Board

MRG Foundation's board is made up of people from across the state who work with a wide array of organizations and bring decades of experience to the table. The MRG Board provides legal and fiscal oversight and guides our growth as we increase our impact on Oregon's progressive movement.

Sirius Bonner

Portland

Sirius is the Special Advisor to the President for Equity and Diversity at Clark College in Vancouver, WA. She earned a Bachelors of Arts degree in Art History and a Masters of Arts degree in Liberal Studies from Reed College. Her work for equity inside of institutions of higher learning have given her the perspective that change can also happen by challenging systems of power, privilege and inequity from within institutions.

“I believe this work is multifaceted and addressing intersectionality is critically important. As you untangle these facets of oppression you begin to untangle them all. I am committed to social justice and feel it is my responsibility to be an agent of change.” – Sirius Bonner

Ibrahim Hamide

Eugene

Ibrahim is an activist and restaurateur, well known in his community of Eugene for his long-term work on human rights and justice. Ibrahim came to the U.S. at age 18 to attend college in Eugene. Through his work with past MRG-grantee Eugene Middle East Peace Group, he has helped create dialogue between Israelis, Palestinians, Jews and Muslims. His other community leadership work has included a seat on the Eugene Human Rights Commission, serving on the boards of Lane Interfaith Alliance and Willamette World Affairs Council, and co-founding the Eugene Inter-religious Committee for Peace in the Middle East.

Shizuko Hashimoto

Portland

Shizuko is a first generation American, the daughter of Chinese and Japanese immigrants. She has worked for the Portland Central America Solidarity Committee, and is currently employed by the immigration law firm Immigrant Law Group. About her time as a grantmaker: “I love being on the grantmaking committee. I love the level of discussion and debate. And I love getting to understand the strategies and tactics of amazing social justice grassroots groups throughout Oregon.”

Chris Kahle

Portland

Being raised in the south by parents from Appalachia has given Chris Kahle an understanding of how poverty is an oppressive force in so many peoples’ lives. As a geographer, Chris has researched inequities in park location and investment and how those inequities negatively impact the health and environments of poor communities and communities of color. Chris works at Linfield College in the nursing simulation lab and has served on MRG’s Justice within Reach committee since 2009 and is currently a member of MRG's Development Planning Group.

Andrea Miller

Portland

Andrea was born in Eugene, raised in Salem, and currently lives in Portland. A longtime MRG supporter and volunteer, she currently works at the Bus Project, a youth-led organization that engages Oregon’s millennial generation in democracy. Andrea is also the co-chair of MRG’s grantmaking committee. Previously, Andrea was Associate Director at Causa, Oregon’s Latino immigrant rights organization.

Cassandra Villanueva

Gresham

Cassandra Villanueva has been working in community-based organizing, advocacy, and policy analysis within local, state, and national capacities since the mid-1990s. Her expertise spans interrelated social change and policy issues including criminal and juvenile justice, immigration, labor, education, civil rights, and economic mobility. Since 1997, she has been connected to the McKenzie River Gathering Foundation community via a number of our grantees (serving as both volunteer and staff), and is a former MRG Grantmaker (2005).