Meet the ‘25-26 PTA Board
PTA Board members are nominated and elected every June before the end of the school year.
Katie Ulrich
Co-President
Hi, I’m Katie, and I've been a Rieke parent since the Fall of 2020 (what a time to start!). This Fall, I will be mom to three Rieke Rockets- Everett in fifth grade, Arden in 3rd grade, and Quinn in Kindergarten! I am excited to serve on the PTA to support Rieke’s amazing students, teachers, staff and community.
Caitlin Motley
Co-President
Jo McLendon
Vice President
Hi there! I'm Jo McLendon (they/them) - a lifelong learner, educator, and DEI advocate, currently teaching at Portland Community College. After almost dropping out of high school, I went back into education to help build systems where a wider variety of students could thrive. My partner and I have one child, Ro (no pronouns), who is a 2nd grader in the 25/26 academic year.
Liz Mesberg
Secretary
Hi, I'm Liz! This will be my 7th year as a Rieke parent. I have a 3rdd grader, Erik and a middle schooler. We have had so many wonderful teachers at Rieke and made some amazing connections. I am excited to give back to the school that has given our family a great elementary school experience.
Brennan Gantner
Treasurer
I’m Brennan Gantner, father of fifth grader Everett and second grader Calvin. We have been in the neighborhood for nine years now and love it! Happy to be a part of the Rieke community.
Kate Shaw
Hello! I'm Kate, parent to first grader Thea and a very excited future Rieke student Grace. We moved to Portland in 2017 and have felt so embraced by our community. I'm excited to focus on fundraising to support our kiddos, teachers and community building activities. Always open to new ideas, so please reach out!
Phoebe Poehner
Communications
Hi! I’m Phoebe and I am the mother of a 5th grader. We have been a part of the Rieke community since her first grade year. I really enjoy the close knit community Rieke has, being a smaller neighborhood school. Over the few years I’ve enjoyed getting more connected with the school and families, and like that I am able to give some of my time to be of service to the school, helping busy parents stay informed across different platforms.
Joe Gawron
PTA Emotional Support Human, Fixer of Things