Molly Washington serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the Oregon Chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors. Her work with NAMC-OR involves advocacy, support services, and relationship building for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-owned firms in the construction industry. Prior to this role, Molly was an attorney for over 12 years, most recently with the law firm of Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt and before that, as a deputy city attorney for the City of Portland. Molly’s practice focused on construction, equity analysis and anti-oppression. Molly is a descendent of the Apache/N’dee people on her paternal side and is also Mexican-American.

Vice Chair

Ya’at’eeh, Shi ei Eddie Sherman. Nat’oh Dine’e Tachii’nii nishlii doo [Tapa] Omaha Deer Clan ei bashishchiin. Bit’ahnii’nii ei dashicheii, nana [Tapa] Omaha Deer Clan ei dashinali. Todineeshzhee’dee ei naasha. Hello, my name is Eddie Sherman. I am Tobacco People, born for the [Tapa] Omaha Deer Clan. My maternal Grandfather’s clan is Folded Arms people and my paternal Grandfather’s clan is [Tapa] Omaha Deer Clan. I am from Kayenta, AZ.

Mr. Edmund “Eddie” Sherman is a member of the Navajo and Omaha Nations and he grew up on the Navajo Nation Reservation. Throughout his youth, Eddie watched his Cheíí (Navajo for Grandfather) embrace and practice the traditional ways of life, which included everything from daily prayers to herding sheep to ceremony. He has many memories of growing up in a hogan, participating in ceremonies, and riding horses in the wide open and beautiful lands on the reservation.

Throughout his career, Eddie has committed his efforts to social justice, serving Indian Country, and improving the quality of life of American Indian and Alaska Native people. He currently serves the community in a variety of capacities including; board member of the Energy Trust of Oregon, founding board member of Color PAC, chairman of the Native American Youth and Family Center’s board of directors, as well as leading his own consulting firm – Against the Current Consulting Group. Prior to leading his own consulting firm, Eddie worked with the Oregon Native American Chamber, ONABEN, and the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA).

Prior to moving to Oregon, Eddie served as the Development Coordinator for the Denver Indian Family Resource Center and was an engaged community leader in the Denver Native community. As a member of the Colorado Indigenous Games Society (CIGS), Eddie played a pivotal role in the resource development, planning, and execution of the 2006 North American Indigenous Games. He has had the honor of serving as an appointed commissioner for Portland Human Rights Commission and being selected for the German Marshall Memorial Fellowship, the AIO American Indian Ambassadors’ Program, and the El Pomar Foundation Fellowship.

He completed his B.A. in International Political Economy at The Colorado College in 2002. As a first-generation college student, Eddie was co-chair of the Native American Student Union and became the first Native American student to be elected as the Student Body President. Upon graduating, he was nationally selected to participate in the El Pomar Foundation Fellowship, perhaps the most creative, diverse, and effective training ground for young and emerging nonprofit leaders in America.

As an engaged member of his community, Eddie volunteers his time, resources, and knowledge to serving his community on a variety of boards, committees, and as a coach for Native youth. Eddie is driven by his passion to serve our Native community and improve the way of life for Native children and families. He’s grounded by his culture, family, friends, and community. Eddie is a father of three beautiful children – Editon (2), Kékéya (6), and Natani (7) – and he is dedicated to being a strong father and role model.

I am enrolled member of the Navajo/Diné Nation. I was born in Portland and have lived almost all my life here. I have been actively involved in the Native community since birth with Bow and Arrow and have participated in the NAYA activities, including being a graduate of the LEAD cohort program.

I graduated from Portland State University with a bachelor of science degree in psychology with a minor in community health. Recently, I completed a post-baccalaureate program in accounting.

I worked as a research assistant for two years with the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board. I left Portland for a short time to work as an administrative assistant for the College of Letters and Science at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. I currently work at the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) and I have been with NICWA for the past 12 years. I started as event support and have been the fiscal manager for the past five years.

I firmly believe in the mission of NAYA and am committed to utilizing my skills for the betterment of our Native community.

As vice president of grantmaking at Inatai Foundation, a 501(c)(4) grantmaking organization that is committed in its bones to transforming the balance of power in Washington, Steven oversees the foundation’s grantmaking processes, practices, and systems—as well as more than $40 million of annual grants across its core grantmaking funds. He is a member of Inatai’s executive team.

Steven joined Inatai (then, Group Health Foundation) in the summer of 2019 to build the foundation’s first grantmaking team and to define Inatai’s grantmaking program, through which the organization provides support to organizations that share our vision of a more racially just, equitable world. Four years later, Steven leads a team of 16 people, who are collectively responsible for the organization’s grantmaking operations and grants management systems, for program management, and for building enduring relationships with the 500 community organizations that Inatai’s grants support each year. He partners closely with the Inatai Investment Management Company to develop the foundation’s Program Related Investments portfolio, through which Inatai will deploy even more resources in support of community power in Washington and beyond.

Steven is nationally recognized for moving philanthropy toward greater investment in organizing, multi-racial independent political power, and voter engagement efforts led by community-based organizations. He is particularly committed to supporting community leaders in becoming increasingly influential advocates and changemakers.

Prior to joining Inatai, Steven served as the founding executive director of The Partnership Funds, a national funder collaborative dedicated to winning accountable, multi-racial political power in states around the country. Steven has built and owned his own small business, consulting for philanthropies, donors, and labor unions. He served as a senior leader at the Tides family of organizations and was an early staff member at Ballot Initiative Strategy Center.

Steven serves on the Board of the Amalgamated Charitable Foundation, an organization that supports donors to move money efficiently to leaders and organizations on the frontlines of social change. He is past co-chair of the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation, a membership organization committed to voter engagement and community participation in policy advocacy and elections. He served on the governing board of the Alliance for Youth Organizing and was a founding board member of the Ohio Transformation Fund, among other grantmaking collaborations.
Steven grew up outside of Minneapolis, MN. He went to college in Omaha, NE, where he learned some of his most formative lessons about organizing, politics, and his queer community. After doing some political campaign work, Steven settled down in Washington DC for 15 years, where he met his husband. He and Michael now live in Seattle as guests on the homelands of the Duwamish and Suquamish people.

Aja DeCoteau is a citizen of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation and has other tribal lineage with the Cayuse, Nez Perce and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. She has over twenty years of experience working on natural resource management and policy issues in the Columbia River Basin. Prior to serving as the Executive Director, she was CRITFC’s Watershed Department Manager where she coordinated fisheries restoration and watershed protection activities and climate change researched response on behalf of the Yakama, Nez Perce, Umatilla, and Warm Springs tribes.

Aja also sits on the Board of Trustees for Earthjustice, the Board of Directors for the Columbia Land Trust and the Portland Energy Conservation, Inc. (PECI), and the Board of Advisors for WorldOregon.

Cristal Finley, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, brings over a decade of expertise in banking and finance to her role as Senior Business Finance Officer at Prosper Portland. Her professional journey is marked by a profound commitment to fostering economic growth, as she has played a pivotal role in securing funding for both individuals and businesses aiming to achieve their financial goals. Beyond her professional endeavors, Cristal is deeply invested in community service. Currently she serves as President of the Risk Management Association’s Portland Metro Chapter and contributes to the “A Place With No Ceiling’ Committee under the Portland Metro Chamber. Additionally, she engages in various volunteer projects, reflecting her dedication to community development and leadership. Cristal holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and a MBA from Concordia University – Portland, earned in 2014 and 2017, respectively.

Cory Freeman is Vice President and Regional Manager for OnPoint Community Credit Union, overseeing the largest branch expansion in company history. Cory has more than 20 years of experience managing branches across the nation. He began his career managing Washington Mutual’s retail branch expansion, and served in multiple branch and district manager roles in Oregon, Utah, Denver and Chicago. He returned to Oregon in 2007 to head Chase Bank branches in the East Portland market for six years. Prior to joining OnPoint, Freeman served as a District Manager with U.S. Bank for six years and was responsible for managing its 21 branches in the Portland-metro south and eastside.

Cory grew up in Southern Oregon and in 1993 earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Accounting at the University of Oregon.   He is married to Celina Freeman and together they have two children, Will and Julian.

Tim Goodman is the Senior Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs for Comcast and oversees the Company’s local government relations, regulatory affairs and franchising in Oregon and SW Washington.  Tim has been with Comcast since 2011 and has extensive experience in City and County government and served as the Director of Resource Development for Klamath Community College.  Tim’s Tribal experience comes from serving 4 ½ years as the CEO of the Elk Valley Rancheria – a Federally Recognized Tribe in NW California – where he oversaw the first placements of land into Trust on behalf the Tribe.  Tim is a graduate of George Fox University.

Ronda is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and has a background in psychology, communication, and organizational leadership. She has been the Executive Director of the American Indian Child Resource Center in Oakland, CA as well as Sustainable Food Center in Austin, TX. She currently holds that role at Ecotrust in Portland. During her time as a nonprofit executive, she successfully led her agencies through various economic downturns resulting in programmatic expansion and exponential growth. Her professional career has included individual and family counseling, as well as leadership coaching and development, visioning and strategic planning, diversity/equity/inclusion, and policy advocacy. She and her husband have twins attending the University of Oregon in Eugene. Ronda loves exploring the great outdoors, the local restaurants, music, dancing and traveling.

Zeke Smith serves as President of Empire Health Foundation and its affiliate organization, the Empire Health Community Advocacy Fund. Over the past 30 years, Zeke’s professional career has focused on strategic planning, community engagement and social justice, supported by a strong commitment to equity. His career includes tenure as Vice President of Programs for FoodCorps, a national nonprofit dedicated to connecting kids to healthy food in schools; Chief Impact Officer of the United Way of the Columbia Willamette, where he led the effort to address childhood poverty and systemic inequities across the Portland, Oregon metropolitan region; and as Chief of Staff of Portland Public Schools, a district of almost 50,000 students, where he supported PK-12 strategic planning that led to an increase in graduation rates and a decrease in achievement gaps for students of color. Zeke also serves on the board of the Lowenstein Trust and previously served as chair of the Governor-appointed Oregon Health Policy Board overseeing the Oregon Health Authority and the state healthcare system.

I am a tribally enrolled member of the Mdewankanton Dakota of Minnesota.  My family reservation is the Lower Sioux Indian Community located on the south side of the Minnesota River at the site of the U.S. Indian Agency and the Bishop Whipple Mission, a part of the original reservation established in the 1851 Treaty.  My reservation was my second home as a child and adolescent, which was three hours outside of the Minneapolis metropolitan area where we lived.  I received a B.A. at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota with majors in French and Sociology as well as a Philosophy minor.  I have been married for 25 years and have two sons.

I am a licensed clinical social worker (L2197) in the State of Oregon since 1994, and have worked as a therapist since 1987, when I graduated from Simmons College School of Social Work in Boston, Massachusetts.  There, I practiced as a candidate and then licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW) for seven years before moving to Portland.  Additionally, my work experience includes staff administration and clinical supervision in various settings which has enhanced my knowledge of systems. My therapeutic orientation is psychodynamic, influenced by psychoanalytic thinking, cognitive behavioral therapy, family systems, and existential therapy.  My work is strongly influenced by cultural and spiritual aspects of Indian thinking influenced by my own traditions, and west coast tribal influences as well.  Finally, I have a good deal of experience and love for working with clients who suffer both mental health and chemical addictions.

My vision for a future professional occupation began after having worked at the Native American Rehabilitation Association, where my employment moved from full-time therapeutic work to supervision and management over an almost seven year period.  While I worked there as the treatment director, I learned that many Indian employees, and families of clients reported that they were not able to find Indian therapists on their insurance panels in private practice. From that time, I planned on moving into a private practice as some time in the future.  In 2007, I started a position at Samaritan Counseling Centers, as the agency clinical director and grant project manager.  SCC was a small hybrid agency: it had the financial traits of a mental health non-profit and a private group practice where I learned a great deal about serving the working and middle class in Portland.  In February of 2009, the agency closed its doors due to the financial crisis, which gave me the opportunity to build the private practice serving Indians that I had envisioned for myself.

Chabre Vickers is the Vice President Community Development Officer for Wells Fargo & Company in Oregon and S.W. Washington and leads the company’s community development initiatives and Community Reinvestment Act activities supporting low and moderate income communities. Called “one of Portland’s super-connectors” by Portland Monthly Magazine, Chabre’s passion for community is demonstrated by her advocacy with many organizations where she utilizes the tenets of Critical Race Theory to enhance access and capacity towards tangible social change for the benefit of all.

Chabre has served as the Chair of the City of Portland Human Rights Commission and her past careers include serving as the Community Relations Manager for Portland Community College Southeast Campus, Vice President of Brand Experience and Director of Community Relations & Diversity Programs at Big Brother Big Sisters of Columbia Northwest. Chabre volunteers in her community and serves as a board member for the Oregon Symphony, the OHSU Avel Gordly Center for Healing, is a Governor on the Board of Governors for The Portland City Club, she serves as on The Literary Arts organization board, and serves as a Board of Professionals member for the Trail Blazers make it better foundation, and is a past Executive Committee Member of the Portland African American Leadership Forum, amongst many others.