Welcoming Our New Executive Director
Mike Deal has stepped into his role as the first hired Executive Director of Sisters Transportation and Ride Share (STARS), marking a new chapter for the community nonprofit that provides free, door-to-door rides to non-emergency medical appointments.
Deal's appointment builds on seven years of volunteer leadership and is an investment in keeping STARS reliable and successful for years to come.
Photo provided
Mike Deal.
Deal succeeds Rennie Morrell, who helped build STARS and served as its program manager under Age Friendly Sisters Country. When STARS became an independent nonprofit in July 2024, Morrell became its volunteer executive director. Her leadership helped establish the service and guide its growth and the transition to new leadership builds on that foundation. "This is a needed and welcomed transition for STARS and I cannot believe our good fortune to have Mike to lead us into the future," said Morrell, who will continue serving STARS on its board of directors.
STARS began organizing in September 2019 and provided its first ride in March 2020, just as COVID-19 disrupted everyday life. Volunteers adopted health protocols that kept the service growing through the pandemic. At the end of September 2026, STARS had completed 3,518 round-trip rides and driven 154,119 miles. Today, volunteers contribute more than 8,000 hours annually to help neighbors access healthcare.
Drivers, dispatchers, and other volunteers help neighbors reach care while supporting independence and providing access to important medical care. They provide connection to the community and proudly perpetuate a sense of belonging. They have always been and will always be the backbone of STARS.
In announcing Deal's hiring, the organization noted that, "STARS is not just a ride service here in Sisters, it is our ride service built by our community, for our community. The volunteers that created STARS are extraordinary community leaders who have received statewide recognition for the model organization and are frequently consulted for help and advice by other communities."
Co-founder and Operations Director Tom Gonsiewski has been with STARS since the beginning and believes Deal's inter-generational outreach is important to making STARS sustainable for the long run. STARS Board of Directors led by Christy Corzine is confident Deal will bring a new era of professionalism and success to a worthy cause.
Deal brings experience in organizational leadership, strategic planning, financial oversight, and community partnerships. He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and previously served as deputy district ranger for the U.S. Forest Service's Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District, helping lead a 160-person workforce in a district that works with more than 100 community partners and volunteer groups. His career also includes strategy and operations consulting at Deloitte and co-founding two ventures: Common Ground Advisers, a veteran affairs consultancy, and Human Layer Collaborative, a startup focused on strengthening the human capacity inside organizations.
His connection to Sisters Country is personal as well as professional. Since moving to Central Oregon in 2021, Deal has served on the board of the Sisters Community Leadership Initiative and volunteered on the ground with forest cleanups. He has also helped build homes with Sisters Habitat for Humanity. With aging parents of his own, Deal sees a unique opportunity to keep serving locally by helping older neighbors reach the care they need to remain connected and independent.
"STARS connects two things I care about deeply: service and the Central Oregon community my family has chosen as home. I'm looking forward to working with a team that has driven and guided STARS' growth over the past seven years, and I'm honored to join them in continuing it," said Deal.
The organization stated that, "STARS feels fortunate to welcome Deal, whose approach emphasizes listening, supporting volunteers, and building practical systems that help organizations thrive. Working with the board and volunteer team, he will strengthen community partnerships, support fundraising, and guide long-term planning. He is eager to get to know community leaders and learn how STARS can work alongside them to help neighbors reach essential care.
"Volunteers and community support remain at the heart of STARS. This new chapter adds dedicated leadership to sustain the service they have built together."
