Author Archives: NAYA Communications

Community Inspires Indigenous Entrepreneur

Meet Deanna Wohlgemuth, owner and creative mind behind Rock On Jewelry and Tin Cantina, LLC in Portland! Thanks to the Oregon IDA Initiative and NAYA’s Micro-Enterprise classes, Deanna began her own successful business making and selling incredible jewelry from salvaged materials, and tending bar from her vintage trailer at events. Our Micro-Enterprise classes receive generous support from ProsperView Article >


NAYA’s LEAD Program Welcomes 10th Cohort

A decade ago, NAYA embarked on a journey to build a stronger network of Native leaders through an initiative called the Oregon LEAD Program. A nationwide effort developed by a coalition of nonprofits and the First Nations Development Institute, LEAD (Leadership and Entrepreneurial Apprenticeship Development) works to build cross-cultural empowerment and leadership. In 2012, OregonView Article >


Calling Washington County Native Americans for September 30 Focus Group

In 2010 NAYA participated in a research project conducted by the Coalition of Communities of Color. This project produced the report many are familiar with called Native Americans in Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile. Our community has been using the data contained in this report to advocate for positive change. Participants in the Portland Indian LeadersView Article >


Paul Lumley Appointed As New Executive Director

Announcement from NAYA Board Chair Eddie Sherman: It is my great pleasure to announce that the NAYA Family Center’s Board of Directors has appointed Paul Lumley as our new Executive Director. After conducting a thorough national search, our hiring committee selected Paul because of his successful professional career, his extensive experience working with American IndianView Article >


NAYA is committed to Generations Early Learning Academy despite temporary delays

Dear Community partners, friends, and families we serve, Despite the continued misinformation being circulated by a local “news” publication, NAYA stands committed to the development of the Generations Early Learning Academy in order to meet the growing need of early childhood educational opportunities for Portland’s most vulnerable children. As part of our long-term strategy toView Article >


ECA Student Uses Talent to Share Experience

The Early College Academy (ECA) is filled with students that come from diverse backgrounds and experiences. What they all share is a commonality that teaching culture is not a singular conception, nor is it something easy to explain. 10th grade student Paulina Gutierrez, Inupiaq/Puerto Rican, has excelled in her Art for Social Change class inView Article >


York! The one man play with proceeds supporting NAYA

York in Portland: A New Perspective on Lewis & Clark and the Corps of Discovery NAYA and the Rebuilding Center warmly welcome you to attend one of two incredible performances of the play York happening on March 12th and 13th at Jefferson High School. In a powerful, one-man performance, David Casteal plays the character York as “a whirlwind, a forceView Article >


New Journey Shaped by Indigenous Values

Today is my last day as a NAYA Family Center employee, but not as a member of our community. I am so blessed to have my professional and cultural journey shaped by such a wonderful organization. I was introduced to NAYA in my early 20s when it was still located on N. Mississippi Ave. IView Article >