
Yosief Tecle, Senior Accounting Specialist
Kellea Evans-Weygand, Finance Manager
Board Members

Suzanne Anarde
Rural Community Assistance Corporation

Margaret Bowman
Bowman Environmental Consulting

Albert Cho
Xylem, Inc.

Hope Cupit
Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project

Billy Hix
Cherokee Nation

Ruthann House
Past President on the Executive Committee, Great Lakes Community Action Partnership

Christopher Jewett
Chief Executive Officer, Midwest Assistance Program

Jerry Kenney
T.L.L. Temple Foundation

Rick Martinez
RCAP Board President, The Apricot Tree Consulting

George McGraw
DigDeep

Ines Polonius
RCAP Board Secretary/Treasurer, Communities Unlimited

Brian Scales
RCAP Board Vice President, RCAP Solutions

Jessi Snyder
Self-Help Enterprises