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.
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 nine years working in the Oregon Legislature, both as staff and in the lobby. She leads and participates in many coalitions, currently chairing the Healthy Kids Steering Committee and Save ERDC 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), Communications Director, is responsible for both traditional graphic and layout design of Children First’s publications and data products as well as some application development. Proficient in HTML, CSS, MySQL, PHP and JavaScript, Matt feels that these technologies are always just tools in service of better communication. Matt got his professional start in the field of design and online interaction while employed at the Working Class Acupuncture Clinic in Portland. As a healthcare practitioner and designer for all publications, both traditional and new media, he was able to further the clinic’s basic social justice mission. After four years of playing these dual roles, he decided to give his technological role top billing. Matt received his undergraduate degree in Religious Studies from Indiana University, and his MAOM (Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) degree from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine.
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), Child Welfare Policy Manager & Oregon Foster Youth Connection Program Director, is responsible for implementing the organization’s Fostering Success initiative, under the direction of the Policy Director. She aged out of Oregon’s foster care system at 18, and went on to graduate Cum Laude from the University of Oregon with a BA in Spanish and has been an advocate for child welfare reform for nearly 10 years. She represents Children First on the Child Welfare Advisory Committee (including the Future Issues Workgroup, and Chairing the Safety in Foster Care Subcommittee). Pamela founded and acts as Program Director for the Oregon Foster Youth Connection, a program of Children First that brings together current and former foster youth to improve the system through advocacy, activism, and leadership. She also volunteers as a Board member for Bridge Meadows, an inter-generational community for adoptive families and elders, and as a Steering Committee member for A Home Within, a network of volunteer mental health practitioners committed to providing emotional support to current and former foster youth. In the past, Pamela volunteered as a Board member for the Coalition of Advocates for Equal Access for Girls and has been a spokesperson for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). In her spare time she enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, traveling, and wondering the aisles of Powell’s for the next great story.
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), Development Associate, works under the Development Director and is responsible for coordinating Children First’s Women for Change Network, planning Children First’s events and writing grant reports and proposals. She also provides assistance to the Executive Director, including ongoing communication with the Board of Directors, and coordinates day-to-day operations for the entire staff. With over four years of experience in development and donor relations, Deb is also the nicest person in the office, and can be relied upon to provide encouragement, sympathy and a great recipe for home-made marshmallows. Deb received her undergraduate degree in History from Reed College. When not at Children First, Deb can be found reading, crafting, and contemplating gender studies and the local food economy.
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), Policy Associate, works under the Policy Director to advance Children First’s policy agenda and provide public education in the areas of health care and children and family services. She brings both legislative and advocacy experience to the role, having worked for both the Oregon Legislative Assembly and the education policy nonprofit, Chalkboard Project, prior to joining Children First. When not working, Stacy can be found enjoying Portland’s various eateries and bookstores as well as the local film community. Stacy is a native Oregonian and has a BA in Politics from Willamette University.
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), Communications & Office Coordinator, earned her Master’s degree in journalism at the University of Oregon and her work has appeared in Ms. magazine, Portland Monthly magazine, and Eugene Weekly among other titles.
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), Oregon Foster Youth Connection Program Coordinator, works under the direction of the Oregon Foster Youth Connection Program Director to support the extremely important work of the Oregon Foster Youth Connection.
