Staff
(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) is the Executive Director at Children First for Oregon. Robin is responsible for the strategic direction and growth of the organization. She oversees management of personnel, fiscal policy & budgeting, fund raising, policy and program development, advocacy, legal and fiduciary compliance, public relations, networking and board development.
As a member of Voices for America’s Children’s Health Policy Advisory Team, Robin is directly involved in the organization’s interaction with Oregon’s congressional delegation and has lead CFFO’s efforts in support of SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program) expansion at the federal level. Robin also serves on the Kids Count National Steering Committee for the Annie E. Casey foundation.
Prior to joining Children First, Robin spent over 20 years in the corporate world including 11 years at Fred Meyer. She was executive director of The Fred Meyer Foundation from 1998 – 2001 where she developed and implemented the initial grant making strategies and policies for the foundation. As a long-time community volunteer, Robin has served as president of the parent organization at the elementary and middle school level, chaired a district-wide coalition of parent leaders, served on the board of several local Portland nonprofit agencies and been a reading mentor for The Oregon Children Foundation’s SMART (Start Making A Reader Today) program.
Robin graduated from Ithaca College and pursued graduate studies at San Francisco State University and the State University of California at Los Angeles. A native New Yorker, Robin spent 13 years in California and has been in Oregon for over 18 years and considers it home.
(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), Development Director, is responsible for diversifying, strengthening and expanding Children First’s fundraising efforts. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BA in History and has over 15 years of Development experience. She has raised funds for a variety of nonprofits throughout the Midwest and on the West coast including: Women’s Funding Network, Habitat for Humanity, Sojourner Truth House, St. Andrew Legal Clinic, United Way, Sixteenth Street Community Health Center, and the YMCA. She currently volunteers as the Treasurer on the Board of Directors for the African Women’s Coalition. She has also served as a Board member for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Latino Health Organization as well as a youth mentor and crisis line attendant for several years. When she’s not working or volunteering, you can find Laura outside hiking, running, paddling, skiing, or biking.
(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), Policy Director, is responsible for Children First’s policy agenda, policy publications, and public education. Regan has spent over eight years working in the Oregon Legislature, both as staff and in the lobby. She leads and participates in many coalitions, currently, chairing the Time to Care for Oregon Families and Healthy Kids Learn Better Coalitions. In the past, Regan served as Chair of the Oregon Commission for Women, Board member at Basic Rights Oregon PAC, lead staff for the Oregon Women’s Health and Wellness Alliance, and Steering Committee member of the 2002 Campaign to Raise the Minimum Wage. Her past research and policy experience has focused on health care, human services, domestic violence and labor rights. Regan graduated from Portland State University with a B.S. in Women’s Studies, and minors in Political Science and Art History.
(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), Policy & Outreach Associate, is responsible for implementing the organization’s child welfare policy agenda under the direction of the Policy Director. She will interface with legislators, government administrators, the public and the board of directors and will mobilize them to take action to support Children First’s policy priorities. She will represent CFFO on the Child Welfare Advisory Committee, the recently created Foster Care Safety Team and will continue to coordinate the efforts of our youth-led advocacy group, the Oregon Foster Youth Connection. She is also responsible for coordinating the Kids Count initiative including data collection and reporting.
(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), Communications & Outreach Associate, is responsible for implementing the overall message and strategies that articulate Children First’s mission in efforts to position CFFO as a source of credible and insightful information on children’s issues for the media, policy and opinion makers and the general public . Ariel has a B.A. in Public Health from the Evergreen State College (2007). Before joining the staff of Children First for Oregon, Ariel worked with Oregonians for Health Security as their Communications Coordinator, helping to put a personal face on the health care crisis. Her efforts were part of the large push to pass real health care reform here in Oregon. She is happy to join the team at CFFO to follow through with those efforts. When she’s not working to ensure that children have the resources they need to thrive, Ariel is dancing. She is a dedicated student of tango, contemporary and aerial dance.
