Kristoffer Aas is the Human Resources Benefits Specialist at Portland State University. In this role, Kristoffer works with all benefits, but specializes in retirement. Prior to PSU, Kristoffer worked as a social worker in Portland, helping homeless veterans regain self-sufficiency and find meaningful employment. As a successfully transitioned veteran himself, Kristoffer is dedicated to help this vulnerable population access more resources and overcome institutional barriers to success. Kristoffer served in multiple leadership roles in the United States Marine Corps. He earned his MA in Educational Leadership and Policy at Portland State University and his BA in Applied Economics and Business at the University of Oregon. In his spare time, Kristoffer enjoys new adventures with his family, engaging in professional development opportunities, fitness, and baking.

Increasing access to more resources and breaking down institutional barriers to success

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Robert Asaadi is an Instructor in the College of Urban and Public Affairs (CUPA). He received the CUPA Outstanding Teacher Award for his work in the Department of International & Global Studies for the 2019-2020 academic year. His 2019 research paper on Iranian politics won the Best Faculty Paper Award at the International Studies Association - West Annual Conference. He is the author of the forthcoming book Postrevolutionary Iran: The Leader, the People, and the Three Powers (Lexington Books, April 2021). He teaches a wide range of courses in Political Science and International Studies.

Middle East Politics

Iranian Politics

International Relations

Global Order

TEDtalk

Cindy Baccar serves as the Associate Vice Provost and University Registrar, with over 30 years of experience in higher education.

She and her team in the Registrar’s Office (RO) are privileged to provide leadership in the areas of registration and records technology, classroom scheduling, automated degree audit systems, transfer articulation, and academic policy development. The RO provides front-line customer service to students and faculty, support for Faculty Senate committees, and is an engaged partner in many collaborative student success initiatives and cross-unit operational process improvement efforts.

Cindy has served in Faculty Senate, as the chair of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, and on numerous university workgroups and task forces. She has provided leadership at the state level in developing transfer articulation and degree audit systems and serving as a member of the Oregon Transfer Articulation Committee. She has served on the Local Arrangements Committee for an Annual PACRAO meeting in Portland, and served as President for the Oregon Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers in 2012.

Before coming to PSU, Cindy worked as an academic advisor at Portland Community College and in the Registrar’s Office at the University of Tennessee.

Marina serves as both Student Inclusion Coordinator and Adjunct Faculty at PSU’s School of Social Work, where she provides ongoing student and faculty support in the areas of recruitment and retention, with a specific focus on students of color and first generation students. Marina serves as a Board Member of the ACLU of Oregon and the NW Abortion Access Fund. Marina holds a Master’s of Social Work, a Master’s in Women’s & Gender Studies, and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management & Philanthropy from Loyola University Chicago. Marina is a proud queer, Latinx mother who has called Monterey, Boston, Chicago, and now Portland home.

Reproductive Justice & Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI)

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I am interested in the futures of human/cyborg evolution and integration with machines/technology. My research focusses on how individuals understand themselves as members of communities from Nations to online communities.

German & Cultural Studies

PebblePad

Matthew J. Carlson is Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Professor of Sociology. As Associate Dean, he works on programs and projects designed to improve student success. As a medical sociologist, he has spent the past two decades conducting health services research focused on health care access, quality, and health disparities. He has been co-editor of Sociological Perspectives, the Journal of the Pacific Sociological Association; and co-author of Social Foundations of Behavior for the Health Sciences. Over the course of his career he has participated in a number of collaborative local and national efforts to reduce health disparities. Prior to joining the faculty at Portland State University he was a National Institute of Mental Health postdoctoral fellow at Rutgers University. Dr. Carlson received his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Texas-Austin in 1996.

Higher Education, Health Care

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Rhiannon M. Cates works in Special Collections and University Archives, providing stewardship to dynamic, community-based archival collections. She is a volunteer and co-facilitator of educational and leadership programming conducted inside state correctional facilities. Rhiannon is a co-founding editor of Amplify: A Journal of Writing-as-Activism and her work can be found in the International Journal for Students as Partners, Humanities, Collaborative Librarianship, Radical Teacher, Higher Education Accessibility Behind and Beyond Prison Walls, Teaching Reading and Writing in Prisons (forthcoming), and other avenues.

Rhiannon's research involves feminist pedagogies, poetic inquiry, and the potentiality of writing and collaborative learning to embody justice, enact change, and heal individual and community harms inflicted by the justice system.

Bepress

Abby is a Program Manager in The School of Business at PSU. She leads social innovation initiatives including a Graduate Certificate and a Business Minor in Social Innovation, an international field study, an immersive conference, a systems mapping competition, and PSU's membership in the global Ashoka U Changemaker Campus network. Abby is also a mediator with XFORM.pdx, where she helps find new possibilities in conflict settings, and she serves on the Board of Advisors for The World Economic Forum's Global Shapers Hub in Portland.

Social Innovation and Conflict Resolution

LinkedIn

PSUprofile

Janette has worked at Portland State University since January 2019. She is a student organization advisor to political and academic student groups in Student Activities and Leadership Programs (SALP). She enjoys supporting students on leadership development and group programming. She is a firm believer in the power of student engagement and creating a sense of community both on /off campus.

Outside of work, Janette enjoys spending time with her family, especially outdoors in the Pacific Northwest, and traveling farther afield. A fun fact: Janette absolutely loves eating outdoors on a warm sunny day or evening!

Student success, student leadership & development, learning communities, First Year Experience, building communities both on / off campus

LinkedIn

Kelly Doherty is the Director Graduate Admissions in the Graduate School at Portland State University (PSU). She has worked at PSU since 2004 and is passionate about equitable admissions practices. Her Futures research interests include assisting individuals transform their careers through education and building holistic university policies and practices that actively enfranchise diverse populations removing implicit bias. She studied International Business and Marketing at Gonzaga University and received her Master of Public Administration degree in Global Leadership and Management from PSU.

Equitable admissions practices

LinkedIn

Raiza L. Dottin (she/her/ella) is the Associate Director of Teaching, Learning, and Assessment in the Office of Academic Innovation. Raiza's prior professional work includes a diverse background in program management and support within research, public, and medical universities. In this role, Raiza collaborates with the Office of Academic Innovation (OAI) Director as well as staff, faculty, and Portland State University (PSU) administrators to develop, implement, and evaluate educational development programs sponsored by OAI. Raiza also consults and leads program development efforts around institutional program assessment practices as a member of the PSU Institutional Assessment Council and in partnership with the PSU Office of Academic Affairs. Through her professional and educational work, Raiza has worked with academic programs to establish innovative teaching and learning practices, specific to student-centered curricular approaches and authentic assessment implementations. In her current research, Raiza strives to facilitate lifelong learning in higher education through the development of inclusive teaching, learning, and assessment practices that examine critical thinking through experiential learning.

In her current research, Raiza strives to facilitate lifelong learning in higher education through the development of inclusive, student-centered teaching, learning, and assessment practices that examine critical thinking through experiential learning. Raiza has recently published an article in the APLU on adaptive courseware implementation that focuses on alignment, course redesign, and the student experience. Raiza's prior publications focus on the utilization of high fidelity simulation to improve team-based learning and performance skills in medical education.

LinkedIn

Dr. Sarah Dougher is an educator and writer who lives in Portland, Oregon and teaches in the general education program at Portland State University. She has written about girls, music, education and equity. A once and future musician and story writer, her current research focus is on the dual-credit program where she teaches, and translating that learning and experience into useful information about college-going and persistence for first-generation college students.

High school-college transition and first year student success

LinkedIn

As the Associate Vice Provost for Academic Innovation, Michelle Giovannozzi provides campus-wide leadership for the expansion of innovative teaching and learning initiatives. She ensures the effective and strategic development of academic resources and the integration of innovative technology. Michelle works collaboratively with internal leaders and community and industry partners to advance Portland State’s academic innovation and educational and community impact. She possesses extensive experience in higher education, workforce, and economic development and previously served as the Director of PSU’s Center for Executive and Professional Education. Michelle also has served in a number of community and board leadership roles.

My research and praxis interests include alternate models of higher education, innovative learning technologies, and the future of work.

LinkedIn

Darrell Grant has built an international reputation as a pianist, composer, and educator who channels the power of music to make change. Dedicated to themes of hope, community, and place, Grant’s compositions include his 2012 "Step by Step:The Ruby Bridges Suite" honoring the civil rights icon and "The Territory" which explores Oregon’s landscape and history. He has been named Portland Jazz Hero by the Jazz Journalist Association, received a Northwest Regional Emmy, and the Governor’s Arts Award. He is a Professor of Music at Portland State University where he directs the "Artist as Citizen? Initiative.

Arts and Activism, Social justice, Afro-futurism, Futures thinking

Website

Jen Hamlow is the Director of Education Abroad at Portland State University. On average, PSU sends around 500 students abroad every year, though this past year has forced her team to reconsider how to engage faculty and students in meaningful intercultural learning and exchange without the ability to travel. This challenge and opportunity that the current pandemic is posing for international education and how it impacts the future of the field is her main focus in the Future's Collaboratory. In the 22 years she has worked in international education, this year has posed the single greatest challenge she has ever witnessed, along with a great deal of creativity and resiliency that she hopes can persist to the benefit of our students. PSU students have not always believed that international experiences could be a part of their education, however with the development of virtual opportunities, and expanding PSU's Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), going global has now become a viable, meaningful, local opportunity. Sustaining and strengthening the virtual programming that has resulted from the pandemic can open borders for students who hadn't ever considered travel, before. Jen has a BA in Communication and German from Pacific Lutheran University and MA in Communication from DePaul University. She studied abroad in Germany during her undergrad, then studied in Salzburg, Austria as a Fulbright Scholar, and taught English in Vienna, before returning home to Oregon (via a 7 year layover in Chicago).

The Future of International Education

LinkedIn

Randi Harris is the Director of the Transfer & Returning Student Resource Center at Portland State University. She leads and collaborates on innovative projects and initiatives to enhance student learning, experience, and success.

Institutional transformation in higher education

LinkedIn

Lisa is a faculty member at the School of Social Work and leads the MSW Online Option. Lisa teaches macro social work practice courses and works alongside community members (in both Portland and Corvallis) to support hygiene access for our unhoused neighbors. Additionally, Lisa is an active member of the steering committee of SafePlace in Corvallis which is creating microshelter communities focused on transitional housing of folks who are sleeping outside.

Macro social work practice, online social work pedagogy development, and access to hygiene and microshelter communities for folks experiencing homelessness

LinkedIn

Vanelda Hopes is the Director of Academic Administration in the Office of Academic Affairs at Portland State University. She started her career in higher education in student services providing programming and support to students of color and first-generation students and continues to support student success through her work with the passionate faculty and administration at Portland State. Vanelda was a co-author of the African-American, Black, African Task Force Report and plans organizes both Faculty and Staff Convocation and the Winter Symposium. In her spare time she spends time with her family and friends enjoying the outdoors.

My interests are in the area of Afrofuturism: literature music and visual art that explores the African-American experience and in particular the role of slavery in that experience. Particularly as it evaluates the past and future to create better conditions for present and future generations of Black, Indigenous, and people of color.

Patrick Kelley has over 12 years of management experience in higher education, managing cross-functional teams in 6 departments: Marketing, Communications, Professional Studies, Graduate Admissions, International Admissions, and Student Services. Patrick is passionate about supporting life-long learners both in administration and as an adjunct instructor.

Recruiting and supporting students so they can better serve their communities.

Linkedin

Passionate learner focusing on the interdependence of all things. Global citizen with extra affinity for Latin America and S.E. Asia. Mountain addict. Recovering higher education administrator with a tale or two still to tell. Creative change maker. Ridiculously hopeful.

Leadership Development; Community Engagement; Ethics; Global Learning; Sustainability

Bepress

Sarah (she/her) began working at PSU in 2010 as an advisor for international students. Since 2013, she has worked within the Division of Finance & Administration. Sarah has a multifaceted role that includes oversight of campus physical accessibility, the campus art collection, advising the Student Fee Committee, and supporting various people and policy related programs and initiatives. Sarah serves on multiple cross-campus committees including the Accessibility Committee (co-chair) and Safety Committee (vice-chair).

Ensuring that campus spaces are accessible, functional, and inspiring and our employees, students, and community members are well served by our physical space and associated policies.

LinkedIn

Dr. Martin has lived and worked alongside communities in over 20 countries. Her experiences vary from designing, implementing, and evaluating sustainable psychosocial peace building educational programs in four countries: Dieplsoot Informal Settlement, South Africa (nthabiseng project, 2001), Vishwa Shanti Vihara Vishwa Monastery, Nepal (Khelera Sikou Project, 2012), Jamaica (Irie Project, 2010), and Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya (Pambazuka, 2017). She is an expert in community-based action research, Speaking for Ourselves Action Research (SOAR), co-researching, critical hope & critical despair, Higher/Education in Emergencies, psycho-social and social-emotional learning, and peace-building.

Critical hope and despair, pedagogy of hope, refugee education, psychosocial & social and emotional learning, and peace-building

Bepress

Linkedin

Personal website

Moriah McSharry McGrath is an interdisciplinary social scientist cross-trained in public health and urban planning. She is an instructional faculty member who focuses on the undergraduate major in Community Development, where she emphasizes the application of scholarly ideas to confront community challenges. Her research centers on understanding how health inequities are rooted in space, particularly as related to land use conflict and housing policy. Her work is informed by feminist, queer, and critical race perspectives and she is especially interested in qualitative and participatory research methods.

environmental justice and health equity, land use conflict, sexuality and public space, harm reduction and local drug policy, health impact assessment, community-based learning

Bepress

PSUprofile

Sarah is a first generation PhD student in the Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning. Her research raises questions about the role of sense of place, intergenerational memory, and racial and social equity in resilience planning processes. She wants to understand how decision making is experienced and what types of knowledge are valued when planning for risk reduction. She believes that the meanings of place held by Black, Indigenous, people of color, and other marginalized social groups are essential considerations for creating just futures.

Sarah is a graduate research assistant at Portland State University’s Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative.

Urban Planning, Planning Processes, Resilience, Equity, Sense of Place, Collective Memory, Cultural Heritage, Meaning Making

Website

LinkedIn

Rihana Mungin is a mechanical engineering graduate student studying microgravity capillary fluidics at Portland State University. Working alongside NASA scientists and engineers, she applies her research to develop novel and autonomous liquid delivery methods for the development of new life support technologies for plant watering, wastewater processing, and carbon dioxide removal. Notably, she worked with Nickelodeon to send Slime to the International Space Station and went on to host Slime in Space: A Virtual Field Trip. She is co-chair of the board for PDXWIT and is a 2018 New Leadership Oregon alumnae. She will graduate with a M.S. in March 2021.

Microgravity Capillary Fluidics (liquids in space)

LinkedIn

Blog

Profile

NASAdemo

NASAmission

Jeffrey joined Portland State University in 2016, where he works in Employee and Labor Relations in HR and as an Adjunct Instructor in the SBA. Jeffrey is a repeat alumnus of PSU, where he received his MBA in 2019, and previously earned his BA in Music, Voice.

Prior to joining PSU, Jeffrey led a team of seven HR Managers at New Seasons Market. Jeffrey worked in a variety of staff, management and HR roles during his 12-year tenure at NSM.

Future of Work

LinkedIn

Sarah Wolf Newlands is an interdisciplinary visual artist. As a teacher, Sarah integrates museum pedagogy and studio practices into her general education courses. Sarah's inter-institutional and community-based learning projects give students opportunities to collaborate with local schools and museums, to design teach-to-learn projects, and create videos, blogs, visual and time-based art. Sarah holds an MFA from Portland State University and a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her own artwork brings together the language of formal abstraction with commonplace everyday things, using repetition and process as methods of transformation.

Studio Practices, Interpretive and Community Activities, Life-long Learning

Website

I am a Professor of Biology interested in the concept of "biological time" and how it can be manipulated to improve survival and function in extreme environments.

Environmental Influences on Animal Development, Developmental Dormancy, Stress Tolerance

PSUprofile

Dr. Judith A. Ramaley is President Emerita, a member of the Board of Trustees and Distinguished Professor of Public Service in the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University and former president of the University of Vermont and Winona State University. She is also a Distinguished Scholar with the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). She serves as an advisor for several national projects that focus on equity, student success, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and the leadership of change. She has a special interest in civic and community engagement.

STEM Education, Community and Civic Engagement, Leadership of Change

PSUtrustee

PSUprofile

Everyone has a story, but not everyone has a platform to share their story. As a filmmaker, I am interested in creating platforms for the voices least heard in our media-rich society. Working collaboratively on every project I embark on, I seek to make film and direct action a social practice that brings communities together and builds bonds in a shifting social landscape.

Dismantling white supremacy, capitalism, patriarchy, and notions of class

Becky Sanchez serves as the Executive Director of Undergraduate Programs in the School of Business where she works to identify and eliminate barriers that exist for students or help students overcome them. She has been at Portland State for twenty-two years, beginning in the mailroom. Becky has been focused on improving the student experience for the past seventeen years. Formerly a professional advisor and career counselor, she uses her experience serving students to inform the development of programmatic innovations in student recruitment, retention, degree completion, and career placement. Becky also teaches career preparation, internship and practicum skills classes, and formerly taught college success.

Student Sense of Belonging, Student Support, Community Cultural Wealth, Student Campus Experiences

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Sam identifies as a Baha'i, learner, friend, son, brother, and community member. He loves learning with diverse perspectives through taking action to unite our world. Most of Sam's experience with this process has been in the context of learning with young people in classrooms and neighborhoods, as well as collaborating with those supporting these efforts. Sam feels that the ways we think and what we think is possible heavily impacts the actions we take in a given moment, and is very thankful to be part of the Future's Collaboratory's work on expanding these horizons at PSU.

Pursuing intellectual and spiritual excellence with younger generations

LinkedIn

Michelle is an artist who utilizes documentary techniques in her practice. She has exhibited work at apexart and Smack Mellon in New York City, Betonsalon in Paris, France, The Portland Art Museum, Portland State University, National Public Radio, and Oregon Public Radio. Michelle received a BA in studio art from Whitman College, a MAT from Lewis and Clark College, and holds a MFA in Art and Social Practice from Portland State University. She is currently an instructor in PSU's interdisciplinary general education program. She lives on Full Plate Farm farm in Ridgefield, Washington with her husband, three kids and four chickens.

Art & Social Practice

FullPlateFarm

Jaime R. Wood is the author of Living Voices: Multicultural Poetry in the Middle School Classroom (NCTE 2006) and co-author of the textbook The Word on College Reading and Writing (OpenOregon 2017). Her poems have appeared in Rattle, Dislocate, Matter, Juked, ZYZZYVA, DIAGRAM, Phantom Drift, Voice Catcher, and Dark Matter: Women Witnessing, among others. She earned her Master's of English education from Colorado State University and her Master's of Fine Arts in poetry and creative nonfiction from Eastern Washington University's Inland Northwest Center for Writers.

Human-centered teaching and learning, student motivation, and equity and inclusion practices in the classroom