About Us

Beth Hays,

CEO

Beth leads, assists, oversees, and manages a variety of nonprofit and charitable projects for Community Resource Trust. Beth earned her BA degree in Education through Western Oregon University and her MS in Child and Adolescent Development through Capella University. She taught grade levels K-12, served as a school district tutor, and coordinated a college-readiness grant in the 8 years prior to joining Community Resource Trust.

Throughout her time with Community Resource Trust, Beth has successfully brought in grant monies for nonprofits in the community. In addition to private grants, she has experience in low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC), Local Innovation Fast Track (LIFT), HOME, Urban Renewal Area (URA) grants, conventional financing, and equity investments, for the provision and facilitation of low-income housing, education, and other community services. 

To date, Beth has overseen procurement, fiscal agency, and compliance management of over $15 million in government funding, $2 million in foundation grants, $10 million in industry/private donations and equity investments, and $10 million in conventional financing, for a total of $37 million in sources for Marion and Polk Counties. She has also overseen management of assets totaling over $33 million – primarily for low-income housing and education. 

Beth’s personal interests include music theory, history, and human development. She immensely enjoys free time with her family and her two young boys.

Charles A. (Chuck) Swank, CPA

Board Chair

BA Math OSU

MBA Accounting U of O

Captain US Army

Retired CPA, practiced for 45 years, shareholder Grove, Mueller & Swank, PC

Treasurer Salem Rotary, 30 years

Carlotta Alverson, JD/MBA

Board Secretary

Carlotta Alverson is an accomplished attorney with a diverse background in law and business. She earned a dual degree from Willamette University, graduating from Willamette College of Law and Willamette’s Atkinson Graduate School of Management with a Juris Doctor and a Master of Business Administration.

During law school, Carlotta gained valuable experience clerking in the civil litigation section of the Oregon Department of Justice and for Judge Shoor at the Oregon Court of Appeals. She also held leadership roles as President of the Multicultural Law Student Association and the Women’s Law Caucus, and served as Editor-in-Chief of Willamette Law Online.

After graduation, Carlotta worked as an insurance defense trial attorney and later served in the Infrastructure and Transportation section of the Oregon General Counsel Division. She is now the co-owner of Hearthstone Law LLC, where she focuses her practice on elder law, estate planning, and probate, helping individuals and families plan thoughtfully for the future.

Outside of her practice, Carlotta is the instructor for the Philanthropic Investment for Community Impact (PICI) course, here at Willamette, where she mentors students in nonprofit leadership and sustainable community impact. She enjoys studying Japanese and spending time with her spouse, two children, and their Goldendoodle, Pearl.

Victoria Shinn

Treasurer

VP Business Relationship Officer,
People’s Bank of Commerce

Victoria has worked in the Finance Industry for over 30 years beginning her career as a Part Time Teller with US Bank as an “accidental banker”.  She had a 6 year pause from Banking, working with Fidelity Title in the Title and Escrow Industry and was enticed back to US Bank in 2005.  She currently supports Businesses with a One Bank approach by understanding their business operations and dreams, identifying ways to support the business with banking services to help them thrive and grow.  This includes everything to Commercial Lending, Money Movement avenues to Wealth Management and everything in between.

Victoria is a 4^th Generation Oregonian with deep roots in the community. She has a heart to serve others and continues to be active in a wide variety of community organizations.

Deep passions are with our First Responders, Veterans and Kicking Cancer!

In addition to supporting CRT, she currently is on the Advisory Team for Executive Director Baron Robison and his Kicking Cancer organization.

George Jennings, JD

Board Director

Attorney at Law

 

Principal Areas of Practice

Business & Corporate Law; Estate Planning, Trusts & Probate; Real Estate Transactions

& Development

 

Willamette University College of Law, J.D.

University of Washington, B.A., Economics

 

Community Involvement:

Sedcor: Chair (2013 / 2014), Board of Directors (2000 to present), Executive Council 2011 to July 2015)

Oregon State Fair Council: (2013 to present)  Governor appointment

Salem Area Chamber of Commerce:  President (2000/2001), Board or Directors (1996 to 2003), 

Create Jobs PAC : Board of Directors (2011 to Present)

Community Resource Trust: Board of Directors (2015 to present)

Early Learning Hub , Inc. : Pro Bono organizational legal services for non-profit 501c(3) organization which provides evaluation and funding for education of children from zero through six years of age.      (2013)

Willamette Heritage Center : Board of Directors (2014 to Present)

United Way : Board of Directors (2003 to 2006)

Boys and Girls Club of Salem : Wine Auction ( 2011,2012 and 2013) , Youth Partnership Drive (1997 & 1998)

Historic Elsinore Theatre: Return to Grandeur Committee

Santiam Girl Scout Council: Pro Bono Legal services for many years commencing in the early 1980’s

Willamette Valley Consortium/Jobs Council/ Job Growers : Board of Directors (1981 and 1982)

Oregon State Board of Bar Examiners: Board of Directors (1986 to 1990), Review Board (1999 to 2001)

Oregon State Bar:  Continuing Legal Education Speaker  (1998 and 2000)

Western Development Foundation (WOU) : Board of Directors( 1982 to 1993) , Chair (1988 & 1989)

Western Oregon University: Presidential Selection Committee ( 1994) (governor appointment)

Smith Fine Arts Series at WOU:  President (1981 and 1982) Board of Directors (1976 to 1990)

Central School District: Board Chair (1985/86),  Board of Directors (1983 to 1986)

First Citizen Monmouth Independence (1981)

Chamber of Commerce Monmouth – Independence  :  President (1977 and 1978)  Board of Directors (1975 thru 1982)

Polk County Economic Development Corp : Board of Directors  (1979 approx.)

Polk County Housing Association: Board of Directors (1982 approx)

Pro Bono legal services to various organizations and individuals for many years.

Kaley Fought, AIA, NCIDQ

Board Director

As Principal and founding member of Framework Studio Architecture, based in Oregon, Kaley is a lead architect and an NCIDQ certified interior designer. Embracing a multi-disciplinary and progressive studio, she and her partner Chris started Framework with a vision to focus on human-centric, community-enhancing work; creating places that inspire joy and foster meaningful experiences.

Kaley’s collaborative approach and pursuit of human-centered design leads her to be a project and client advocate throughout the design process and construction. She is an active member in the community, currently serving as the Past-President of AIA Oregon, and sits on the City of Salem Planning Commission. Kaley believes in the power and impact of architecture, and that architects have a responsibility to improve the world around us through sustainable, equitable, and thoughtful design. At Framework, this is utilized as the platform to inform every project, leading clients through a process to design environmental experiences that encourage dynamic inclusive design at all scales.

As an avid equestrian, when not in the studio Kaley can always be found at the barn with her two horses – 6 year old Leo and 32 year old Harley.

Jennifer Winegar

Board Director

Jennifer Winegar is a Vice President, Senior Treasury Management Consultant at Columbia Bank, with over 36 years of banking experience specializing in treasury management, commercial banking, and client relationship strategy. She partners with commercial clients to optimize working capital, cash flow, mitigate risk, and implement tailored financial solutions that support business growth.

Throughout her career, Jennifer has held various leadership roles where she led diverse teams and supported commercial clients across a range of industries. She is recognized for her contributions to organizational change and for her ability to translate complex financial concepts into practical strategies that drive operational efficiency and growth.

Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Linfield University and a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Western Oregon University.

In addition to her professional work, Jennifer is actively engaged in nonprofit leadership and governance. She has served on multiple community boards, contributing to financial oversight, strategic planning, and organizational sustainability efforts. She brings a strong commitment to community development, ethical leadership, and improving access to resources that support long-term economic stability.

In her free time, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her daughter, husband, and two French Bulldogs.

Paul De Muniz, JD

Director Emeritas

Paul J. De Muniz is a former appellate judge having served for more than 22 years on the appellate bench including as chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, retiring from the Supreme Court at the end of 2012. Following his retirement from the Oregon Supreme Court, De Muniz founded one of the first legal clinics in the country that provides free legal advice to individuals re-entering the community from prison. De Muniz is the author of Oregon Criminal Procedure and Practice, used by lawyers and judges throughout the state, co-author of American Judicial Power: The State Court Perspective, a legal treatise on the importance of state courts in America, and the author of a novel, The Debt: An American Lawyer Fights for Justice in Russia. De Muniz graduated from Portland State University in 1972 and Willamette University College of Law in 1975. He currently teaches at Willamette University College of Law as a Distinguished Jurist in Residence. De Muniz is a Vietnam war veteran.