Leadership Council
Mike Lindberg
Portland City Commissioner
(1979-1996)
Mike Lindberg grew up in Astoria, OR, and graduated from the University of Oregon in 1964. From 1973-79, he was Director of Public Works and subsequently Director of Planning and Development for the City of Portland. Mike served on the Portland City Council from 1979 until 1997. Some of the achievements of those years included managing the following: •The Convention Center and Performing Arts Center, including the creation of the Metropolitan Exposition Recreation Commission, included being the city’s negotiator (along with Mayor Bud Clark) for constructing the Rose Garden Arena. •Parks and Recreation Bureau, which led the effort to build Pioneer Square and passed the first parks levy in 40 years. •Environmental Services Bureau, negotiating a complex clean-up plan for the Willamette River with the Environmental Quality Commission •Arts and Culture Commissioner, later becoming chair of the Oregon Arts Commission and winning the Governor’s Arts Award for the person in public service doing the most for the arts. •Emergency Management, leading the city’s efforts to respond to the Mt. St. Helen’s volcanic eruption and the largest ice storm in 50 years. •Water Bureau launched the initial water conservation programs, managed the city through the largest drought in 100 years, and obtained federal legislation banning logging in the Bull Run Watershed. The Archives and Records Management Division of the City Auditor’s Office operates the City of Portland Archives and Records Center, making city administrative and historical records accessible to the public and City employees. The Archives started the oral history program in 2022 to gather and preserve stories documenting the projects, activities, and policy decisions made by the City government. Mike was their inaugural interviewee.
Dave Bieter
Mayor of Boise
(2004-2020)
A Boise native, Dave practiced law in public and private practice in Boise and Sandpoint, Idaho, from 1990 to 2003. He also served in the Idaho Legislature from 1999 to 2003. He was elected the 55th Mayor of Boise in 2003 and served from 2004 until 2020, becoming Boise’s longest-serving mayor. He also served on the board of Boise’s urban renewal agency. During his tenure as mayor, the City of Boise built four neighborhood libraries, a multimodal transit center, and 15 new parks. Boise’s efforts to help the unsheltered during Mayor Bieter’s time in office included a free community detox and crisis mental health center where around 60% of the patients lack housing, Project CATCH, now the non-profit CATCH Inc., where churches and civic groups partnered with the city to give housing to families in need, and Idaho’s first housing first projects that house 70 chronic homeless individuals and veterans. Given Boise’s limited finances, Mayor Bieter developed a collaborative approach he often called “barn raisings” because without the help of area businesses, government, hospitals, and non-profits, success on issues as challenging as those surrounding homelessness was unattainable. Since leaving public office, Dave has been employed by Gardner Group, which develops residential, commercial, and industrial projects in the Boise area.
Mark Johnston
Appointed President Obama’s Assistant Secretary to Reduce Homelessness
Mark focused on homelessness throughout his 31-year career in the Federal government, which began as a Presidential Management Fellow. He served as the Deputy Director of the US Interagency Council on Homelessness and at HUD in various positions, including the director of the homeless office, Deputy Assistant Secretary, and for his last two years in Federal Service, President Obama asked him to serve as Assistant Secretary. In these various roles, he helped create HUD’s homelessness programs and policies. Mark has been recognized in multiple capacities for his service, including being awarded the Samuel J Heyman Service to America Medal. Since leaving Federal service in 2014, he has: 1) worked directly with various communities nationwide on reducing and ending homelessness; 2) served as commissioner and vice chair of the Salt Lake County housing authority; and 3) advised the Secretary of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, as the national Chair of VA’s Advisory Committee, on ending veteran homelessness and 4) most recently, served as the Jordan Country Director in the Middle East for Latter-day Saint Charities in strategically providing humanitarian aid.
Julia Orlando
Director of the Bergen County Housing Health and Human Services Center
Julia Orlando, CRC, Ed.M, MA, DRCC is the Director of the Bergen County Housing, Health and Human Services Center in Hackensack, NJ. The mission of this nationally recognized and award-winning Center is to end homelessness in Bergen County. In 2016, Ms. Orlando provided leadership for the successful community-wide effort to end veteran homelessness in Bergen County as part of the Mayor's Challenge. Bergen County is the first jurisdiction in the state and among the first 28 nationally to achieve this goal and was recognized at the White House for their successful contributions to the Opening Doors Initiative to end Veterans Homelessness. Ms. Orlando also provided leadership that led to Bergen County becoming the first in the nation in 2017 to successfully reach functional zero for chronic homelessness in Bergen County and the only community to date to sustain zero for more than four years. Ms. Orlando is the recipient of numerous awards including the 2023 New Jersey Women of Achievement Award from the New Jersey Federation of Women’s Clubs, 2022 and 2023 ROI Business Influencer, 2019 “Larry Inserra Leadership Award” from Holy Name Medical Center, “Hometown Hero” for the 5th District in NJ by Congressman Josh Gottheimer, “Distinguished Citizen of the Year” from the Hackensack Chamber of Commerce, “Woman of Action” award from the YWCA of Bergen County and the recipient of the “Citizen Community Service Award” by the Bergen County Bar Foundation. Ms. Orlando currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Trustees for New Bridge Medical Center and as an advisor to the NJ Coalition to End Homelessness. She has also been an adjunct professor at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College since 2012 and founded Julia Orlando Consulting, LLC in 2020 to help communities around the country achieve their goals to end homelessness.
Rep. Dr. Maxine Dexter
Chair of the Oregon House Committee on Housing and Homelessness
Maxine Dexter, MD, grew up in a working-class family, is the first in her family to go to college, and realized her dream of becoming a doctor with the support of her community, a union job, and a strong drive to succeed. She earned two BAs in Political Science and Editorial Journalism from the University of Washington, as well as her Medical Degree. She completed her residency, chief residency, and fellowship training at the University of Colorado and earned a Certificate in Public Health. Rep. Dexter served six years on the Northwest Permanente Board of Directors (2.5 years as the first female Chair of the Board in the company's history). She is a pulmonary and critical care physician, a mother, and a state representative who firmly believes we all have a right to health. Health includes strong schools, clean air, clean energy, and affordable healthcare and housing for all. She currently serves as Chair of the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness while continuing her work as a physician at Kaiser Permanente.
Rep. Dr. Thuy Tran
Oregon House
District 45
State Representative Dr. Thuy Tran’s family came to this country from South Vietnam when she was a young child. From growing up in a low-income, immigrant household, she understands the critical need for support families need to ensure they succeed, especially those who are living on low incomes, whose first language is one other than English, and/or are from BIPOC communities. Learning that historical policy decisions have systematically negatively affected families like hers led to Representative Tran’s desire to bring these perspectives into decision-making spaces. Through hard work and community investments, Representative Tran earned a doctoral degree in Optometry and opened her own small business and Optometry clinic – serving the residents of the NE Portland Hollywood neighborhood since 1994. She has continued her commitment to giving back to the community, serving on the Parkrose School Board and as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Oregon Air National Guard. Representative Tran is proud to represent House District 45 (Including NE and SE Portland, Maywood Park, Parkrose, Argay Terrace, Montavilla, and Cully) in the legislature, where she leads on health care access, criminal justice and victim advocacy, childcare and early learning, and ensuring opportunity for all. She proudly serves as Co-Vice-Chair of the House Committee On Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans. She also serves on the Joint and House Committees on Conduct, House Committee On Behavioral Health and Health Care, and House Committee On Judiciary. In her spare time, she enjoys mountaineering and spending time with her three adult children and partner.
Lisa Gomez
Chief Executive Officer
& Partner
Lisa Gomez brings nearly 30 years of experience in real estate development and finance to her position as L+M Development Partners’ Chief Executive Officer. In this role, she oversees the company's day-to-day operations and its construction and property management subsidiaries. Lisa also leads the company's growth strategy and has positioned L+M Development Partners as a nationally recognized affordable housing developer. She has been with L+M for over 15 years in various capacities, most recently as chief operating officer. Before joining L+M, Lisa was in senior management at the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC), overseeing $1 billion annually in bond financing and mortgage insurance. Lisa is interim Chair of the Dormitory of the State of NY (gubernatorial appointee), the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, and is a member of the Apollo Theater real estate committee, among others. She has also served on many civic and industry boards, including the NYC Planning Commission and the New York State Association for Affordable Housing. Lisa strives to help under-represented people find a path in commercial real estate through her work at L+M and volunteer activities.
Norm McGillivray
Founder Beddown
Brisbane, Australia
Norm McGillivray founded Beddown in late 2018 with a view of helping the homeless, particularly those who sleep rough. Norm’s dad lost his life homeless on the streets of London; he was aged 42 when he suffered a heart attack; Norm was 11 at the time. Nearly 40 years later, he was shocked to find out in 2018 that the average life expectancy of someone homeless sleeping rough in Australia was just 47 years of age. This was unacceptable to Norm, and he had to do something about it. Beddown looks to provide access to a bed through an innovative approach by activating accommodation at night in non-traditional empty, vacant, dormant, and under-utilized spaces that provide safety, shelter, security, services, and a great night’s sleep for our guests whilst treating people as people through empathy, compassion, and love. Collaborating with other value-added services such as medical, laundry, addiction services, employment services, and longer-term accommodation to help provide pathways out of homelessness that change and save people’s lives. Gaining national and international attention for Beddown, the first space activated was an empty car park in Brisbane CBD, which at night became a homeless shelter, a world’s first. He was nominated and a finalist for 2022 Australian of the Year Queensland, recognized as one of the Top 50 most inspirational men in Southeast Queensland 2023 and nominated for the Australian of the Year Queensland 2024. Originally from the UK, Norm’s background has seen him work in the Automotive Industry for Jaguar and Land Rover. In Australia, Norm has worked in Industry, Government, and the Not-for-Profit sectors, and he has a master’s in engineering business management.
Matt Wechter
San Diego County Public Defender & Homeless Court Program Director
Matt Wechter is a Deputy Public Defender with the San Diego Office of the Public Defender and Supervisor of PACC - the Pretrial Advocacy and Community Connections Unit. Matt acts as a liaison between the Public Defender, Superior Court, District Attorney, City Attorney, and Homeless Court Providers (HCPs), represents San Diego's homeless population during monthly Homeless Court sessions and resource fairs, and executes the annual Homeless Court @ Stand Down, San Diego's annual 3-day homeless veteran event. Matt is also a member of the San Diego County Continuum of Care Advisory Board, Alternatives to Incarceration Workgroup, and an Advisor to the American Bar Association’s Commission on Homelessness and Poverty, which provides policy guidance and technical assistance to replicate the ABA/San Diego HCP model in jurisdictions across the country, including most recently Portland, OR. At heart, Matt is a technology junkie - leveraging high-tech solutions where possible to support efficiencies with tight resources and to serve as many clients as possible to work toward housing as many people as possible.
Shelter Now
Dignity begins with a
safe place to live.
We are an alliance of organizations and individuals working collectively across sectors to achieve SHELTER NOW. We’re learning, organizing, and building power and visibility to effectively advocate for diverse housing solutions for diverse community needs. Our Core Team, represented by people with lived experience of houselessness, business, community-based organizations, service providers, neighborhoods, and, serves as the coordinating body, providing governance, strategy, and advocacy leadership. Action Teams are engaged in multiple public initiatives and opportunities to advance solutions.
Board of Directors
Keith Wilson
Founder & Chair
President & CEO of TITAN Freight Systems
Portland is in a homelessness and housing state of emergency. Keith founded Shelter Portland to end the most devastating effects of this emergency, unsheltered homelessness. With many of his neighbors, high school classmates, and friends suffering from unsheltered homelessness, he is creating a network of nighttime shelters to ensure no Portlander, regardless of who they are, suffers the cruelty and inhumanity of sleeping on the streets. He has traveled the country and globe for many years, studying how other jurisdictions have ended unsheltered homelessness. He has assembled a Board of Directors and a Leadership Council of national and international homeless and housing experts to provide advice, counsel, and their own housing and homeless best practices and success stories. This extraordinary group of experts has joined him to help end unsheltered homelessness in Portland. Keith is an operations, process, and systems improvement expert and holds a Lean Six Sigma black belt certification, the highest level. He obtained a Master of Business Administration at the University of Portland with an emphasis in operations and technology and a Bachelor of Science in Business at Oregon State University. Keith spearheaded the creation and implementation of the Homeless Court Program of Multnomah County. Launching in early 2024, the program, modeled from successful programs operating around the country, will play a key role in disrupting the cycle of poverty and homelessness by incentivizing, rather than coercing, people to participate in a program operated by experienced local homeless service providers. The program paves the way for people to obtain housing and employment and ultimately reintegrate into society. As President & CEO of TITAN Freight Systems, a regional transportation company with operations throughout Oregon, Washington, and Idaho since 2004, he has demonstrated innovative and visionary leadership with many accomplishments and awards. Implementing artificial intelligence and edge computing to meet Vision Zero goals has resulted in zero injury accidents over five years and a near-perfect Oregon SAIF worker injury experience rating. TITAN is also the first carrier in Oregon to remove fossil fuels from nearly its entire statewide operation, replacing the use of petroleum diesel with renewable diesel, a second-generation renewable that reduces greenhouse gases up to 80%, and, in 2023, was the first carrier in Oregon to operate a fleet of heavy-duty electric vehicles. TITAN is also the first transportation company in the nation to earn a B Corp designation, whose rigid standards require its members to focus on people, communities, and the planet – making business a force for good. These firsts and many others have resulted in TITAN being named National Innovator of the Year by Heavy Duty Trucking Magazine in 2022 and Commercial Carrier Journal in 2021. Keith is dedicated to lifting up every voice in his community. As the vice chair of the board of directors for Word is Bond, whose mission is, “What if young Black Men were empowered to their fullest potential?” He mentors Portland’s future leaders. As a longtime volunteer for Transition Projects, one of Portland’s largest homeless service providers, he mentors homeless vets and Rent Well students to help gain housing; he is a member of the board of Clackamas Workforce Partnership and Oregon State University Business School Dean’s Council of Excellence Advisory Committee. He volunteers his time, treasure, and talent to apply his innovation-driven approach to improve society and people's lives. As an executive committee member of the US High-Speed Rail Coalition and International Road Federation board member, he works with city, state, federal, and international officials to advance technology to reduce congestion and put the “RAPID” back in rapid transit. An experienced advocate for the environment, he is also the founder and director of Breathe Easy Oregon, a political action committee. As the chief petitioner on several clean energy bills, one of which moved out of committee with unanimous and bipartisan support and passed in the 2023 legislature, he is focused on advancing legislation that ensures Oregon’s economy performs at a high level, with the twin achievements of delivering lower costs to all Oregonians and protecting our natural resources. Growing up in North Portland and graduating from Roosevelt High School, Keith lives with his wife Katherine and children, Lilianna and Noah, in beautiful Northeast Portland.
Matt Huff
Executive Director & Board Member
Pastor of Church of Central Nazarene
Matt is an East Coast transplant to the Northwest. He grew up in West Virginia – almost heaven! But Oregon has been home for over 15 years. He and his wife love the Pacific Northwest and have two great kids – both teenagers. While Matt was in seminary, he worked as a chaplain at Kansas City Rescue Mission, where he developed a passion to reach and serve those in poverty and homelessness and walk with them into a new and stable life. After seminary, he took a church in Prineville, OR, which at the time was in one of the poorest counties with some of the highest unemployment rates in the state. There, he developed a faith-based recovery group, worked with the city to create a shelter, and started Redemption House Ministries (a shelter and program for people experiencing homelessness in that community). Matt and his family moved to Portland about ten years ago to pastor Central Nazarene. Soon after taking the church in SE Portland, Matt and the church saw the growing need to better love their neighbors, many of whom were unhoused. This led them down the path to starting Agape Village, a transitional shelter consisting of 15 sleeping pods meant to provide some stability to their neighbors. That work has since grown to include outreach services, winter shelter, transitional programming, and retention work, all in an effort to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness.
Chris Aisoa
Board Member & Founding Executive Director of Do Good Multnomah
Chris is an Air Force Veteran and the founding executive director of Do Good Multnomah, who launched their first shelter program—13 beds in Downtown Portland—on Veterans Day 2015. Do Good Multnomah grew to become the leading provider of shelter for vulnerable metro area Veterans, a developer of affordable housing, and a leading voice in housing policy. With a wealth of experience in community development and affordable housing solutions, Chris, as the Founder and former Executive Director of Do Good Multnomah, played a pivotal role in formulating and executing programs that delivered responsible, fair, and Veteran-centric services to the community. Chris’s leadership propelled Do Good Multnomah to achieve remarkable progress in bolstering affordable housing and support services, establishing a lasting impact in the Pacific Northwest. Chris continues to collaborate with community members in constructing high-quality, affordable housing projects across the Pacific Northwest. Chris's unwavering commitment to social equity, devotion to community welfare, and proven leadership skills make him an invaluable asset for any organization seeking support.
Andy Goebel
Board Member & Chief Executive Officer Sunstone Way
Originally hailing from the great state of Michigan, this podcast fanatic and die-hard fan of the Detroit Lions fell in love with the Rose City when he and his family moved here over a decade ago, and now he’s all about neighborhood life in their beloved North Portland. Originally trained in Secondary Education at Western Washington University, Andy was called from teaching high school to seminary at North Park Theological Seminary in 2004, where he received his MDiv in 2007. He went on to help found Portsmouth Union Church—a progressive and inclusive congregation that has hosted winter shelters for people experiencing houselessness and is currently building 20 units of affordable housing on their property to house the same population. Before moving into a full-time role at All Good Northwest, Andy served as the Director of Emergency Management for Do Good Multnomah, where he provided program design, leadership, and oversight for sheltering services in congregate, motel, and village-model settings. Andy is passionate about his family, social justice, cycling, music, binge-worthy television, and being a part of the solution to one of the biggest issues in our beloved city—that of housing and houselessness.
Buchi Arevalo-Asemota
Board Member &
Co-Founder & CEO of Our Streets
Buchi Asemota, originally from Lagos, Nigeria, currently serves as the CEO of Our Streets, a nonprofit organization based in Portland. With a diverse background as a previous educator, Buchi brings a unique and comprehensive skill set to his role. Committed to addressing and dismantling systemic societal issues, Buchi leads the effort to provide daily meals to over 1,000 unhoused individuals in the Portland community. Beyond his work at Our Streets, Buchi also chairs the Oregon Commission for Black Affairs, where he tirelessly advocates for equitable policies. He is known for his strategic approach and empathetic leadership style, enabling him to foster unity within the community and devise actionable solutions to systemic challenges. Outside of his professional commitments, Buchi deeply values the bonds he shares with his chosen family and community, recognizing their critical role in effecting meaningful change. His impact extends far beyond the city of Portland as he continues to advocate for marginalized communities and work towards creating a more just and inclusive society.
Lance Orton
Board Member & Executive Director of CityTeam Portland
Lance Orton is currently the Executive Director of CityTeam Portland, which serves Portland's most vulnerable populations through emergency shelter, restorative residential programs and transitional housing. CityTeam also operates Night Strike, a 21 year Portland legacy event under the Burnside Bridge which provides a safe environment for volunteers to work directly with our unhoused populations, providing them with pathways to shelter and self-sufficiency. Lance also serves as Vice President of the Central Eastside Together board which functions as the Enhanced Services District governing body for the central eastside neighborhood. Born in Newport Beach, California in 1975, he has been an Oregon resident since 2015 and has a deep love for the Pacific Northwest. Lance has a bachelor's degree from San Diego State University in Business Management and years of leadership experience. In 2018, due to an opioid addiction, he became homeless here in the central eastside and has since committed his life's work to revitalizing Portland through his own lived experience. He is recently married to Andrea Orton and resides in the west hills of Portland.
Janie Gullickson
Executive Director Mental Health &
Addiction Association of Oregon
Janie is a person in long-term recovery and for her means she has not used alcohol or other drugs in over 16 years. Janie is in recovery from both addiction and serious mental health issues as well as chronic homelessness, incarceration, and criminal justice involvement. She navigated all types of systems and institutions that can accompany such life experiences, from frequent hospitalizations to prison. Janie first began her work as a Peer Support Specialist/Recovery Mentor in 2011. Janie joined the peer-run organization The Mental Health & Addiction Association of Oregon (MHAAO) as a project assistant in 2014 and in May of 2017 Janie became MHAAO’s Executive Director. She also earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Social & Behavioral Health Sciences from Linfield College in 2014 and her Master of Public Administration: Health Administration (MPA: HA) degree from Portland State University in June of 2017. Janie is Granny to 20 incredible humans she is obsessed with, loves hiking (when not in the middle of it) and is extremely passionate about social justice issues with a focus on mental health and addiction issues & recovery, peer programs and services and advocacy in these realms.
Dan Steffey
Special Advisor to the Board of Directors
Assistant to Portland City Mayor Bud Clark
Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness Program Administrator With a distinguished career that has spanned more than half a century, J. Daniel (Dan) Steffey, has consistently engaged in work that furthered the goal of enabling people to marshal their personal assets to improve their lives. That work began in 1967 and has continued with a highly successful career producing and preserving over 3,000 affordable housing units in multiple states in the West. His work assisted two companies to be recognized among the nation’s Top 50 Affordable Housing Developers. He has founded programs serving people with disabilities, implemented the nationally recognized Mayor’s 12-Point Plan for the Homeless for Portland Mayor J.D. “Bud” Clark, and served on a number of government advisory commissions and non-profit boards. He currently focuses largely on assisting developers interested in responding to the affordable housing crisis. He continues to champion a model of an intergenerational multifamily housing concept which provides intentionally intergenerational housing embracing resident interdependence designed to engage and benefit all residents regardless of age, financial status, cultural heritage, racial and gender identity, sexual orientation or religious practices and beliefs.
Kristopher Taft
Executive Secretary to the Board of Directors
After graduating from Lewis and Clark College with a BA in History and, a few years later, with a master's in education, Kristopher started teaching for the Beaverton School District. After only a year, he left the US to live and work in Sevilla, Spain, teaching students and adults English as a second language. After two years abroad, he returned to Portland and continued working in various educational settings for the Beaverton School District. In the final years of his teaching career, Kristopher coached and mentored new teachers for the Teach for Beaverton Program, a collaboration between Oregon State University and the Beaverton School District. As a volunteer, Kristopher served as chair of the governance committee for the International School of Portland’s board of trustees and also helps out at the Blanchet House, serving meals. After teaching for over twenty years, Kristopher left teaching at the beginning of 2021 and has been pursuing other projects and interests. When not at work, he spends time hiking, skiing, and exploring the great Pacific Northwest with his wife, tenth-grade son, and seventh-grade daughter.
