Our Staff

Ann Hawley

Volunteer Supervisor

I’ve had a special place in my heart for Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch for over 20 years. My husband Greg and I met Kim and Troy in the early 90’s, and we’ve cherished their sweet friendship over the years. We’ve continued to pray for the Lord’s leading on their lives and, although we moved to Portland years ago, our bond has remained strong.

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Ben Donald

Personal Assistant to CEO

Growing up on a dairy farm in Woodland, WA, I clocked many hours on a tractor. It was during one of these drives in 2004 when I first heard Kim on Dr. Dobson’s radio program. Something in the stories that Kim told resonated with my heart. It was not until about 10 years later, when I met and married my wife, that I crossed paths with the ranch again.

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Brenna Gomez

Volunteer Foreman

Jesus has been long term planning for me to join the CPYR team, without my knowing. I first learned about Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch from my mother-in-law, Deirdre Gomez. She gifted me one of Kim Meeder’s books (Encountering Our Wild God) and I was captivated. I attended a women’s conference to hear Kim speak, read all of her other books and listened to each one of her podcasts I could find. God had planted a seed and was tenderly watering it, creating the perfect timing for me to join the ranch.

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Bryson Voth

Facilities Coordinator

My wife, Janine, and I lived in central Kansas for all of our lives. I worked at the same aircraft company for about 30 years, and both of us were content and comfortable with where we were. We assumed that retirement and living out the rest of our lives would be done in that small, quaint Midwest town. However, when God wants you to move, He puts a burr under your saddle.

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Cathy Chambers

Gardens & Grounds Assistant

Hello beautiful people! I discovered Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in quite a roundabout way. A friend Jody, had given my good friend, Jacke, the book Hope Rising after Jacke had experienced a horrific tragedy in her family.

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Deirdre Gomez

Equine Coordinator
Session Instructor

I first heard of CPYR about fifteen years ago. Kim Meeder was the guest speaker at a women’s conference at our church. I loved her first book, Hope Rising, and subsequently started visiting the Ranch. In 2015, my husband, daughter, and I moved back to Bend after raising our four children in Portland, OR.

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Ellen McBride

Finance Controller

The thing I love most about the ranch is that it is for people of all ages. From the very young to the retirees, there is a place for each to participate and volunteer. I have seen God bring his children to a place where it is safe and where they can come and be loved by staff without judgment. Living in Central Oregon brings a greater depth of experience with God every day.

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Judy Jeffery

Assistant to CCO/Gardens Coordinator

I’m no stranger to the wounding arrows of the Enemy. Nor have I been spared from being lured by his awful lies. Falling victim to these lies and wounds, I once lived a secret life bound in a self-made prison. Finally, the truth of Galatians 5:1 broke through the deception, “It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

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Leah Meier

Facilities Assistant
Session Instructor

In January 2019 I was approached by a friend who, knowing of my love for horses, handed me a piece of paper with the Crystal Peaks logo on it and a brief synopsis of why the ranch started and what it does. I remember thinking ‘well that’s kinda cool’ and then putting it in the back of my mind.

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Lorissa Ziemer

Refuge Coordinator
Session Instructor

The story of how I ended up at the Ranch has the hand of God all over it. I heard about the Ranch just after I graduated college. Looking back now, that seemed very odd because, as a kid, I was horse-crazy and obsessed with every book that had a horse on the cover.

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Meet Our Staff