Board of Directors
Constance Palaia, President
As a youth, Constance Palaia attended schools in several cities: Riverside and Sacramento, California; Evanston, Illinois; Washington D.C.; Kabul, Afghanistan; and Kensington, Maryland. She graduated with a BA from The Evergreen State College and has walked several career paths including many years as a rare bead collector and jewelry artisan, and fifteen years in the garment manufacturing and textile design business. She owned a textile design studio based in Seattle before she and her husband, Kevin Marr, purchased the Motel Del Rogue in 2000 and moved to Grants Pass. Their daughter, Sylvia attended Three Rivers Schools and graduated from Willamette University.
Constance has been active in the community and has served in several capacities on boards and committees. These positions include, Chair of the Josephine County Democratic Central Committee, board member of Planned Parenthood of Southwest Oregon, board chair of the Unitarian Universalists of Grants Pass, Oregon Employment Department Paid Family Medical Leave Small Employers Workgroup member, member of the Racial Equity Accountability and Leadership Committee of the Democratic Party of Oregon and founding member of the Three Rivers Schools Foundation which merged with Redwood in 2012.
Constance has worked as the school librarian at Fruitdale Elementary since 2006 and currently serves as a Native American Student Union Advisor for Three Rivers Schools.
Judith (Judie) L. Drummond, Secretary
Judie graduated from Watertown High School in Watertown, MA in 1970. After a successful business career in Boston, she returned to school taking night classes at Boston College until she moved to Grants Pass in 1988, where she continued at Rogue Community College and graduated from Southern Oregon University with a BS in Human Communications in 1992. During that time, she worked for several years with Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, and 12 years with Josephine County Mental Health. She and her husband Tom started College Dreams in 1998 helping bright at-risk youth stay in school and continue on to higher education and/or additional career training. It was during that time that College Dreams began their partnership with Redwood as students earned Scholarship funds for excellent grades and community service. Judie & Tom retired in December of 2018. She remains passionate about helping youth develop a dream, plan for their futures and achieving their goals.
Sean Ward, Treasurer
Sean Ward is the owner of Sean Ward Development, Inc. and Prime-Sean Ward Properties where he is a real estate broker, developer and consultant. A life-long resident of Grants Pass, Sean graduated from Grants Pass High School in 1991. He attended Western Oregon University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1994 and a Masters from Oregon State University in 1998. Sean is active in the Grants Pass Association of Realtors and a member of Table Rock Fellowship Church.
He and his wife have two boys, who are 3 and 1 respectively. Immediate past-president of Redwood, Sean has served on the board for the past 14 years and “enjoys being part of an organization trying to provide better opportunities for our students.” Sean and his father, Richard Ward, are stewards of the Ward Family Scholarship Fund through Redwood, which awards annual scholarships to seniors at Grants Pass High School.
Board Members
Bill Flaming
Service Drug, Retired Pharmacist
John ‘Jack’ Davis
Attorney, Retired
Brandon Bretl
Owner, Upshift Innovations
Constance Palaia Marr
Fruitdale Elementary Librarian
Holly Preslar
Attorney
Thomas (Tom) W. Drummond
Co-Founder of College Dreams, Retired
Tripp Androy
Financial Planning and Analysis Manager, Dutch Bros. Coffee
Jennifer Esmay
Public Benefits Representative, Center for NonProfit Legal Services
Brenda Aguilera
Program Manager, Project Youth+