Treasurer

Mar Chavez is a financial analyst who has a passion for health equity and justice. Mar’s expertise is in finance and analysis and she enjoys creating stories through data visualizations and interactive dashboards.

Originally from the Central Coast of California, Mar comes from a working-class Chicanx family and was the first in her family to graduate high school and pursue a higher education. Mar earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science and a Master’s degree in Finance, both from Portland State University. In addition to her experience as a financial analyst, Mar has worked many years in front-line healthcare positions including reproductive and sexual health and with elders with special needs.

Mar has lived in Portland, OR, for the last 13 years. In her downtime, Mar enjoys hanging out with her wife and two chihuahua mutts. She also loves to play guitar and ride bikes.

Chair

Shadiin Garcia is Chicana and Laguna Pueblo from New Mexico and has lived in Oregon for 16 years. She has worked for over 20 years as a teacher, as a public school administrator, researcher, a policy analyst, Indigenous education leader, and as a consultant. She has a Bachelor's Degree from Yale University in English with a specialization in education; a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership and a PhD in Critical and Sociocultural Studies in Education from the University of Oregon. She is currently an Executive Vice President at the Metropolitan Group.

Vice Chair Position 1

Brook Shelley lives in Oakland, CA with her cat Snorri, and works for Slack. Her writing has appeared in Queer Quarrels, The Toast, Lean Out, Transfigure, and the Oregon Journal of the Humanities. She speaks regularly on queer and trans issues, and is also on the board of Basic Rights Oregon.

Luhui Whitebear (Coastal Chumash) is an Assistant Professor for the School of Language, Culture, & Society at Oregon State University (OSU) and serves as the Center Director of the Kaku-Ixt Mana Ina Haws on campus. She received her PhD in Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies with a graduate minor in Queer Studies from OSU. Prior to starting her role with the Cultural Resource Centers at OSU in 2013, Luhui served ten years as the College Advising & Scholarship Coordinator for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Corvallis School Board, Region 4 Director of the Oregon School Board Member of Color Caucus, and a board member for MMIW USA. Dr. Whitebear is a mother, poet, and activist that is passionate about disrupting systems of oppression and creating positive change in society.

Executive Director

As a former athlete and business owner, Libra champions elite personal behavior. She uses her education and elite athletic experiences to cultivate effective goal-setting that is manageable and sustainable. In addition, over 25 years of corporate, social justice and orator experiences enable her to relate to multiple levels of communities, professionals, and people. Libra is currently the Executive Director for the Women’s Foundation of Oregon, a philanthropist non-profit organization that focuses on gender justice. She is also the chair of the North Clackamas School board and the first person of color to run for Clackamas County Commissioner. Libra recently was the Chief Operating Officer for the second largest minority social service non-profit agency in Oregon, is the founder of the largest hybrid charter school in Hawaii, and has been honored with social justice, equity and world championship speaking awards.

Interim Finance Director

Deborah Steinkopf is an experienced nonprofit professional with 30+ years working for social change in both salaried and consulting capacities. Deborah has also served on a variety of nonprofit boards, government advisory committees, and coalitions. She served as a topic advisor for the development of the Count Her In report in 2016. Deborah has worked for organizations supporting people living with HIV/AIDS, survivors of domestic violence, people experiencing homelessness, and immigrants and refugees. Currently, Deborah provides consulting services to Oregon nonprofits. Her consulting practice includes interim executive staffing, executive coaching, fund development planning, grant strategy, board training, and stakeholder engagement projects. As a collaborative partner, Deborah helps build organizational capacity, scale programs, assemble effective staff teams, and secure public and private funds to support the work. She is a member of Grant Professionals Association, Nonprofit Association of Oregon, and Willamette Valley Professionals Association and occasionally is a guest lecturer on government funding for Portland State University’s Certificate in Fundraising Program.