Though her primary profession is acting as the owner of WillaKenzie Estate, a winery in Yamhill, Ronni LaCroute has been a passionate and impactful supporter of the arts programs at Linfield for the past several years.

LaCroute’s influence has gone as far as to coin the LaCroute Annual Art Series, a display of various visual arts that connect to social change and address issues such as diversity and multicultural appreciation.

This art series is somewhat of an embodiment of LaCroute’s thoughts and feelings toward art. “Art in itself is aesthetically beautiful, but art with a real meaning attached to it – that’s what touches the heart and engages the mind,” she said.

LaCroute is also a member of the Linfield Board of Trustees.

She brings an innovative outlook, and encourages all different types and forms of art taught at Linfield.

Despite the fact that she has been involved in over 125 non-profits in the past year, and spends three to four days in Portland per week, it is rare that she ever misses the opportunity to see a performance or art display put on at Linfield.

Her dedication to the school, its programs, and its students is felt both by students and staff members.

“Ronni has brought so much to Linfield with her support of theatre, music and art in addition to the wine archives” said Susan Barnes Whyte. “Plus she’s terrifically bright and fun to speak with. She’s such an engaged person in her own life and brings this energy to her work with the Linfield community.”

LaCroute has a colorful past, from attending a boarding school in Geneva, Switzerland in her youth, to eventually moving to Oregon to pursue a longtime dream of owning a winery. Between the two has been a whirlwind of homes and passions and occupations.

She attended Cornell University until her junior year of college, at which point she transferred to a university in Paris with an intended double major in International Relations and French. She then attended the University of Michigan for grad school.

Since then, she has taught both French and Spanish at a high academic level in several places, which she admits could be one of the reasons that she enjoys being involved at Linfield.

She is very passionate about teaching and misses being involved with students, and here she can do that while fulfilling her dreams of owning a winery.

“In addition to running WillaKenzie, she plays a huge philanthropic role in the theater and arts community at Linfield and in Portland,” said Linfield archivist Rachael Woody. “It’s no wonder she was Oregon Wine Press’ person of the year in 2011, which honors people who make significant community contributions.”

Woody also made comments about LaCroute’s generous donations of time and energy, apart from just the financial support she provides.

LaCroute says that, “All students should have access to the arts, it is an experience that no one should live without.”

Many theatres in Portland have asked her to get involved with their programs or at least give them her opinions, particularly on social equity projects.

Some of her expertise in the area comes from having attended lots of world class theatre when she was living in Europe with her family.

LaCroute has also been involved in a youth orchestra in an economically poor area of Portland, and she reports seeing the program “change [the student’s] lives through passion”.

LaCroute has made herself very well known and respected in several areas of society, her impact has been felt and appreciated by many.

Despite being spread so thin, she still manages to prioritize Linfield and shows unwavering support for its programs.