The MRG Foundation is pleased to announce that Violeta Rubiani has been hired to serve as Grants Program Director effective February 25, 2019.

Ms. Rubiani will be staff lead for MRG’s grant-making program. “Throughout our hiring process Violeta’s experience, skills and passion for the advancement of justice resonated deeply with staff and board alike,” said Se-ah-dom Edmo, MRG’s executive director. “Over her 14 years of professional experience across the state and internationally, she has worked toward systemic change in ways that are measurable, effective and, most importantly, meaningful for the communities she has served; we are honored to have her leadership for this important work.”

In her position Ms. Rubiani will oversee the development, implementation, and evaluation of all MRG’s activist-led grantmaking programs and will serve as a bridge between the grassroots social and racial justice organizations and philanthropic communities throughout Oregon. Since its founding in 1976, MRG has provided over $17 million in grants to more than 1,400 groups engaged in community organizing and building power to advance justice.

Born and raised in Paraguay and an Oregonian since 2000, Violeta has dedicated her professional career to improving access to opportunities, services and programs for all Oregonians. She has worked for Northwest Workers’ Justice Project, Hacienda CDC, Oregon Workers’ Compensation Division, and the Nonprofit Association of Oregon. After graduate school, she spent a year in Paraguay, helping launch a B-Corp dedicated to incubating, connecting, and educating small- and medium-sized social enterprises. She comes to MRG from Meyer Memorial Trust, where she worked as a Program Associate with the Building Community Portfolio.  She currently serves as Board Chair of the ReBuilding Center and is a member of the Metro Parks & Nature Equity Advisory Committee. Read more about Ms. Rubiani here.