Directors

Brook Edwards
Brook was named DTL’s Interim Director in September, 2018. Prior to her appointment, she served as a Senior Project Manager at Downtown Languages for over four years, working extensively with our leadership team during that time, as well as managing our volunteer program. She brings 17 years of experience in both the financial services and public/nonprofit sector prior to the position. Brook also served in the Peace Corp as a public health volunteer in Nicaragua. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Idaho, and a Master of Public Administration degree and Master’s Certificate in Nonprofit Administration from the University of Oregon. She enjoys hiking, road biking, photography, camping, and just generally being out in nature with her husband and child.

Becky-Jo Samples, President
Becky-Jo is passionate about providing students access to educational opportunities. She is a previous volunteer mentor for ASPIRE Oregon, a program of the Oregon Student Assistance Commission, and has been a board member for Downtown Languages since 2017. A proud Duck, Becky-Jo holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Oregon and a master’s of business administration from Northwest Christian University. She is an account executive and business development director at Cappelli Miles.

Madison Stewart, Secretary
Madison is a graduate of the University of Oregon with a degree in international business and a focus in cultural anthropology. She is a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones where she is able to serve her community through financial education. She served on the JCHM Habitat for Humanity board of directors for 3 years, where she was a member of the grant-writing committee. She has also been heavily involved with The Boys and Girls Club and Oregon Networking Exchange. In her free time, she and her husband Scott love to travel, and spend time at the dog park with their 2 Corgis!

Alex Arruda, Treasurer
Alex was born and grew up in Rhode Island, and has been a resident of Eugene for over 12 years. He has studied early childhood education and hospitality management, and was a student of Spanish for nearly a decade, beginning in middle school. He spent many years working in the hospitality industry, where he had the opportunity to meet and work with people from many different backgrounds with unique life experiences. Alex began working in 2016 at Eugene’s Pacific Continental Bank, and has continued to develop his career in banking through Pacific Continental’s merger with Columbia Bank, where he currently works as a Team Lead and Digital Banking Specialist. With Columbia Bank, Alex has worked to develop and implement a comprehensive training program for his department, and has served as a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Work Group, where he worked with other group members to develop, improve, and support the bank’s inclusive work practices. Alex spent time volunteering with Food for Lane County and Pride Northwest, and he is a registered volunteer with Financial Beginnings.

Marilyn Kelly
Marilyn holds a bachelor’s degree in French from Whitman College. She served three years in the Peace Corps in Tanzania and Uganda, where she taught English in upper primary school and French in secondary school. She is a previous volunteer tutor for students learning English, and has served on DTL’s board since 2011. A long-time resident of Eugene, Marilyn has worked as a seamstress, bookkeeper, legal secretary, legal software trainer, and editor and technical writer for several K-12 Web-based initiatives. When not tied to a computer, you’ll most likely find her in her garden or out back in the woods.

Brice Mercer
Brice graduated from the University of Oregon in 2019 with a master’s of nonprofit management. Before graduate school, he worked for over 10 years as a creative director and technology director in churches and religious communities throughout the southeastern United States. During those years, he developed skills managing volunteers, programming live productions, building technology infrastructure, and public speaking.