Zahara Adam

Zaharah comes with a life-long experience in humanitarian and nonprofit work. Prior coming to the U.S she worked with UNHCR, IOM and CARE International in Jordan to help refugees get resettled through the UN refugee resettlement program.

She founded Save Refugees Oregon back in 2008 to help the Arabic speaking refugees settle in Portland Metro. She is a tactful non-profit leader building strong alliance among diverse groups to work together achieving mutually beneficial goals. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Community Development Organization and Change from Portland State University back in 2013 along with her bachelor’s degree in Social Work from her home country Iraq.

Willie Chambers

Willie Chambers is a prominent leader in the african-american community of East Multnomah County. He leads several initiatives and networks that are all focused on rebuilding the food systems of our area. Mr. Chambers is the president of food company NOLA Nuggitz.

Vanessa Chambers

Rhonda Combs

Melisa Crosby

Elaine Edrington

Elaine is an active member of several community organizations and a long time Gresham leader.

Germaine Flentroy

Marc Gale

Marc comes from a background in banking, human resources, church administration, and he concluded his career as the manager of a national commercial insurance program. Once retired Marc began looking for some meaningful work that could use his 40 plus years of experience. Because of their 20-year friendship Brad and Lynn asked him to come and serve part-time at the Rockwood CDC in 2018.

Marc has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Idaho and a master’s in business administration from Portland State University. He was married to Diana in 1976 and they have a blended family with five children and twelve grandchildren. They have lived in Gresham all but six out of the last 30 years.

Scott Gillis

Bill Hart

Mr. Hart has been inspiring community through design for more than 25 years.  He was the founding partner of Carleton Hart Architecture, a 35+ member architecture and planning firm, which focuses on designing buildings and environments which incorporate sustainable design features to support and enhance our communities. He is passionate about projects which are community focused and recognize our marginalized members of our communities. He is known for his public outreach efforts that are culturally, socially and economically sensitive to a diverse range of communities.

In the past 10 years Bill’s developed a strong interest in real estate development and creating wealth for people of color, especially Portland’s African American communities. His personal goal is to work with people of color and empower them with a path for them to achieve wealth through real estate.

Mr. Hart holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Oregon and a B. Arts from Dartmouth College.

Carrie Harris

Carrie is the CFO of Wallace, which is a federally qualified health care center that is located in Rockwood.

Lynn Ketch

Lynn has had a life-long passion for healthy communities. Raised by a father who was a pioneer in public health, she lived in first-nation communities in Alaska, New Mexico and North Carolina. She holds graduate certificates from Oregon Health Sciences University and Multnomah University, and a BS from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. In 2011 Lynn relocated to The Philippines with her family to become the Director of ICM’s seven medical clinics. In 2013 she returned to Rockwood and joined the board and staff of the Rockwood CDC.

Brad Ketch

Bill Kieselhorst

During Bill’s active years, he led relief and development efforts in Nigeria and the Philippines, and then broader efforts for the entire African continent.  He has been a member of boards of directors for investment funds, various non-profits and faith-based organizations.

Toni Kelich

Toni is an immigration attorney with an emphasis on Latinos and their specific needs.  Until July 2020, Toni resided in Rockwood.

Scott McCracken

Scott (born in Florida) went into training at International Teams in 1986 where he met the woman he would later marry (Vicki), and they prepared with a team to work with refugees in Austria (http://oasis.iteams.org). They married in 1988 and, after 3 years in Austria, moved to Greece to serve refugees there (www.helpinghands.gr). Five children and 23 years later they left Athens for Portland, where they help raise awareness and work toward the prevention of child sex trafficking.  At the Rockwood CDC, Scott is our public spokesman and coordinates the Shalom Rockwood group.

Patrik McDade

Patrik McDade works to help local and small-plot farmers find new customers, expand into the Sunrise Center Kitchen, or gain new business and language skills.  He is also the founder and program director for People-Places-Things, building language and culture bridges in our communities. He received a Teaching English as a Second Language certificate from PSU in 1996 and has taught in several countries, and estimates more than 1000 English classes in more than 300 locations, from public schools to universities to basements and living rooms. He has facilitated language skills development in immigrant and refugee communities since 1996. People-Places-Things was recognized with a Spirit of Portland award for Best Business in 2016 by the Portland City Council.

Emanuel Miranda

Ricardo Miranda

Karuna Rai

Dr. Amos David Sahu

Dr. Amos David Sahu comes from a humble background in a town called Dehradun, India. Born to Christian evangelist parents, he was instilled with compassion for the underserved and grew up aspiring to be a Medical Doctor. After graduating high school life took him to Russia to pursue Medical School. Throughout medical school, Dr. Sahu was able to experience life and overcome many barriers like culture and language.

After graduating, he returned to India to work as a doctor. He had the opportunity to manage his father’s church & non-profit organization.

In 2018, he moved to the United States to pursue a medical residency.
He founded and is President of BIRDS (Blessing for Integrated Rural Development Society) in Portland, Oregon. His focus since his early days in medical school has been to serve the urban poor, people who are caught up in life and struggle to find time or resources to take care of themselves.

He aspired to bring meaningful change in educational access and meeting grassroots medical needs among local communities of color and immigrants through his profession as a doctor and the scope of work of BIRDS.

From the years of traveling and being an immigrant, while living in diverse communities all over the world, Dr.Sahu learned that communication, optimism, and pragmatism is the most effective form of care.

He speaks Russian, Ukrainian, Hindi, Marathi apart from English fluently and is actively learning Spanish.

His father, his role model, instilled a passion to look out for the ones who were in most need due to their situations in life and bring positive change to achieve holistic outcomes for society.

When not studying or taking care of patients, he loves to cook, read & research, volunteer, and play soccer.

Keanonie Seria

Charles Smith

Perry Takuhara

Perry Terukara is from the beautiful tropical island of Chuuk. One of the four states in The Federated States of Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean.  He has been here in Oregon State almost 20 years.  He is currently a part time student at Warner Pacific University and Portland Community College.  He served in the Army Reserve for 6 years.  He is a board member of COFA Alliance National Network, and staff of Rockwood CDC.  He advocates for his people in many settings. He works at a local church as a layman minister. His goal and passion in life is to help people and minister to their need.  His philosophy about life based on his belief, that human beings are the image bearer of an intelligent designer who wants to display goodness, fairness, inclusion, equity, and equality upon the earth.  All his community services and works for family, churches, and communities birth out from this belief.   

Eugene Wallace

Eugene J. Wallace has been called a, “Strategic Advantage,” by many of his clients. As founder and president of Family Business Advisers and owner of Excell Oregon, Eugene has integrated his experience as a husband, father, successful business owner, and his understanding of business and organizational theory, to forge a highly effective practice advising business leaders in the success and succession of their businesses. He works with clients as they discover where they want to take the business, determine, with candid clarity, what the current state of the business is and then to develop an intentional and wise plan in the pursuit of success and succession. He actively assists clients as they do the work to actually pursue excellence in business.

Eugene has invested more than 15 years of his life working in the field of education, as a faculty member, administrator and coach. He has earned three Masters Degrees focusing on Counseling, Human Development, and Philosophical and Theological Studies. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the YMCA of the Columbia-Willamette.