Alejandro was born in Mexico City and moved to the US in 1988. Alejandro has dedicated his professional career to working for social change. After spending several years as a research biologist, he changed career to direct an international human rights and environment campaign for the Sierra Club and eventually graduated from law school. More recently, Alejandro has worked to protect civil liberties and end racial profiling in Portland, and now lobbies the State Legislature to protect and improve the health of all Oregonians. "I have first-hand experience with the struggle that new non-profits, especially those that are working on controversial or non-glamorous issues, have to deal with."

Ordained as a priest in 1955, Gil soon became connected through his church to helping gang-affected youth in New York City. He worked to bring peace and reconciliation to the youth while responding to the larger community issues of justice and racial equality. He continued his service work in Boston, and became increasingly engaged in the civil rights movement, registering black voters in Mississippi as part of Freedom Summer. Soon after his retirement in 1991 he became active in HIV/AIDS organizations.

Liza Lynn is a first generation American, the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants. She moved to Ashland in 1999 to attend Southern Oregon University. There Liza Lynn become involved with the Ecology Center of the Siskiyous, fair trade and anti-globalization organizing, and an alternative media collective. She also worked on forest defense campaigns and organized a women’s action camp. As an archaeologist Liza Lynn worked in solidarity with Native American tribes for cultural heritage preservation through research. She is currently in a graduate program at SOU to become a social studies and ESL teacher.

Shizuko is a first generation American, the daughter of Chinese and Japanese immigrants. She works for the Portland Central America Solidarity Committee. Shizuko is very active in the immigrant rights movement and the Latin American solidarity movement. “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.”

Kayse is a founder and executive director of the Center for Intercultural Organizing (CIO), which builds power in immigrant and refugee communities through education, civic engagement, organizing and intergenerational leadership development. CIO was funded early on by MRG Foundation, so Kayse has firsthand experience of the impact of MRG grants on building the movement. Born into a nomadic family in Somalia, Kayse left when the civil war erupted, and finally found sanctuary in Portland.

Joan has always had a social change attitude. From the Community Alliance of Lane County to Womenspace to the Lesbian Alliance to tutoring Native youth, Joan has amassed decades of experience with social change work. Throughout all her work Joan always uses a feminist anti-oppression model. As a past executive director Joan brings a particular focus on organizational and board development to the grantmaking committee.

Much of Raquel’s social change work has been with young people, particularly youth of color, to address the academic achievement gap. Currently Raquel is the Equity and Human Rights Manager for the City of Eugene. She is also an Masters of Social Work student at Portland State University, facilitates a support group for trauma survivors at the Trauma Healing Center, and teaches in the women in transition program at Lane Community College. All while raising a strong family. “When I became a parent, I recognized that I wanted the world to be a better place for my kids.”