Jessica Klinke Joins OHRA as Development Director

ASHLAND, ORE — OHRA, the Jackson County nonprofit that assists people struggling with poverty or homelessness, today announced that Jessica Klinke has joined the organization as development director. In this full-time position Klinke will help plan, organize, and direct OHRA’s fundraising and external communications.

With 20 years of experience in fundraising, communications, and organizational management, Jessica has dedicated her career to providing leadership and support to organizations with impactful community results. Klinke will serve under OHRA Executive Director Cass Sinclair to further the reach of OHRA’s services in Jackson County. These services include operating the only walk-in resource center in Jackson County as well as a year-round low-barrier shelter. Both the resource center and the shelter are staffed by navigators who help OHRA’s walk-in and live-in guests move from crisis to stability.

“In just a few short years, OHRA has grown rapidly from an all-volunteer Ashland-based organization operating out of rented offices to one with a large staff and significant asset in the form of the OHRA Center, which provides services to all in Jackson County,” said Sinclair.  “Our broader reach and expanded services require enhanced outreach to the community. Jessica’s skills and experience are a perfect fit for this need.”

Prior to joining OHRA, Klinke was communications director for Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center (KS Wild) and Rogue Riverkeeper where she managed the digital fundraising strategy and all aspects of digital and print communications. She also worked in fundraising roles for Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), Death with Dignity, and PDX Bridge Festival.

While at KS Wild, Klinke served on the organization’s leadership council where she co-chaired the staff change team committee and led diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives for the organization. She also used her unique skills in audio documentation and new media to produce One Foot in the Black, a six-episode podcast series on fire and climate change in the West.

Klinke holds a bachelor’s degree from University of California, Santa Cruz and a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She has been in the southern Oregon community since 2011 and lives in Ashland with her son and old dog.