Building Prosperity Together
Rural Prosperity Partners, formerly Sequoia Consulting, offers technical assistance to frontier rural
jurisdictions, special districts and non-profits to help them secure state, federal and private funding, and
launch new projects. We provide direct services as well as work with state and federal agencies, and private
foundations to provide support at scale.
Rural Prosperity Partners, formerly Sequoia Consulting, offers technical assistance to frontier rural jurisdictions, special districts and non-profits to help them secure state, federal and private funding, and launch new projects. We provide direct services as well as work with state and federal agencies, and private foundations to provide support at scale.
CEO
Rachael Maddock-Hughes, Founder and CEO, is a leader in rural development. Her expertise bridges the non-profit, private and public sectors to create the greatest impact for rural communities in the US and around the globe. Her focus on scalable, sustainable solutions has helped communities revitalize downtown business districts, connect communities to broadband, address emergency homeless housing, build future-responsive sectors (Blue Economy), provide communities with resources to secure more state and federal funding, and much more. She focuses on building local expertise and capacity, and supporting locally-driven solutions.
Senior Resource
Development
Advisor
Development
Advisor
Sherry DeLeon has more than 20 years of experience working in the nonprofit and education sectors. She began her career with the American Red Cross and has since worked for both large national nonprofits and small grassroots organizations, both in the United States and globally, as an Executive Director and lead for Development and Advancement activities. She has secured funding from federal foundations including NSF, Department of Education, Economic Development Agency, USDA, and Department of Labor. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member at North Carolina State University in the Leadership in the Public Sector Program for the past 12 years.
Senior Broadband Advisor
Joseph Franell has over 25 years of telecommunications experience. He served as a governor-appointed member of the Oregon Broadband Advisory Council (OBAC) representing rural interests for 13 years, and as the Chairman of the Council 12 years. The Oregon Business Magazine has called Joe, “The Rural Connector” because of his effective leadership in bringing broadband to rural markets in Northeastern Oregon, Southeastern Washington, and the Mid-Columbia River region. Joseph has been active as a speaker, writer, and guest on local and national radio shows.
Senior Belonging,
Dignity & Justice
Advisor
Dignity & Justice
Advisor
Lisa Norton, MSW, is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, where she resides and works as the Assistant General Manager. She has more than 20 years' experience in a variety of capacities, including Tribal Court, TANF, Child Welfare, Enrollment, Mental Health Research, and Small Business Development. Prior to her current position, she was a statewide Training and Technical Assistance Provider around improving agency response to sexual assault for the Sexual Assault Task Force and was the Executive Director of the local sexual and domestic violence resource center in Lincoln County, Oregon.
Broadband
Advisor
Advisor
Aaron Moss is a graduate of Portland State University where he studied political science, international relations, and conflict resolution. Aaron has interned for multiple state legislators and began his work in rural communities as a fellow with the national service organization Lead for America. Aaron has coordinated and led the Morrow County Broadband Action Team in pursuit of expanding broadband access and promoting digital inclusion throughout Morrow County. Aaron is a skilled researcher, relationship builder, and enthusiast of drawing upon the experience and wisdom of those around him.
Operations
Manager
Manager
Hailing from South Africa, Jade Harley has a diverse background across multiple sectors including agriculture, environmental, IT and viticulture. With a Post-Graduate Certificate in Business of Wine, and over 15 years’ experience primarily in senior roles looking after key customer accounts in a client relations and marketing management capacity, Jade too has successfully started up her own consulting firm assisting clients across the globe with various projects needing broad platform exposure. Operationally strong with business planning, she works behind the scenes to assist with various collateral and business planning to help Rural Prosperity Partners run optimally.
Resource
Development
Advisor
Development
Advisor
Mindi Gandara is a native Texan with long-time connections to the Pacific Northwest and Hawai'i. She is a consulting grant writer and program designer. Her work focuses on increasing access to resources in diverse communities and fairer practices of wealth redistribution. Currently splitting her time between Honolulu and Portland, Mindi can be found making ceramics in the Oregon coastal mountains or swimming to the windsock at Kaimana Beach.
CFO
Advisor
Advisor
Vega Tom brings 18 years of accounting, finance, and strategic leadership experience. Vega is a Partner at CFO Selections, a finance consulting firm specializing in fractional CFO services and strategic financial projects. Vega provides internal support to RPP, as well as to our clients.
