"Patrick Gilliland was born and raised in Oregon, but escaped to spend most of the 1980's in the USMC. He came back to Oregon in 1989 to go to college and hasn't been able to make another escape. He received his Bachelors Degree in Secondary Education from Western Oregon and his Masters Degree in Counseling from Oregon State (Go Beavs!!). A former Social Studies Teacher, he was hired in 1996 by Salem/Keizer schools to develop the districts Diversion Program and has spent the years since as a teacher, counselor, and intervention specialist."