MRG Foundation welcomes three inspiring leaders!
It is an honor for MRG Foundation to welcome three new members to our Board of Directors. Each person brings a wealth of experience with movement building, incredible skills in organizing and activism, and a commitment to our shared values of liberation and justice.
We believe in being activist-led — our three new Board members have nearly half a century of experience combined from political & issue organizing to family therapy. They all work deep in the community and all have roots outside of the Portland Metro area. We are incredibly honored to welcome them to our MRG Family.
Ricardo Luján-Valerio (he/him) first became involved with MRG Foundation through the Capacity Building Initiative when he was an activist in Southern Oregon. He has been a leader in helping to pass Driver’s License for All and Youth Sentencing Reform. Most recently, he was one of the key architects of the Oregon Worker Relief Fund, a multi-million-dollar disaster relief program for Oregon’s immigrant community. He is currently City of Portland Commissioner Carmen Rubio’s Transition Liaison and Policy Director.
We are excited to have Ricardo on board for his deep connections in Southern Oregon and with the Latinx communities, as well as for his experience in advocacy and policy-making. Read more about Ricardo here.
A former family therapist turned social justice activist, Oblio Stroyman (they/them) works at TransPonder (an MRG grantee) in Eugene, Oregon as their Interim Executive Director and Grants and Training Director. Oblio consults nationwide and gives presentations and trainings on issues of gender diversity. They are the founder of GenderCamp and serve on the organizing committee of the International Gender Odyssey conference.
We are thrilled to welcome Oblio to the board. We look forward to working with them to stay connected with the Eugene community and to strengthen our work in gender justice. Read more about Oblio here.
Esperanza Tervalon-Garrett (she/her and they/them) is CEO of Dancing Hearts Consulting, LLC a progressive consulting firm based out of Southern Oregon. She was the first woman of color to lead a 501(c)(3), (c)(4), and PAC collaborative, civic engagement formation focused on mobilizing progressive voters of color in the United States. She is the Co-Chair of the Funders Committee for Civic Participation and was the Statewide Campaign Manager for the Oregon Hard to Count Census Campaign.
We are delighted to welcome Esperanza to the board as she will bring a wealth of experience in progressive movement-building as well as connections to Southern Oregon. Read more about Esperanza here.
“Each of these leaders brings a deep commitment to building power in Oregon, and we are grateful they have chosen to share their lived and professional experience, time, and energy to help lead MRG Foundation,” said Lizzie Martinez, Board Chair.
We look forward to Ricardo, Oblio, and Esperanza contributing their wisdom to the movement we are all building together for a more just and joyful place for Oregonians.
In Solidarity,
Lizzie Martinez, Board Chair
