Meet Our Team
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Christy provides leadership and direction to all aspects of FACT Oregon, including strategic direction, partnership-building, operations, financial oversight, and programming. Christy joined FACT Oregon in 2007 and become part of the executive team in 2012. Over the past 14+ years, she has helped to transform FACT Oregon from a small, Portland-based grassroots nonprofit focused on supporting families experiencing developmental disability to a cross-disability statewide organization. As a parent of a youth experiencing disability, Christy understands firsthand the complexities of navigating disability, special education, and community systems and services and knows many of the challenges and opportunities that come when families hold high expectations, value youth self-determination, and relentlessly pursue whole, full lives. She brings her family’s experience, as well as over 20 years of experience in finance, administration, and human resources to the role of Executive Director for FACT Oregon. She is a 2008 Partners in Policy (PIP) graduate and serves on the State Rehabilitation Council and several subcommittees.
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Heather designs and develops curricula and strategic engagement efforts for FACT Oregon, including overseeing our Support services. She holds a M.Ed. from Southern Oregon University and a B.A. from the University of Portland. She lives in Southern Oregon and is the parent of a teenage son with autism, as well as a teacher and trainer who works to promote welcoming school communities. Currently, Heather serves as a member of the LifeCourse Ambassadors Community of Practice / Oregon LifeCourse which supports individuals in developing a vision for a good life in Oregon. She is chair of the State Advisory Council for Special Education (SACSE), which advises the State of unmet needs in the education of children with disabilities and aligns priorities with the Oregon Department of Education around equity, inclusion, and results. Heather is also on the Southern Oregon Early Learning Hub Agency Advisory, Dispute Resolution Committee and Jackson County EI/ECSE Early Intervention Council.
heather@factoregon.org
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Amy leads development efforts for FACT Oregon, as well as evaluates effectiveness and measures impact of the organization’s programming and services. She holds B.A. and M.S. degrees from Wellesley College and Columbia University. The mother of a teenage daughter with intellectual disability, Amy has been engaged in the disability family support arena since 2003. She led a family support group in New Jersey, volunteered as a prenatal diagnosis support peer, and co-authored a book for extended family members on supporting parents during and after a prenatal diagnosis. She sits on the Multnomah County IDD Advisory Committee and is a former trustee/board member for Down Syndrome Pregnancy, FACT Oregon, Network 21, and parent advisory board member of the New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education. Amy brings 15+ years of experience in development and communications work, mostly for disability nonprofits.
amy@factoregon.org
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Karen manages many of the business functions of FACT Oregon, with emphasis on administrative, HR, and accounting areas. She is the parent of an adult who experiences disability. She is a 2008 PIP graduate, and one of the initial creators of a school district special education advisory committee. She has prior experience in a special education law firm, and her personal experience has led to multiple opportunities to present to special education student teachers and support professionals on the importance of high expectations and planning for employment. Currently, she serves on a supported decision-making stakeholder workgroup with members from ODDS, Employment First, Oregon ABLE, and other support providers. She is also an SDRI board member, working to provide brokerage/DD support for adults 18 and over.
karen@factoregon.org
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Alison holds a B.A. in Psychology with a focus on early childhood education from Middlebury College in Vermont and is pursuing her M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling. She brings experience in process management and optimization, mental health and trauma survivor advocacy, and personal experience advocating for children experiencing disability. Alison is a parent to two young children, one of whom experiences autism and epilepsy. Through her experiences navigating the preschool and elementary school systems, she has become an avid supporter of inclusion and self-advocacy.
alison@factoregon.org
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Molly responds to support requests from family members and community partners that come into the Support Line by phone or email. She provides support may include multiple conversations or correspondence as they address areas of concern until the family or community partner feels the support need was met. Molly is the parent of a recent high school graduate who experiences disability. She is a 2008 PIP graduate and brings years of experience in business management and conference, convention, and event coordination. Currently, Molly sits on the Early Intervention Advisory Council for the Northwest Regional ESD. Her passion to affect change, expand awareness, and better equip families who experience disability has been a driving force in all of Molly's work.
molly@factoregon.org
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Whitnie Trost, a mother of six children, grandma to 9, her youngest son Christopher is a 20 year old who experiences Down syndrome and autism. Through her journey of supporting and advocating for him, she has served on several advocacy boards, is the disability awareness contact for her community of faith, is a Person Centered Plan facilitator, and is also a graduate of Oregon PIP. Her experiences as a friend, mother and coworker have allowed her to be able to connect with families with empathy, understanding, and patience. Whitnie has also participated in the Interfaith Disabilities Network of Oregon and served as the Disability Awareness specialist for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, serving Sherwood, Tigard and Tualatin.
whitnie@factoregon.org
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Alicia was born and raised in NE Portland, Oregon and graduated from Benson Polytechnic High School. She was an active athlete growing up playing basketball and soccer in high school and continued playing basketball in college, graduating from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. When she moved back to Portland after college, she began coaching high school basketball and working with youth and families in early childhood and in schools with special education students. This experience prepared her for the most important job of her life, being the mother of her two sons Dominic age 11 and Dyami age 10. Both boys are autistic, and the experiences of raising children with disabilities has changed the trajectory of her life. She stopped coaching basketball and has spent the past 10 years supporting families and helping them advocate for themselves and their children. As a woman of color, raising Black sons with disabilities, she feels it's important to discuss how the intersectionality of race and disability affect one's ability to live a full life without barriers. In their spare time, Alicia and her children like to watch movies together, play video games and have nerf gun fights.
alicia@factoregon.org
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Maria is a mother to three wonderful children who have taught her to see life in three very different ways through their growth. One of Maria’s greatest passions is welcoming new parents who share the unique experience of having a child who experiences a disability. She also likes to support parents to feel empowered and connected to support their children. Her passion developed when she first became a mother to her daughter who experiences Down syndrome, and it has led her to do the kind of work that she has done for the past ten years. Maria is excited to join the FACT Oregon team and to being able to continue supporting her community as the Bilingual Program Specialist.
maria.rangel@factoregon.org
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Heather Carleton is a huge fan of FACT Oregon and all this organization does for families experiencing disability across Oregon. She’s been attending FACT workshops and informational events since shortly after she and her family moved to Ashland Oregon in 2015. She is a self and family advocate, a mom and wife, a leader and listener. Her superpower is connecting folks within her community to resources and each other. During her twenty-year career in the entertainment industry, she brought people together through artistic expression. From the Nickelodeon compound in Hollywood, California, to the stages of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, she witnessed lives being enriched through fun and community building. Now that Southern Oregon is her permanent home, she has found a new avenue to assist individuals in their efforts to have an enriched life. She is already loosely woven into the support structure of the disability community, as a parent of children experiencing disability. She hopes to tighten the threads that bind her to this heart work, and in partnership with FACT Oregon, will continue to do so with an awareness of those additionally experiencing racial and financial in-Equities. She is honored to work alongside these amazing advocates, and alongside you.
heathercarleton@factoregon.org
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Britania was born and raised in Portland, OR. She is a mother of a five-year old boy who was diagnosed with Autism a year ago. Even though her son was just diagnosed, Britania knew her son was on the spectrum. She spent two years advocating and fighting for a diagnosis, so her son can receive the help and services that she knew he needed to be successful in life. During this journey, Britania realized how little she knew about the disability world and how many stigmas still existed in her community. Britania started researching different support groups and organizations, which led her to the Activate Your Advocacy Parent Leadership Advocacy training with FACT Oregon! After completing the training Britania felt empowered to continue her journey to become a strong advocate for her son and families alike. Her goal is to bring awareness to the Latinx community regarding resources, self-advocacy skills, and special education. She is enthusiastic to be part of the team!
britania@factoregon.org
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Dominique, Domie for short, is one of a few great Program Specialists at here at FACT Oregon. She strives to bring equity and inclusion to her son, and also make sure policies protect all families that experience disabilities. She hails from California but has been in the Portland Metro area for the past 22 years. Domie graduated from the AYA program and has since sat on parent information panels. She has immersed herself in the community by being part of four advisory councils and the Oregon PTA Chair of Diversity and Inclusion. Domie is excited to support families who want to see diversity as a gift and not an obstacle they have to overcome.
domie@factoregon.org
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Krystal Perkins (she/her) is the Communications Associate at FACT Oregon. With a background in legislative advocacy and public relations before spending years advocating for her child’s rights, Krystal is fresh off the bench of full-time parenting and excited to support other families of children with disabilities. A Portland native, in her spare time Krystal can be found hiking with her family, making up goofy rhymes with her kids, satisfying her manic English rose growing obsession, and catching up with her neighborhood moms group chat. Krystal’s heartfelt mission is to advance a world where every person is embraced with open arms, ensuring they are granted the opportunity to lead lives brimming with purpose and joy.
krystal@factoregon.org