n. janine gates
N. Janine Gates' life mission is to serve, protect, and advocate for and with our most vulnerable siblings! Advocacy is not new to Janine. She started advocating for others as a child on the playground. Her family instilled in her community service, love thy neighbor, and live life to the fullest. Janine is a mindset coach for women of faith who are breaking generational curses. She understands firsthand the struggles of escaping poverty, failed systems, and lacking self-confidence. Her goal is to educate and coach young girls and women to unapologetically thrive. Janine is the Housing and Economic Engagement Program Manager for the City of Milwaukie. Previous experiences include working for elected officials in Oregon, with local non-profits, and ensuring foster children’s needs are met. She has a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Portland State University and Bachelor of Political Science from Spelman College. In her free time, Janine enjoys being a dog mommy, volunteering with her Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Sisters, playing with her niblings, and baking cookies for family and friends.
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aleah myers
Aleah is an environmental educator and currently works on virtual communication and sustainability through her business Happily Ever Exploring. Her background includes community outreach, communications, and high school science teaching in Washington, DC. Aleah has spent time in Ghana, China, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic teaching and learning about education and sustainable development. Aleah earned a B.S. in biology from Elizabethtown College and has a Master's Degree in Education from Johns Hopkins University.
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shaya gregory poku
Shaya is Vice President for Equity & Social Justice at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. Her professional experience spans the faith-based, non-profit, and higher education sectors all with the aim of undermining the scourge of inequality. Before working in higher education, Shaya worked on international development projects in conflict-affected countries throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. It is work she is still deeply invested in. Poku holds three interdisciplinary degrees. They are a master of arts degree in intercultural relations with a concentration in intercultural conflict management from Lesley University, a master of science in security and resilience studies at Northeastern University, and a bachelor of arts degree in international relations from Agnes Scott College. She is a proud wife, mom of two, and native of California committed to the work of restoration, actualization, and empowerment.
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gilbert ruiz
Gil is a Legislative Director with Kirsten Gillibrand, United States Senator for New York. He has worked on public health, environmental, and security policies. Gilbert grew up in California and Las Vegas, and graduated from Baylor University with a degree in Medical Humanities. He enjoys soccer, spending time with his family, and living in Washington, DC.
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j. andrew shelley
J. Andrew Shelley specializes in startup organizations. Over the years he has contributed significantly to the growth of organizations in the mobile technology, insurance, and human and health services fields. His primary expertise has been in product management, meshing the needs of future customers with emerging technology. Multiple companies in which he has held early senior leadership positions have grown rapidly and been acquired. Recognizing that acquisitions and liquidity events have both good and bad consequences for the people being served by an organization, he has recently focused on better understanding the mindsets needed for sustainable, healthy growth. He is writing on these topics and contributing to emerging organizations that embrace learning about sustaining concepts.
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kara vanderkamp
Kara is the founder and Executive Director of Remember Niger, a non-profit organization that supports a wide variety of education efforts in Niger. She started Remember Niger after working for the Presbyterian Church in Niger and Kenya. Kara began her career as a primary school teacher in Chicago. Kara enjoys traveling, especially in Niger.
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work with us
We are currently seeking members for our Advisory Board. As a small organization, Advisory Board members' assistance with fundraising and helping grow our community in very important and valuable. Learn more about the roles and responsibilities here.
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