Simbiat Yusuff-Mueller

THINK TANK CO-DIRECTOR

Simbiat joins the Think Tank from Forth where she holds the title of Events Manager. In addition to managing the webinar program and workshops, Simbiat also assists with annual the Roadmap Conference. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Strategic Communications with a focus in Public Relations from Washington State University.

joemil santos

THINK TANK CO-DIRECTOR

joemil, grateful, loving, present, skilled
husband, uncle, brother, son
who loves family, food, games, and water, who reads poetry and signs,
between the lines and small print,
who remembers our ancestors,
collective traumas, and lessons learned
who is committed to leading with racial equity and being of service to our community, who listens actively, pauses often, and practices mindfulness
who prefers bio-poems over professional short bios, born in Los Angeles, CA and lives fully in Portland, OR, Santos

Kelso Brasunas

THINK TANK TREASURER

Kelso works for Oregon Housing and Community Services, on bond structures and other financing solutions for affordable housing. Before that, she worked for FoodCorps for 8 years, both on the Finance team and as an AmeriCorps service member in Arkansas, connecting kids to food in schools. She is also the Finance Chair for the Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Network. She is happiest in the PNW mountains, swimming in alpine lakes and hiking along ridgelines.

Eca- Etabo Wasongolo

THINK TANK MEMBER

Wasongolo likes to spend his time in discussion with community members, listening to people’s stories, building trust among people to work for positive change in the community, doing outreach to bring solutions to unmet needs, and acting as a bridge and cultural mediator. Wasongolo’s dream is to always fight social inequality and poverty, to build community food security, and to work concretely for peace and human development. Wasongolo brings more than 15 years of experience in nonprofit organizations and community evaluation projects.

Cozette Tran-Caffee 

THINK TANK MEMBER

Cozette (Cozy) is a mom, daughter, wife, and lawyer. Born in the abundant Central Valley, and raised among the orchards and open fields that gave way to Silicon Valley, Cozy has called the PNW home since 1997. Cozy is growing gardens to share sustenance and satisfaction with her family, neighbors, and city.

Justin Rossman

THINK TANK MEMBER

I’m a NE Portland native and a Benson Tech Alum. I have a big heart and passion for connecting communities together for good both professionally and personally. I work at TriMet as the Senior Coordinator of Community Engagement Programs for accessible transportation. I believe every human has the right to the access of food, housing and public transportation. I also believe that communities that are most affected should have seats at the table and voices in the room to create true lasting change. In my free time, you can catch me at many local sporting events especially Blazers, Timbers, and the Mariners, or out and about eating at some of the best food places that Portland has to offer.  

Jane Hashimawari

THINK TANK MEMBER

Jane Hashimawari works as a chef in Portland and has worked and led in many kitchens throughout the city for well over a decade. She is currently the youth cooking instructor at Luscher Farm and runs her own pop-up called Ippai PDX which focuses on Japanese comfort food while highlighting the seasonal bounties of the Pacific Northwest. Jane is passionate about food justice and providing food security through mutual aid and culinary education. She currently lives in Woodstock and spends her free time chasing squirrels out of her garden beds.

Darren Golden

THINK TANK MEMBER

Hey, my name is Darren. I do the work that I do because it keeps me up at night, and not in a bad way. In a way that is constantly searching for solutions in our marginalized communities. In a way that is always working to build up our communities to be safer, more resilient and loving. I want all humans to thrive, and that starts by giving aid, guidance and resources to those of us who need it most. I enjoy working on strategic projects for foundations and nonprofits—focusing on upstream solutions while also ensuring current needs are being addressed.
I have stepped into my 4th year of lobbying in the Oregon Legislature, with an emphasis on Criminal Justice, Police Accountability, Equitable Access to Policy, and Environmental Policy. I approach all of these arenas with a community-first mindset, if the policies harm our communities, they just aren’t worth it. Running campaigns comes naturally for me. As the middle child of seven I am used to the orchestration of chaos while moving towards a shared goal. There are many ways to win and I appreciate the opportunity to empower my teammates, colleagues and subordinates to lead.
My experiences in the Air Force and Higher Education have allowed me to hone an attention to detail necessary when approaching systems change. They have also taught me patience—a virtue. I am continually learning the true value of teamwork, to lead is to follow. I believe in leading compassionately, and not just in times of peace and stability.
Lastly, I think we all need to get outdoors more. We are all party to a cycle that wouldn’t notice we went a couple months without hugging a tree or touching dirt. As an Oregonian I feel it is my duty to tell you to go hug more trees! Thanks for making it this far, it’s been real!

P.S. ask me what I’m reading.

Maria Paz Herrera

THINK TANK MEMBER

Born in Colombia and then living in Mexico, Maria (she/her) discovered her passion for sustainability when she studied architecture in college in Mexico City. Her green thumb and environmental interests motivated her to move to Portland to pursue a master’s degree in Leadership for Sustainability Education, which she now holds. For the last 6 years Maria Paz has been working at Latino Network. Currently, she is the SUN site manager at Rigler Elementary, where she coordinates all after school activities, food programs and connects families to wrap around services. When she isn’t doing amazing things for her community, Maria likes to hike and spend time with friends. 

*Hablo Español*
(I speak Spanish)