Staff
Sarah Blattler, Operations & Membership Manager | sarah.blattler@oraap.org
"Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one."
~ Dr. Seuss, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.
Sarah coordinates American Academy of Pediatrics state chapter membership and operations. She enjoys networking with members, partners, and vendors who share the OPS mission to promote the optimal health and development of children and youth.
Sarah's background in operations and practice management was strengthened by seventeen years as the owner-operator of a medical massage clinic, and five years as the Marketing Director and Program Manager at a busy Portland physical therapy clinic. She graduated from Whitman College with a degree in Biology. This liberal arts and science education gave Sarah a deep appreciation for creative and critical thinking, and a commitment to lifelong learning.
Jen Rountree, Project Manager | jen.rountree@oraap.org
“Once there was a little bunny who wanted to run away. So he said to his mother, "I am running away". "If you run away", said his mother, "I will run after you. For you are my little bunny.”
~ Margaret Wise Brown, The Runaway Bunny
Jen coordinates the OPS START program in addition to other OPS projects aimed at increasing the capacity of pediatric primary care and improving health outcomes for children and adolescents.
Jen studied cultural anthropology at the University of New Mexico before graduate studies focusing on community health through the lens of psychology. From 2010 to 2016, Jen served in research, project management, and fundraising capacities at the National Indian Child Welfare Association. She worked on several federal and foundation funded research projects, including a public education campaign to prevent tobacco use, cultural programs to prevent delinquency, and policy research for American Indian and Alaska Native children and adolescents. Jen has published several peer-reviewed articles on strength-based health and well-being indicators, and community development for Indigenous communities. She is coauthor of a text on global structural violence.
While every child may not enter the world with the same resources and supports, Jen believes it is our responsibility as a community—particularly as health advocates and practitioners—to ensure that all children receive the treatment and services that will help them become healthy and happy adults.
Jen grew up in Southern California and practically lived in the swimming pool. Although not evident in this photo, her hair was often bright green from the chlorine.
Candace Grimm, Project Coordinator | candace.grimm@oraap.org
“I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
as long as I’m living
my baby you’ll be.”
-Robert Munsch, Love You Forever
Candace facilitates the START Program for the Oregon Pediatric Society. She graduated from Portland State University with her degree in Community Health Education and looks forward to expanding statewide community engagement surrounding child and adolescent health.
Prior to OPS, Candace interned for the MIKE Program, a youth-oriented health education program, and volunteered extensively for Be The Match/The National Marrow Donor Program. While living in Germany, she also volunteered with the Global Aid Network (GAiN).
Candace believes that by educating and informing communities of health resources, we can empower them to make lasting healthy choices. Through her work as a youth health mentor, she has seen firsthand the profound effect early intervention has on children and adolescents.
The quote from Robert Munsch’s Love You Forever is especially meaningful to Candace because her mother read the book to her as a child. When she left for college, Candace’s mother snuck a copy with a note into her suitcase. To this day it’s one of her most cherished possessions.
Julie Scholz, Executive Director | julie.scholz@oraap.org
“Now listen, and I’ll tell you something: the day may come when the lions get sick. And if you don’t help the other animals now, the lions may find themselves left all alone when they are in trouble. That often happens to proud people.”
~ Hugh Lofting, The Story of Doctor Dolittle, 1920
Julie brings to OPS professional work experience in nonprofit management; health research and promotion; marketing and public affairs; international video production; and children, youth and adult experiential learning, mentoring, and psychosocial trainings. She attended Lewis & Clark College and U.C. Berkeley for undergraduate studies and went to graduate school when she returned to Portland.
Julie’s goal is for people of all ages and backgrounds to make healthy, informed, and effective decisions by accessing internal and external sources of support. She advocates for positive attachments and resiliency in children to build strong human foundations, and she knows it is possible to overcome adverse childhood experiences. Her professional toolbox includes relationship building and collaboration, training and coaching, strategic planning and communication, enthusiasm, stories, and the power of the imagination.
Julie wishes she remembered what made her child-self smile in delight. The ice-cream truck? Her grandmother’s arrival? Or perhaps she was imitating Jerry Lewis!
