Alandra Morin, Owner & Instructor

Alandra was born and raised in the Eugene/Springfield area. She gained interest in the field of developmental disabilities at an early age, to better understand her younger brother who was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome.
Alandra has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Oregon and has worked as a caregiver, personal support worker, and case manager in addition to being a founding member and co-owner of Allies, LLC.
Alandra is open to learning new things and enjoys creative and self-improvement activities. She is interested in video games, anime, graphic novels, web design, creating functional resources, organizing, drawing, swimming, and listening to audiobooks.

Curtis Lorentzen, Director of DSA

Curtis was born and raised in Roseburg, OR. He briefly lived in Montana and California before returning to his native Oregon and settling in Lane County.
Curtis has worked in this field since 2004, starting out in a 24-hour group home and moving on to supported living. Getting people out in their community and teaching skills like hunting and fishing are things he excels at. He loves to help people reach their goals.
In his spare time, Curtis likes to fish, hunt, and play video games. Cottage Grove is where he hangs his hat with his wife and a very, very fat cat. His family includes two adult kids and a young grandbaby.

Tracy Sydor, Allies Art DIRECTOR & Provider

Tracy was born in Southern California and traveled the country extensively while growing up, eventually landing here in Eugene in 2010 with her husband of 27 years and two children.
Tracy is an artist and photographer in her community and is a strong supporter of children's and women's rights. Her passion for helping others has her joining forces with local businesses and organizations to help raise awareness for special projects.
In her spare time, Tracy enjoys going to the beach with her family and spending time in the mountains next to beautiful lakes and rivers. Being in nature reminds her to keep a constant focus on personal growth and to always be willing to learn something new.

Kyle JOhnson, Attendant Care coordinator & instructor

Kyle grew up in Minnesota and moved west to settle in Oregon in 2016 with his wife.  He has been serving people both as a direct support professional for people with physical and intellectual disabilities for 15 years and as a public school teacher for 14 years. Before his life as an elementary, middle school, and ESL teacher he supported people in I/DD group homes and residential facilities for 12 years.
Kyle’s personal interests and hobbies include drawing, painting, bookbinding, hiking, and playing chess. He is also a percussionist and would love to play in a band one day.

Melissa Fleeman, Attendant care Coordinator & Provider

Melissa was raised in Southern Oregon and moved to the Eugene area with her husband and children in 2009 to further her education at Lane Community College, where she earned her Associates of Social Science in Human Services degree. Melissa has been working with the I/DD community for several years as a Direct Support Professional, but she is more of a natural, as she has a younger brother who is autistic.
Melissa's hobbies include being outdoors, gardening, hiking, fishing, hunting, rock hounding, camping, and spending time with her family and fur children.

Jamie Fugate, DSA Coordinator & INstructor

Jamie was born in LA, lived in several states and also Germany before settling in Oregon in 1989. She has been in the field of supporting people with different abilities for 20 years and loves what she does.
In her spare time, Jamie loves spending time with her family and friends, paddleboarding, biking, gardening and completing home improvements. She has been a foster parent for over 20 years and it is something she really loves. 

Kim PHillips, Coastal DSA Coordinator

Kim grew up in Brookings and spent the majority of her life on the Oregon coast.  She has a certification in developmental aging and an Associate's degree in Human Services from Lane Community College. Kim has done caregiving associated with hospice and now has the honor of working with members of the community with Alzheimer's/dementia.

Kim is a grandmother raising 4 grandchildren, so much of her free time revolves around them and their sports, activities, and meeting their other needs. She also has small crazy dogs that bring her a lot of joy. Kim enjoys spending time with her family, camping in the summer and having family dinners when the weather keeps them inside.

Mo Giewont, Connections Coordinator & Instructor

Mo was born and (mostly) grew up off the Great Lakes in Pennsylvania. They moved to Eugene in September of 2016 after feeling the pull to move out west.
With 9 years of experience working for people with exceptionalities in a variety of settings, Mo cannot imagine themself doing anything else. After completing their Bachelor’s of Social Work, Mo’s graduation present to themself was buying a converted van and traveling the country for 6 months with their ad-van-ture cat.
Mo enjoys crafting with textiles, being in a flow state of mind, finding their next thrift score, watching cotton candy sunsets, and running away from imaginary bears.

Heather Stewart, Office Manager & Provider

Heather is a Minnesota native who has found that her heart lives in Oregon.  She comes to Allies with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Services and many years of experience as a provider, case manager and job coach.  Heather brings a nurturing spirit, a dry sense of humor, and an easy-going and non-judgmental attitude.  Outside of work, Heather spends her time, creating, reading, thrift shopping, meditating, communing with nature, and doting on her cat.

Matt Bonham, Allies Provider

Matt comes to Allies with over 18 years of experience supporting individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
A Eugene native, Matt grew up with a love for the outdoors and especially enjoys hiking in the mountains and exploring both the desert and coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest.
Matt has been active in local community theater for over 40 years and has performed with The Very Little Theater, Actor's Cabaret of Eugene, Oregon Repertory Theater, University Theater, Trial by Fire and with Roving Park Players. He has also appeared at The Hult Center and venues in Houston, Texas and Denver, Colorado.

Heather Johnson, Allies Provider

Heather lived most of her life in Wisconsin and Minnesota prior to moving to Eugene with her husband in 2016.  After 11 years of teaching ESL in public schools, Heather came to Oregon looking for different avenues to continue work in education that presented more opportunities to help people make transformative changes in their lives.
In her spare time, Heather loves to be outdoors, especially in the woods, and enjoys hiking and camping as often as she can. She also loves making books by hand, losing herself in coloring, sinking into good reading material, and cooking and preserving food.

Wade Johnson, Allies Provider

Wade was born in Colorado and lived in North Carolina and Kansas before moving to Eugene in 1998. His passions are art and creativity.  Wade started The Whitaker Clean Up 16 years ago and volunteers to improve the community when he can.  In addition to teaching children art at Kelly Middle School, Wade has worked with unhoused individuals with the City of Eugene.  Wade enjoys working at Allies and the opportunity it gives him to work with individuals that have a variety of abilities and talents. 

Tracy Jones, Allies Provider

Tracy was born in Oregon and also grew up in Alaska and Hawaii. She has worked in healthcare in Lane County for 16 years, and loves being a positive part of peoples lives. She started working in assisted living at 22 years old and has furthered her career throughout the years working with individuals in the I/DD community.

Her hobbies include cooking, painting, thrifting, crystal hunting and foraging. Tracy has three children and enjoys taking them on new adventures every weekend. She’s excited to join the Allies family, and looks forward to meeting you!

Jerry Lapham, Allies Provider

Jerry grew up in upstate New York where he received his Bachelor’s of Art degree.  From there he moved to Colorado and began engaging with community arts organizations where he worked with people from all walks of life, from kids in grade school to adults with exceptionalities.
Jerry moved to Oregon in 2016 to continue working with art nonprofits in Portland. In 2018, he moved to Eugene and worked at-risk youth, which further stoked the fire of working more directly with people to enrich their quality of life. 
When Jerry is not working he enjoys spending time with his dog, painting, studying/exploring spirituality, and engaging with the community. 

Christina Roque, Allies Provider

Christina was born and raised in Washington and moved to Oregon in 2014, after graduating with a degree in medical assisting.
Christina has been a caregiver for 8 years professionally and for many years more caring for family and friends. She has worked many with different ages, from children to seniors with different abilities.
In her free time she likes going to the beach, taking pictures, and exploring what Oregon has to offer.

Tuana Schirmer, Allies Provider

“I have a precious human life and want to benefit others as much as I can.”  (Dalai Lama)

Tuana has two young adult children who are now in college.  She homeschooled them until their high school years.  She has worked in hospice care and was a certified nurse’s assistant.  She is currently a real estate agent and working on a teacher’s aide certification.  Tuana wants to expand her heart out to others and help them achieve their goals through growth, exposure and learning.  She has a contagious energy that is uplifting and joyful.  

Emily Sikora, Allies Provider

Emily moved to Oregon from the east coast in 2016 to be closer to her family.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Humanities degree with a concentration in Elementary Education and Music.  She has over 15 years of experience working with people on the autism spectrum, as an ABA therapist and teacher.
When Emily isn't at work, she likes spending time with her daughter, Elayna, and her family and friends.  She enjoys hiking, exploring the outdoors, taking photos, going on bicycle rides, relaxing and listening to music.  Cooking is also something she enjoys doing if she gets the chance to.

Emma Tetlow, Allies Provider

Emma enjoys hiking, dancing, listening to music, and traveling! She has worked as a COO at a student-run non-profit called Kids Helping Kids Sacramento. Emma fills most of her available free time with baby-sitting and pet-sitting. She is excited to be a new member of the Allies family!

Adam Thompson, Allies Provider

Adam was born in Germany, and raised in New Hampshire where he studied Theatre Arts at UNH. After graduating, he toured the country on a motorcycle to find his new home, settling in San Francisco. There, he began assembling his eclectic life and work experiences, including improv theatre and experiential education with a living history program. He broadened his artistic horizons as a part of the Burning Man festival's SF community and began making annual pilgrimages to Lane County to volunteer as a member of the Construction Crew. That led to years working in the building trades until finally acquiring 10 years of experience in I/DD support services.

Amy Wilkins, Allies Provider

Amy is a wife and a mother of two wandering daughters and has 9 grandchildren. She was raised in Arkansas and Arizona, where she comes from a strong line of fire fighters.
Amy holds a variety of degrees and certifications including EMT, Certified Medical Assistant, CNA, and an EKG certification. She worked at the Cancer Center for 19 years, which she loved because helping others makes her happy.
In her free time, Amy enjoys fishing, camping, kayaking, and painting rocks.