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Our current staff & directors
Executive Director
Program Coordinator
Program Coordinator
Director of Finance and Operations
Communications and Development Coordinator
Director of Programs
Development Director
Communications Director
Editor of Oregon Humanities magazine
Office Manager
Program Coordinator
Chair
Vice Chair
Treasurer
Secretary
Oregon Humanities connects Oregonians to ideas that transform communities.
If you’ve ever learned something that motivated you to write a letter to the editor, volunteer for a nonprofit, start a book group, talk to a neighbor about something you don’t see eye to eye on, or treat someone more compassionately, you know how powerful ideas can be in changing your life and your community.
At Oregon Humanities, we bring Oregonians together to share ideas, to listen, think, and grow. We hope that this experience gives people pause, changes them, and helps them move forward, because a thoughtful, open, curious, active Oregon is also a healthy Oregon.
We value:
Cara has been executive director of Oregon Humanities since 2007. An avid bike commuter and wannabe avid yoga practitioner, Cara lives in North Portland with her two sons. Inspired by the power of conversation and ideas, she believes that the humanities can change the world.
Alicia joined Oregon Humanities in 2011 as a program coordinator supporting Happy Camp, Think & Drink, and Teacher Institutes. Alicia strives to integrate her work life with participation in movements for social change. She lives in Southeast Portland, protecting her herb gardens from her cartoonish terriers.
Annie joined the staff of Oregon Humanities in 2007. She coordinates the Conversation Project and provides support for public and responsive program grants. She lives in Southeast Portland with her husband, Aaron, and enjoys cooking and running.
Carole’s position with Oregon Humanities combines the love of ideas, words, and logic that help define her. Following an upbringing in small-town Iowa, Carole graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute and started a balancing act of art, financial career, marriage, and motherhood. Twenty-five years ago, she moved to Oregon, where she fell in love with the varied landscape, met her husband, and started her family.
Eloise joined Oregon Humanities in 2011 and supports both the development and communications directors. She received her undergraduate degree from Emory University in Atlanta and her MFA in creative writing from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. She lives in Southeast Portland with her partner, Melissa.
Jennifer has been with Oregon Humanities since 2004, first as education program director and currently as director of programs. She oversees all Oregon Humanities programming and is the primary contact for Think & Drink, Public Program Grants, and organizational partnerships. Jennifer lives in Northeast Portland but hits the road, and rivers, as often as possible.
Kamla Hurst joined Oregon Humanities in October 2009, bringing nearly ten years of experience raising funds for the arts and humanities in Chicago and the Pacific Northwest. As development director, she oversees all of the organization’s fundraising activities, including grant writing, special events, and donor and foundation relationships. She lives in North Portland with her husband, Mark, and energetic toddler, Lukas.
Kathleen has been with Oregon Humanities since 2001, first as the editor of Oregon Humanities magazine and then, in 2007, becoming communications director. In addition to editing the magazine, she oversees all of the organization’s communications efforts, including printed and online material, audience and media outreach, and marketing activities. She lives in Southeast Portland with her husband, Alex, and their young children, Stella and Emmett, in a century-old, always-under-construction house.
Kristy has contributed to Oregon Humanities magazine since 2003 and joined the staff as office manager in 2011. She supports the executive director, board, and staff, and coordinates the State of Oregon’s Poet Laureate program. She is the author of Get Your Pitchfork On! A No-Romance Country Primer, forthcoming from Process Media.
Sarah Van Winkle has worked at Oregon Humanities since 2002, during which time she has supported programs by managing the office and been the project assistant for the re-publication of the Oregon Humanities book The First Oregonians. In 2008, Sarah was promoted to the position of program coordinator and now works on education programs. Sarah and her husband, Thomas, live in Southeast Portland with their dog, Persephone, and first child, Penelope Anne.
Links for this section
June 03 2011
Kathleen Holt
The act of gathering together to worship is nothing new. Sometimes that worship takes the form of praising a higher power. Sometimes it takes the form of humans role-playing the lives of other humans. Portland... More
May 27 2011
Kathleen Holt
In Home Ground: Language for an American Landscape, desire path is defined as “the route people have chosen to take across an open place, marking a human pattern upon a landscape.” Desire paths are... More
May 23 2011
Eric Gold
In Roald Dahl’s short story “The Hitch-Hiker,” the title character is coy about his line of work, initially telling the narrator only that he is in a skilled trade. “The secret of life,” the Londoner... More
May 19 2011
Kathleen Holt
Paulann Petersen, Oregon’s poet laureate, has been on the road for nearly two weeks, traversing the state in an effort to visit as many communities during her tenure as possible.
Petersen was appointed to a... More
May 16 2011
Kathleen Holt
People often ask how we come up with themes for Oregon Humanities magazine. We find inspiration everywhere, including in our own programs and those of other organizations. For instance, with the Fall/Winter 2011... More
Selected by staff and colleagues
