CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2026 DSA HONOREE!
Congratulations to Katherine E. Saitas!
Kathy Saitas is the Senior Complex Gifts Officer for Oregon Community Foundation. She built and led Reed College’s first dedicated gift planning program over two decades, advancing through successive leadership roles to become Advancement Counsel and Senior Director of Gift Planning. Under her direction, the program consistently led the college’s fundraising efforts. Kathy also served as legal advisor to Reed’s Advancement team on matters ranging from estate administration to charitable tax law. She has mentored generations of planned and major gift officers and is especially proud of Reed proteges who have gone on to lead programs across the nonprofit sector.
Before joining Reed, Kathy practiced law at Tonkon Torp LLP, focusing on charitable and estate planning for high-net-worth individuals and nonprofit organizations. She holds a J.D., cum laude, from Duke University School of Law, where she received the Faculty Award for Outstanding Achievement in Family/Trust and Estate Law, and a B.A. in Sociology from Smith College. She is currently completing a Masters in Arts and Liberal Studies at Reed.
A frequent speaker at regional gift planning conferences, Kathy has served on the Executive Committee of the Northwest Planned Giving Roundtable and chaired its 2008 conference. She currently serves on the board of Chamber Music Northwest, is a member of the James Beard Public Market Kitchen Cabinet, and spent nearly a decade coaching the Constitutional Law team at Cleveland High School.
When not fully immersed in professional and community engagements, Kathy can be found traveling with her husband, Will, or on long walks with her puppy, Effie.
NWPGRT is proud to recognize Kathy for her ongoing achievements in her profession and her dedication to charitable planning, the nonprofit community, and estate and trust planning. She was honored at the NWPGRT Conference luncheon on September 24, 2026, at the Sentinel Hotel in Portland, Oregon.
About the Distinguished Service Award
Northwest Planned Giving Roundtable has a rich history of serving Oregon and Southwest Washington as the professional resource for the planned giving community. This mission has been profoundly impacted by many who have inspired and exemplified excellence in the profession. The Distinguished Service Award was established in 2008 to recognize those exceptional individuals for their commitment and dedication to that effort.
Qualities of award recipients include but are not limited to:
- Demonstrated quality leadership in planned giving
- Longevity in planned giving (minimum of 5 years)
- Diversity of public service
- Service to the planned giving profession through writing, teaching, mentoring and training
- Integrity, including an interest in introducing solutions that are beneficial to both the donor and charitable organization
- A technical understanding of planned giving
Past Award Recipients
2025 – Rebecca Bibleheimer
2023 – Jeffrey C. Thede
2022 – Wes Milligan
2019 – Michael Macnab
2018 – Marcia Director
2017 – Sharon Kloss Hogan
2016 – Ann Barden
2015 – Pete Sommerfeld
2014 – Gene Christian
2013 – Gerald Westersund
2012 – Robert Depew
2011 – Jerry Tucker
2010 – Barbara Stallcup Miller
2009 – Lon Dufek
2008 – Al Zimmerman