Leadership
Meet the team and funders leading this effort.
Steering Committee
A new regional cultural planning process is underway, guided by 21 community members who represent diverse perspectives from across the region. The committee includes:
TRIESTE ANDREWS
Oregon City Arts Commission
NICOLE BRADIN
Washington County Visitors Association
JULIE BUNKER
Milestone Initiatives
JOE CANTRELL
Artist
GUS CASTANEDA
Aloft Hotel
CORINN DETORRES
Chapel Theatre
JERRY FOSTER
PassinArt
SUBASHINI GANESAN-FORBES
NEW Expressive Works
JOHN GOODWIN
Portland Art Museum
KIMBERLY HOWARD WADE
Caldera
Joaquin Lopez
Creative Laureate of Portland
Jaimie Lorenzini
Happy Valley Policy Analyst
Barbara Mason
Artist
JEREMY OKAI DAVIS
Artist
SUSHMITA PODDAR
Small business owner
SANKAR RAMAN
The Immigrant Story
BARBARA STEINFELD
Consultant
KARIS STOUDAMIRE-PHILLIPS
MERC Commission
TONI TABORA ROBERTS
Consultant
TONISHA TOLER
Collins Foundation
TAMMY JO WILSON
Art in Oregon
Committee members were nominated by officials from participating jurisdictions, including Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties; the cities of Beaverton, Hillsboro and Portland; the Metro regional government; and the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC). They represent diverse backgrounds, races, ethnicities, cultural practices, and ways of knowing (e.g., disability; Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Pacific, Islander and People of Color; LGBTQIA+ identities; and veteran communities). They also represent multiple sectors of the community, including arts, culture, creative economy, education, business, social justice, “unlikely allies,” and others.
Photo | Youth Arts for Change 2022
Nominators sought to bring together a mix of personas, including individuals who lead with empathy, sensitivity, curiosity, and purpose, with a geographic mix of members reflecting all planning areas. Steering Committee members are asked to consider the community’s interests above individual or parochial interests, and have agreed to serve as ambassadors, advocates, and as thought leaders representing the breadth and depth of the metro region.
The Steering Committee will develop a vision for arts and culture and bring recommendations to the Portland City Council and other jurisdictions in the region. They will help identify individuals and groups who can offer fresh ideas and insight to harness emerging opportunities and overcome long-standing challenges. The steering committee will also advise the staff team throughout the planning process, and ultimately co-create the vision, goals, and strategies of the plan, which will be completed in early 2024.
Photo | Lin Lucas, The Right Brain Initiative
Photo | Michelle Bauer, La Strada dei Pastelli Chalk Art Festival, Summer 2022
Consulting Team and Engagement Partners
- David Plettner-Saunders, Cultural Planning Group
- Linda Flynn, Cultural Planning Group
- Marlena Reese McKnight Ed. D., Cultural Planning Group
- Eric Block, Metropolitan Group
- Martin Cohen, Cultural Planning Group
- Nicole Adams, Metropolitan Group
- LaShawn McCarthy Jr., Metropolitan Group
- Kathleen Holt, Holt Strategies
- Michael Alexander, Ret. President & CEO, Urban League of Portland
- Sean Garrison, Metropolitan Group
- Kirsten Gunst, Metropolitan Group
- Ginelle Lazo-Perez, Metropolitan Group
Photo | MYP mural at New Market Theater building on SW Ash by Carlos Chavez
Project Management Team
The consultants’ work is being overseen by a Project Management Team that represents the participating jurisdictions, including Dianne Alves from the Clackamas County Arts Alliance, Laura Becker from the City of Beaverton, Jeff Hawthorne and Stephan Herrera from City of Portland, Michele McCall-Wallace from the City of Hillsboro, Mario Mesquita from the Regional Arts & Culture Council, Raziah Roushan from Tualatin Valley Creates/Washington County, Cristina Nieves from the Office of Multnomah County Commissioner Sharon Meieran, and Robyn Williams from Portland’5 Centers for the Arts/Metro.
Funders
