Staff
Adam Davis
Executive Director
Pronouns: he/him/his
(503) 241-0543 x114
Adam Davis has been the executive director of Oregon Humanities since 2013 and directed the Center for Civic Reflection before that. Davis has trained thousands of discussion leaders across the country, facilitated hundreds of community and workplace discussions, moderated onstage conversations with community-builders, office-holders, and authors, and edited books including Taking Action and The Civically Engaged Reader. He currently sits on the boards of the High Desert Partnership and the Cultural Advocacy Coalition. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago, and he used to lead wilderness trail crews in the Pacific Northwest.
Crystal Akins Meneses
Fields Artist Fellowship Coordinator
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Crystal is an interdisciplinary creative who activates community music and art through activism and spiritual care. Learn more about her work and arts nonprofit at activateartsnow.com. She received one of the first round of Fields Artist Fellowships in 2019 and has coordinated the program since 2021.
Jennifer Alkezweeny
Program Director
Pronouns: she/her/hers
(503) 241-0543 x123
Jennifer joined Oregon Humanities in 2020. She provides leadership for the organization's vision, supports the program team, and collaborates on possible new initiatives. Her career has been dedicated to connecting people to their communities and pursuing their goals. She is a longtime volunteer with the Dougy Center for Grieving Children and Families. In her free time she can be found kayaking, baking, hiking, gardening, knitting, and dreaming of living in a floating home.
Nee Anuskewicz
Development Assistant
Pronouns: she/her/hers
(503) 241-0543 x126
Nee joined Oregon Humanities in February 2021. She is originally from Minnesota and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls with a BFA in Art History where she practiced making, critically thinking, and gaining a deeper understanding of philosophical art concepts and art works. She is dedicated to creating connections, creating opportunities, and giving back to the world. In her downtime, she is running, walking, skiing, hitting golf balls, painting, sketching, crafting, watching movies, baking, meditating, or volunteering in the community.
Rachel Bernstein
Program and Training Manager
Pronouns: she/her/hers
r.bernstein@oregonhumanities.org
(503) 241-0543 x124
Rachel joined Oregon Humanities in September 2015. She works to build and strengthen organizational partnerships and to recruit, train, and support discussion facilitators. For the past decade, as a political and nonprofit professional, her work has focused on building the civic capacity and engagement of coalitions, organizations, groups, and individuals. She can be found bouncing around Portland, exploring the Northwest's natural beauty, and rooting for her alma mater, Michigan State Spartans, with her partner, Dani, and their ninety-five-pound dog, Asher.
Karina Briski
Communications Associate
Pronouns: she/her/hers
(503)241-0543 x120
Karina joined Oregon Humanities in April 2021. She brings a range of experience spanning work in digital media, journalism, hospitality, and event production. Her interests in supporting community arts and education access have led her to work with numerous organizations in Seattle, New York City, and Portland. She grew up in northern Minnesota and has lived in Oregon for five years, recently completing an MFA in Fiction at Portland State University. She is a volunteer English language tutor at PCC and enjoys finding ways to gather with people through food and writing.
Sarah Gill
Salesforce Administrator
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Sarah has been working in education and social justice organizations since before she could vote. She has been a Salesforce admin for 10 years and loves helping nonprofits work hard and smart. She joined Oregon Humanities in March 2019 and is thrilled to work with such a great team of caring and intelligent people. Sarah lives in Springfield with 3 magical cats and 1 brilliant dog.
Adam Green
Director of Funding and Operations
Pronouns: he/him/his
(503) 241-0543 x111
Adam joined Oregon Humanities in 2016. He develops and implements the organization's comprehensive fundraising strategy. Adam has spent his entire career working and volunteering with nonprofit organizations focused on community health, social services, and civic engagement. When not in the office, Adam enjoys spending time with his partner, Jason, and their five-year-old Italian greyhound rescue, Kobe.
Rozzell Medina
Program Coordinator
Pronouns: he/him/his
(503) 409-9134
Rozzell joined Oregon Humanities in 2019 and coordinates Humanity in Perspective. He is a multidisciplinary artist with a socially engaged practice that focuses on bringing people together to learn and collaborate in liberatory spaces. Rozzell has called Portland home for almost 20 years, also traveling extensively to explore his ancestral homelands in Mexico. He grew up in and around Choctaw, Oklahoma, San Antonio, Texas, and San Francisco, California. He earned a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy with an emphasis on regenerative ecological and cultural learning from Portland State University, where he also instructed several courses on intersections of art and sociology and coordinated the Chiron Studies program.
Ez Meza
Finance Assistant
Pronouns: they/them/their
(503) 241-0543
Ez is a full-time student at Portland State University pursuing a BA-Accounting degree with Honors. They plan to pursue CPA licensure once graduated and hope to one day dive into the world of forensics and nonprofit accounting. When they're not working/studying/in class, they enjoy volunteering at Our House of Portland, watching soccer matches from all around the world, baking, cooking, listening to audio books, mid-range cycling, meditation, and walking their Golden-Doodle, Jet.
Alexandra Powell Bugden
Communications Associate
Pronouns: she/her/hers
alexandra@oregonhumanities.org
503-241-0543, ext. 116
Alexandra is a writer, editor, and project manager who joined Oregon Humanities in July 2021. She brings experience in communications and marketing for nonprofit organizations focused on education, engaged scholarship, and environmental justice. She grew up in New South Wales, Australia, and now lives in Southeast Portland.
Dawn Smallman
Grants and Programs Coordinator
Pronouns: she/her/hers
d.smallman@oregonhumanities.org
(503) 241-0543 x110
Dawn coordinates Oregon Humanities' Public Program Grants and Responsive Program Grants and supports existing and new programs. She joined Oregon Humanities in April 2021. Dawn's work history includes crafting media stories about culture and nature for exhibits in public lands visitor centers and museums; serving as the director of the Portland EcoFilm Festival; and working as a community engagement manager and administrator for nonprofit fiscal management programs. Dawn sits on the board of Open Signal. She enjoys spending her free time growing food for her family and for others.
Lucy Solares-Steger
Program Assistant
Pronouns: she/her/hers
l.solares@oregonhumanities.org
(503) 241-0543 x112
Lucy joined Oregon Humanities in December 2020. She graduated from the University of Oregon in June 2019 with dual degrees in ethnic studies and general social science, through which she explored themes of social justice and cultural understanding using a multidisciplinary approach. She is originally from Oregon, and in her time off enjoys the world of cosmetics, listening to music, and following the work of social activists online locally and beyond.
Julia Soto
Development Manager
Pronouns: she/her/hers
(503) 241-0543, ext. 118
Julia joined Oregon Humanities in July 2021. She began working with nonprofits after almost a decade as an engineer. As a development professional, she brings experiences in grant writing, event sponsorships and program leadership. She most enjoys helping organizations thrive through integrated and relationship-based approaches. Originally from Pennsylvania, Julia has called Oregon home since 2004. In her free time, she loves working on craft projects, trying out new recipes, and playing in the mountains with her two children, Felix and Ester, and her husband, Jacob.
Ben Waterhouse
Communications Manager and editor of Oregon Humanities magazine
Pronouns: he/him/his
b.waterhouse@oregonhumanities.org
(503) 241-0543 x122
Ben joined Oregon Humanities in 2012. He supervises the organization's communications and publications efforts, including Oregon Humanities magazine, the Beyond the Margins essay series, and marketing strategy. He created the Dear Stranger letter-exchange project in 2014. He grew up in Scio, Oregon, near the confluence of the North and South forks of the Santiam River, and now lives in Southeast Portland.