The new chairman of the Catholic Charities of Oregon board of directors is a native Oregonian who has served quietly but actively for decades in philanthropic roles.
Jeffrey K. Yandle’s baptismal announcement appeared in 1958 in the Catholic Sentinel because he was born on the last day of 1957. The baptism took place at Ascension Catholic Church in Southeast Portland, then the family moved to Beaverton and became stalwarts at Holy Trinity Parish, where Jeff attended grade school and developed a sense of doing good in the world. His father Ken had helped found and run KGW-TV, and his mother Maribeth was an avid community volunteer.
After attending Sunset High School, he earned a degree at the University of Portland in 1981 and did post-graduate study at Moreau Seminary at the University of Notre Dame.
Jeff began a career in wealth management in 1984 and is now Senior Managing Director and Regional Manager at J.P. Morgan Wealth Management/First Republic. He has been named multiple times by both Forbes and Barron’s as one of Oregon’s best wealth advisors.
In addition to his role with Catholic Charities, Jeff serves on the board of Candlelighters for Children with Cancer and on the Investment Committee for the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon.
In the past, he served on the Maybelle Center for Community board, including as chair during construction of a low-income apartment building adjacent to the center. Other past board affiliations include Habitat for Humanity, Metropolitan Family Services, LaSalle High School Foundation, and the Abbey Foundation of Oregon where he served as president and chair of the investment committee.
Jeff knows that helping society often requires a change in thinking. He once hosted a downtown lecture on Pope Francis’ encyclical, “The Joy of the Gospel” in conjunction with the University of Portland’s Garaventa Center.
Jeff and his wife, Dr. Molly Moran-Yandle, have been married for 40 years. Their daughter, Lucy, has been a popular music teacher at local Catholic schools and now is a mother of four children ages 7, 4, and 2 (twins) meaning both Jeff and Molly are proud (and busy) grandparents. Their son Kevin is a chef in Los Angeles at the acclaimed restaurant Meteora.