OCPP Board of Directors
Current Directors
Angie Garcia, President. Angie Garcia is a native Oregonian and proud granddaughter of migrant workers from Fabens Texas. A graduate from Portland State University, 1995 Bachelor of Arts and 1997 Masters of Social Work. She has worked in the field of Domestic Violence working at a host of non-profit organizations, Programa Hispano and Lifeworks NW. She has had the honor of working with an array of vulnerable populations, children, domestic violence survivors, the aging, and those in recovery. She has also worked for Multnomah County managing Child Abuse Prevention contracts, the State of Oregon as a permancy worker and since 2004 has been the owner and director of Escuela Viva, a bilingual Early Childhood program in Portland Oregon.
Jes Larson, Vice-President. Jes Larson works for Washington County Department of Housing Services where she leads the team implementing the voter approved measure to end chronic homelessness in the region. For the past 20 years, she has been working to ensure a stable and affordable home for everyone in our region. Previously, Jes spent a decade as a case manager helping seniors and people with mental health conditions move from homelessness into housing stability. Later she helped to build and direct the Welcome Home Coalition, a grassroots movement that led successful campaigns to secure new funding for affordable homes, and then built regional housing policy programs at Metro. In addition to affordable housing, Jes likes cats, marching bands, and a fried egg on everything.
Mark Brenner, Secretary. Mark Brenner is an economist and the co-director of the Labor Education and Research Center (LERC) at the University of Oregon, which is dedicated to strengthening worker organizations and raising living standards for working Oregonians. At LERC, he both studies and teaches leadership development, strategic research, and organizing. Brenner is also well known for his decade-long tenure directing Labor Notes, a Detroit-based non-profit dedicated to “putting the movement back in the labor movement.”, where he co-authored several books and hundreds of news articles. He has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California Riverside.
Karen Jacobson, Treasurer. Karen Jacobson is a CPA/CFP® member of the accounting firm of Ivey, Jacobson & Company LLC, emphasizing service to Oregon small businesses and their owners. She has a long history of board service for non-profits, has administered political campaigns, and is a founding member of Willamette Women Democrats.
Phil Barnhart. Phil Barnhart served in the Oregon House of Representatives from 2001 to 2018, representing House District 11, encompassing much of central Lane and Linn Counties. Phil chaired the House Revenue Committee and the Joint Tax Credit Committee during much of his time in office. He is a graduate of South Eugene High School, the University of Oregon (where he got his B.A. and law degree), and the California School of Professional Psychology (where he obtained a PhD in psychology). Phil is both a former practicing attorney and psychologist.
Iden Campbell. Iden Campbell has worked extensively as a professional activist and advocate. First working for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, he now focuses on suicide prevention in mental health activism. Campbell McCollum is a certified psychiatric rehabilitation practitioner (CPRP) and qualified mental health associate (QMHA-R). Iden has served as an advisor to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and to the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, and as a consultant for Advocates for Human Behavior. Iden is the Policy and Research Justice Manager at the CCHC/Coalition of Community Health Clinics.
Grace Charles. Grace Charles, CPA is a manager at McDonald Jacobs, a Portland based accounting firm that specializes in nonprofit accounting. She has been in public accounting since 2016 and has expertise working with various non-profits, including community organizations, member associations, and foundations.
Bruce Goldberg. Bruce Goldberg is a Professor at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health and a nationally recognized consultant on health policy and the organization and delivery of health services. Bruce served two Oregon Governors, as the Director of the Oregon Office for Health Policy, Director of the Oregon Department of Human Services and then was the founding Director of the Oregon Health Authority. In that role, Bruce led Oregon's nationally recognized health reforms transforming Oregon’s Medicaid system to one based on a model of coordinated care. His other experiences span time as an administrator of large complex organizations, a practicing clinician, teacher/academician, a county health officer, medical director for a Medicaid managed care organization and Clinical Director for the US Public Health Services in Zuni, New Mexico.
Philip Kennedy-Wong. Phillip Kennedy-Wong is a long-time public policy advocate in Oregon with deep experience working on budget issues in the state legislature. A graduate of Western State Center's leadership institute on community organizing, he has nearly two decades of expertise in community relations, political communications, and legislative coalition building. Previously, Phillip led Oregon Food Bank’s state advocacy program where he was successful in securing public funds and advancing policies to fight hunger. He has also served as Government Relations Manager for Multnomah County and Director Of Public Policy for Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon.
Jenny Lee. Jenny Lee is the Deputy Director at the Coalition of Communities of Color. Previously, she served as Advocacy Director at the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, Housing Policy Director at Neighborhood Partnerships, and the Public Policy Director at Hawaii Appleseed. Throughout her career she has worked to advance racial, social, and economic justice through policy and legislative advocacy in the nonprofit sector. Jenny holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Oregon.
Amanda Manjarez. Amanda Manjarrez is the Public Policy and Government Affairs Director of the Foundation for a Better Oregon. Previously, Amanda was the Director of Advocacy at Latino Network, where she developed the organization’s statewide policy agenda, oversaw civic leadership programs, and managed coalition relationships at the federal, state, and local level. She has also served as Advocacy Director for the Coalition of Communities of Color, and as Chief Strategist at the Center for Civic Policy in Albuquerque. Amanda brings creative leadership and a deep commitment to promoting social justice in her community.
John Mullin. John Mullin, a founding member of OCPP, rejoined the board in February 2018. John retired after 43 years of human service administration and advocacy. He is interested in maintaining an active role in promoting progressive policies in Oregon. John has a Master's Degree in Urban Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Gerontology from Portland State University.
Chelsea Watson. Chelsea Watson is the Field and Research Director for the Oregon AFL-CIO, a federation of over 40 international and national unions and 400+ local unions that represent workers across the state. Her role includes directly assisting affiliated unions with their priorities, such as organizing campaigns, contract negotiations, public policy advocacy and workforce training and development. As leader of the Oregon Strong Voice Program she works closely with labor and community-based organizations statewide to maximize collective power in the fight for equity and economic justice. Her background prior to starting this position in March of 2016 includes five years of professional experience with the AFL-CIO's community organization, Working America, and an M.S. in Advanced Research Methods from the University of Essex.
