Our Team
We each come to this work with personal stories, professional expertise, and extraordinary passion. Meet the team at Safety and Justice Oregon that powers the state’s public safety and criminal justice reform movement.
Andy has been engaged in justice policy and law reform efforts for over 30 years. Prior to arriving at Partnership for Safety & Justice in 2014, he spent 15 years leading drug policy reform efforts at the Open Society Foundations, the American Civil Liberties Union, and ACLU of Washington. While in Seattle, he was founding director of the Drug Policy Reform Project, where he helped overhaul the state’s criminal sentencing scheme, develop Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD), and create and implement successful strategies for marijuana policy reform and ending the War on Drugs. Earlier in his career, Andy represented homeless and low-income people at the Legal Aid Society of New York City and at Columbia Legal Services in Washington. Andy also has served on the Boards of the National Harm Reduction Coalition, Street Outreach Services, and the National Network for Justice, among others. He is a graduate of Tufts University and New York University School of Law.
Aron joined our team in 2018 after volunteering with Partnership for Safety and Justice for several years, starting with his first Lobby Day in 2014. He spent 10 years supporting stigmatized populations and understands that rehabilitation is possible when people have access to help, communal support, and hope for the future. Aron has worked on a variety of campaigns, including California’s marriage equality campaign. When he’s not working, you can find Aron biking, ringing handbells, or partially finishing crossword puzzles.
Babak is a first-generation Iranian American who grew up in Beaverton, Oregon. After graduating from Portland State University with a master’s degree in criminology, he spent a decade dedicated to serving youth and families in the community, treatment centers, and correctional facilities. His lived experience with the criminal justice system drives his passion for justice, equity, and healing. Policy reform and community education, especially as it relates to Measure 11 and youth justice, are major areas of focus for Babak. Outside of social activism, Babak coaches the JV boys basketball team at West Linn High School. He spends his free time traveling the world with his wife and raising their two fur baby pups Rumi and Daisy and son Desmond Nasir.
Beth joined Partnership for Safety and Justice in 2023 with a background in nonprofit, campaign, and advocacy work. Prior to joining the team, Beth served as Director of Operations for the nonprofit public defense firm Multnomah Defenders, Inc. For over a decade, Beth was involved in the Girls Rock Camp movement where she organized youth programs and served as the Executive Director of Portland’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls. Throughout her career, she has supported survivors of domestic and sexual violence, starting as an advocate in her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, and later as a legal representative at Eugene’s Lane County Legal Aid. She is a graduate of College of Charleston and the University of Oregon School of Law. In her free time, Beth enjoys hiking Forest Park, adding to her record collection, and caring for her cat Lula.
Juli Ray is a mom, survivor, and racial justice advocate who uses her voice to speak up for change. She is the founder of Black Joy Oregon, a grassroots advocacy group that promotes Black joy, female leadership development, and culture throughout Oregon. Prior to joining Partnership for Safety & Justice, Juli Ray worked in social services, mental health, and community education. She also has experience as an organizer in the labor movement, and she has served as committee chair for the Salem-Keizer NAACP. In her role at PSJ, she will continue to work tirelessly to advance racial and economic justice locally and across the state. In her off-time, you can find her performing as a singer songwriter and traveling Oregon.
Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Keely is a first-generation Vietnamese American immigrant who is passionate about uplifting the wellbeing of communities impacted by structural and direct violence. Prior to joining the Partnership for Safety and Justice, Keely interned at the Inland Empire Immigrant Youth Collective, an undocumented youth-led grassroots organizations in Southern California; and Start: Empowerment, an environmental justice organization in New York City, working on social media campaigns to mobilize communities across multifaceted issues. When she is not working, she can be found exploring vegan restaurants and cafes and enjoying the diversity of food and drinks that Portland has to offer.
Michelle joined Safety & Justice in 2022 with a background in communications, journalism, fundraising, and organizing. Most recently, she was responsible for events and outreach at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Oregon. She has been involved in corrections reform for more than two decades, and as someone with family experience within the criminal justice system, it is her life’s work to help bring reform, particularly at the intersection of mental illness and substance use disorder and law enforcement. Michelle has lived in seven states and Mexico prior to moving to Portland in 2001. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering, seeing live music, destroying weeds, and socializing her rescue cat, Oscar.
Shannon has 30 years’ experience transforming criminal and juvenile justice systems in Oregon and Louisiana. As a policy advocate, strategist, and direct service provider, she’s led efforts to establish and implement many of the leading-edge public safety and criminal justice reforms of the past two decades. She co-founded the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana and served as Policy Director for Innocence Project New Orleans. In 2008, she began her role as Deputy Director at Partnership for Safety and Justice, where she sets and drives the organization’s integrated approach to reform, addressing the needs and rights of people who commit crimes, people who are victims of crime, and the families and communities of both. She is a proud single mom to a fabulous daughter and stepson.
Talia came to Partnership for Safety & Justice in 2016. Prior to joining the team, she spent the 2015 legislative session in Salem, after which she helped develop a broad public health and equity policy platform as campaign manager in a competitive local race. Earlier in her career, Talia spent about a decade as a crisis-response advocate for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and she spent another decade managing public health prevention education programs. She’s the grandchild of refugees, child of immigrants, and parent of a native Oregonian, all for whom she is working to build a more just and equitable world. Talia is a fan of nature walks, gluten, and the serial comma.
Interested in being part of our team?
Our Board of Directors
Aisling Coghlan
Born in Dublin and raised in Belfast, Aisling Coghlan first came to the United States to work on an Oregon legislative campaign as part of her undergraduate dissertation to Belfast’s Queens University. She has since become nationally recognized for her leadership roles in government, advocacy organizations, and political campaigns.
Aisling served as District Director for Congressman Earl Blumenauer and Chief of Staff to Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman, with whom she created and shepherded to victory the Portland’s Children’s Levy, one of the most successful and durable funding measures in the nation. On the campaign side, Aisling has led numerous statewide and local ballot measures, including making Oregon the first state in the nation to affirm sanctuary state status. As Executive Director of the Democratic Coordinated Campaign, she oversaw successful electoral campaigns for both statewide and legislative candidates. Among her many consulting positions for advocacy groups and local governments, she served as Interim Executive Director of Basic Rights Oregon, where her leadership advanced marriage equality in Oregon and beyond.
Arthur Towers
Arthur Towers has been working on issues of civil and economic justice since 1981. He is the Political Director for the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association where he is dedicated to preserving the civil rights of victims of elder abuse, child abuse, and sex abuse, as well as the seriously injured. Prior to that, he spent 14 years helping to lead the political program of the Service Employees International Union in Oregon focusing on the struggle for justice of low-wage working women and on health care reform. He joined our board in 2016 because of his commitment to the work that needs to be done at the intersection of poverty, health care, and mass incarceration. In his spare time, Arthur spends time with his wife Renee and their five grandchildren.
Dana Hepper
Dana works for the Children’s Institute where she has been the Director of Policy & Program since 2013. She previously worked for nine years at Stand for Children, where her most recent position was as National Director of Policy Development. Before that, she was Stand’s Advocacy Director and played a leading role in winning several key pieces of legislation to improve Oregon schools. Dana started her career as a pre-K and elementary school teacher. She graduated Barnard College with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Elementary Education.
Elona J Wilson
Elona has been serving on the Safety and Justice Oregon board since 2023.
Emma Kallaway
Emma is a Senior Consultant at Kinetic West. Prior to joining Kinetic West, Emma was the Government Relations Director at Portland Community College, Oregon’s largest higher education institution focused on equitable student success. Emma has a MBA with an emphasis in public policy and brings years of campaign experience to her Safety & Justice Oregon board role. In her free, time Emma can be found cooking with family or enjoying the outdoors.
Felisa Hagins
Felisa Hagins is the Political Director of the Service Employees International Union Local 49 (SEIU 49), representing 13,000 workers on issues that include health care reform and worker’s rights. She has a rich history of serving on the boards of health- and equity-related organizations where she exercises her commitment to health care reform and access to quality, affordable care for all Oregonians. Felisa also has years of electoral work experience on presidential campaigns, state legislative campaigns, and local governments in several states. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon where she studied history, Japanese, and English while gaining a passion for social justice and civic life that she carries forward in her work today.
Iris Maria Chávez
Iris Maria is a state and national public affairs consultant who’s committed to advancing equity by supporting sound, just policies that better communities. She came to the Pacific Northwest from Washington, D.C., where she worked for over a decade in education policy, civil rights, and advocacy for organizations such as the Education Trust and the League of United Latin American Citizens. She also has extensive volunteer experience in community engagement, equity, and enriching local neighborhoods’ quality of life. Iris Maria earned a BA from Tulane University and an MA in Social Policy from the University of Chicago.
Lamar Wise
Lamar is the Political Coordinator of Oregon AFSCME. In his earlier leadership roles at the Oregon Student Association, he was successful in passing all six of their 2017 priority legislative proposals, including the End Profiling bill, which Partnership for Safety and Justice strongly supported; the new law fortified existing anti-profiling laws and reduced the charges that can be made against people in possession amounts of small amounts of drugs. During the same legislative year, Lamar also helped secure an additional $100 million from the state budget toward higher education, thus preventing debilitating tuition hikes that leave college graduates with a lifetime of debt. He majored in political science at the University of Oregon, and he joined our board in 2017.
Ricardo Lujan Valerio
Ricardo is the Director of Government Affairs and Special Projects at Western Oregon University. His policy background is in immigration, education, election, and criminal justice. Ricardo has served as Director of Advocacy at Latino Network, Policy Associate for the ACLU of Oregon, and Legislative Director for the Oregon Student Association. He has been a leader in passing various state legislative priorities, including Driver Licenses for All (HB 2015) and Youth Sentencing Reform (SB 1008). More recently, he was a co-architect of the Oregon Worker Relief Fund, a multi-million-dollar disaster relief program for Oregon’s immigrant community. Ricardo was born in Netzahualcóyotl, Mexico, and graduated from Southern Oregon University with a BS in Business and a certificate in nonprofit management.
Robyn Steely
Robyn is a trainer, facilitator, and organizational consultant for social change, advocacy, and mission-based organizations. She previously worked electoral politics, issue advocacy, and the labor movement and served as Executive Director of Write Around Portland for 10 years. Robyn is a weekly volunteer at VOA’s Men’s Residential Center, an addiction treatment facility for men in the criminal justice system. She holds a degree in African-American studies from Washington University in St. Louis.
Consultants
Jacob Bell
Jacob is a diligent and hard-working researcher, policy analyst, and lobbyist at NW Public Affairs. He has worked for elected officials on Capitol Hill and the Oregon House of Representatives, but likes lobbying best. He thrives on bustling around the Capitol, meeting and getting to know a variety of interested parties, and the process of fine-tuning information into concise messages and reports.
His areas of expertise are strengthening mental health services, advancing policy for criminal justice reform and passing legislation to build permanent pathways for immigrants. He is currently serving as Co-Chair of the Human Services Coalition of Oregon. Learn more about Jacob here.
Maura Roche
Maura and Strategies Northwest provide clients a range of services aimed at advancing policies and strengthening organizations. They are dedicated to working for causes that truly matter: protecting reproductive rights, advocating equal rights for all people, and safeguarding the environment. For more than 25 years, they have worked with some of the most effective advocacy organizations. They have been organizers, political directors, public affairs directors, lobbyists, and executive directors. They have run and won numerous state legislative and ballot measure campaigns. While winning is the point, they pride themselves on the ways they build organizational and issue capacity along the way-positioning for the next opportunity or challenge.
Phil Donovan
Phil founded NW Public Affairs in 1999 and has grown it into one of the top government affairs firms in the state. In Oregon politics, Phil is known for motivating and inspiring those who work with him, bringing together diverse coalitions, his deep understanding of complex legislative and political issues, and his composure under pressure.
As the lead lobbyist and strategist at NW Public Affairs, Phil assists clients with strategic planning and leads major legislative efforts ranging from energy and tax policies to land use and capital construction. Phil has represented a number of high profile interests in the State Legislature that have led to K-12 and higher education reform, water resource development, and improvements in the delivery of health care. He has also managed winning campaigns at the local, state and federal levels.
Phil received a B.A. in Political Science with honors from the University of Oregon and was awarded the Koyl Cup, Student of the Year. Learn more about Phil here.