About the Board of Directors
Interested in joining our Board of Directors? Learn more today!
The Board of Directors is a dynamic group of leaders committed to FACT Oregon’s mission, vision, and values. They actively champion and steward the organization to help us do the best work possible in pursuit of our goals to equip and empower families and transform disability. As an organization that is family-led, FACT Oregon’s board maintains a majority presence of parents of youth with disabilities and seeks to have diverse leadership that reflects the racial, cultural, geographic, and linguistic diversity of the families and communities we serve.
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President
A native Vermonter who now calls Oregon home, Kyle is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Secondary Special Education and Transition research unit at the University of Oregon. Kyle has been working with individuals experiencing disability since 2009 in a variety of roles including public-school special education teacher, special education field supervisor, and most recently as the Executive Director of a residential support program for college students experiencing disability. In all of these roles, Kyle has remained committed to a strengths-based, person-centered approach to foster and promote inclusive opportunities for all individuals to embark on fulfilling and productive lives. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, cycling, playing disc golf, listening to podcasts, and spending time with his two- and four-legged family members.
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Vice President
A native Portlander, Alexa Stuart is a project manager at Nike where she’s held multiple roles in Social & Community Impact. She holds degrees from Portland Community College, University of Northern Colorado, and the American University of Paris and has lived in France and China. Alexa and her husband are the proud parents of two awesome boys, including one who experiences a disability, who keeps them busy with school, play, sports, and mischief. She likes to spend time with her family, exploring the outdoors and global travel.
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Immediate Past President
Paul Carson specializes in learning and development programs for vulnerable healthcare populations and the clinicians who serve them. A native Oregonian and graduate of Portland State University, Paul works to provide greater awareness around challenging health conditions, advocating for health literacy responsiveness and improving patient experience with medications. He is a longtime member of Toastmasters International and a frequent public speaker. Paul and his wife Susan are parents to Anthony, a boy who makes the most of all his extra chromosomes. Paul is an enthusiastic advocate for disability rights and leads seminars on trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, and presentation skills improvement.
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Secretary
As a Leadership and Team Development Coach, Marissa equips emerging leaders in deep transition to become extraordinary. She is an ACC certified coach through the International Coaching Federation and holds a B.S. in Human Development and Psychology as well as a graduate certificate in Transformational Coaching. She is an affiliate of the Institute of Coaching Professionals at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Her background in education, nonprofits and community development have fostered a relentless passion in advocating for disability rights. Marissa and her husband are raising two energetic young boys, one who experiences disability. When not coaching, Marissa is often exploring new places and new trails with her family, either backpacking, hiking or simply enjoying a walk in their neighborhood trails on Mt. Tabor in SE Portland.
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Treasurer
Briana Parra is an administrative and project coordinator at the University of Oregon’s Secondary Special Education and Transition multidisciplinary research unit. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration with a focus on disability and has taken several graduate level Special Education courses, including content on transition planning. She spent much of the past two decades as a single parent to her daughter who experiences multiple disabilities, navigating special education, disability, and challenges accessing services in a rural community. Briana’s hope is to help bridge gaps between educators and families, empower families to embrace a dignity of risk mind frame regarding their child's independence, and lend a voice to the struggles faced by those in rural communities.
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Director
Cindi is a Senior Vice President at David Evans and Associates, Inc., where she currently serves as the Chief Administrative Officer. She is also a Principal at DEA’s sister company, Motus Collaborative, LLC, which specializes in organizational development. Cindi is a licensed attorney with extensive Board experience, including DEA’s parent company, David Evans Enterprises, Inc. since 2017, Disability Rights Oregon for six years, including four as Vice President, and the Children’s Cancer Association for six years.
Cindi’s interest in working with people experiencing disability started in college as an intern in the Disability Rights Division of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. Since 2010, she has been a passionate advocate for her son, who experiences Down syndrome.
Cindi lives in NE Portland with her husband, Kelly, children Kyliana and Athan, and three rambunctious dogs.
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Director
John has over a decade of expertise in relationship building and pipeline development as a Recruiter and Life Agent. He currently is the Director of Executive Search at Motus Recruiting in Oregon. John excels in identifying and recruiting top leaders from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented communities. He has worked in both private and public sectors, served as Governor Brown and the State of Oregon's Department of Human Services Executive Recruiter, Affirmative Action Representative, and Diversity Outreach Coordinator, and is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.
John enjoys being a lifelong learner and actively participating in his community. Currently, John is a student in Psychology with an emphasis in Adolescent Counseling. John has volunteered as a financial wellness and financial literacy trainer for youth and elders for the past 20 years, supported veterans with resume writing, mock interviews and mentored at-risk youth for several organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. He also loves playing and teaching drumming to youth.
John has a family member with autism, and wanted to learn how he can better support him. John was introduced to the mission and work of FACT Oregon through a fellow board member.
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Director
Mary Hart was born in Chicago and raised in a northern suburb of the city. She relocated to Oregon to attend Willamette University and moved to Portland after graduating. Mary is the Village Organizational Officer at Village Family Capital, a Portland-based growth-equity firm that supports the region’s top early-stage, profit-generating companies by filling an undersupplied gap with growth equity capital and value-add resources. She has 15 years of driving business results as a highly adaptable, organized, and efficient operator with a strategic business sense. She can balance the needs of partners, investors, business associates, and community members in a highly adaptable, entrepreneurial, and creative way. She is a problem solver who thrives on challenges and the opportunity to make a difference. Before joining VFC she was the Chief Operating Officer at Meriwether Group, before that she held a position at Lewis & Clark Law School, and served as a paralegal assistant in the local law firm, Stoll Berne. Though she does not have a direct association with disability, she is a very active advocate for the inclusion of people and families in the community that experience disability.
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Director
Connor W. Kavanaugh has practiced in the areas of Special Needs and Financial Planning since 2012. Originally from Seattle, he calls Oregon home after moving to Portland in 1996. Connor earned a degree in Finance from Portland State University in 2012 and also spent five seasons on the football field as an All-Conference quarterback for the Vikings. Connor is the founder of Palladio Consulting LLC, a financial planning firm that works exclusively with families in the disability community. He lives in SW Portland with his wife, Lexi, their daughter Dolly, son Palmer and their golden retriever, Hootie.
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Director
Annette is a Product Quality Manager at Nike, where she has previously served in various Engineering roles, striving to uphold apparel performance standards and product safety. She holds a degree from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Product Development.
Involved in her community and a firm believer in corporate responsibility and awareness, Annette launched a Nike Families support group chapter for parents and caregivers raising children experiencing disabilities.
A dedicated advocate for equitable special education services, Annette works to dismantle ableism and promote inclusivity in public school systems to better the lives of people experiencing disabilities and their families. She has spoken before the Oregon State Legislature, demanding lawmakers fully fund the Early Intervention Program, and with PPS Special Education sector to address special education staffing storages and increased benefits and wages for Educators.
Annette and her husband are proud parents to Hudson, who experiences intellectual disability, and epilepsy and is autistic. She and her family are outdoor enthusiasts – you can see them hiking, biking, and camping all over the Pacific NW.
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Director
Jan is a Product Category Director in Nike Footwear and has held many previous roles in adidas spanning 15yrs of apparel and accessories product development leadership. Jan holds a degree in Textile and Fashion design from the College of Textiles in Scotland, where she is originally from. Jan has lived in Oregon for the last 12 years and calls Portland home.
A passionate learner and a keen DEI supporter, Jan welcomes learning and developing and opportunities to uplift others, and advocate for change to ensure we are all growing together. Jan took on the role of DEI trainer and advocate of a fair and equitable hiring process while at adidas.
Jan is a single mum to Lennox who is bi-racial and autistic. The intersectionality of race and disability is one that drives Jan to make a difference and advocate for inclusion overall in life. FACT Oregon has been an important support and learning resource to Jan through its parent leadership training program, which helped activate her passion and energy to help break down ableism.
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Director
Margaret has been in the financial institution compliance and risk management field for over 20 years, working with credit unions, banks, and financial technology startups ranging in size from less than $150 million to more than $400 billion in assets. She joined OnPoint Community Credit Union in late August 2022 as their VP/Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Director.
Margaret is honored and excited to work with FACT Oregon and the many families it supports, as she and her husband are navigating parenthood with a child who experiences disability and both have grown up with and continue to support siblings who experience disability.
Margaret is an avid reader, hiker, and military brat who has called the Pacific Northwest home for the majority of her life. She and her husband of over 20 years have three children, four dogs, and a small farm where they raise grass-fed beef.
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Director
Allison is a parent of two sons with disabilities, age 8 and 21. Her professional background is in social work, with over 20 years experience serving children and families. Currently, Allison serves in an executive role on the Policy Council for Clackamas County Children's Commission. She is a former state representative with the Oregon Head Start Association and is both a Regional Representative and National Board Member of the National Head Start Association. Allison is a 2021 graduate of the FACT Oregon Activate your Advocacy parent leadership program.