ABOUT US
Oregon Community Partnership (OCP)
The Oregon Community Partnership is a non-profit that promotes the use of the iSector as a platform to enable leaders in communities throughout the state to address challenges and seize opportunities to build a thriving Oregon.
Partnerships are not always easy. The public, private and civic sectors have different modes of operating, different incentives, different constraints, etc. To help overcome these challenges OCP has developed the iSector partnership model and a set of principles to guide these kinds of partnerships.
OCP provides leaders with the tools, knowledge, and support to employ iSector partnerships including the following:
- Serves as a Broker – an intermediary that connects leaders from across sectors to help them form iSector partnerships
- Advises and supports leaders with needed expertise about initiating and conducting iSector partnerships
- Serves as a host for iSector partnerships, as needed, assisting by leveraging resources and creating needed infrastructure
- Promotes sound operating principles and practices for iSector partnerships
- Advocates for iSector partnerships – promotes policies, develops systems, and secures resources to support the iSector platform
- Helps investors find co-investment partners from other sectors to enhance and broaden their impact
- Supports a network of leaders from key institutions and sectors across Oregon who cooperate in helping launch iSector partnerships
“The public sector may no longer be capable of solving big problems by itself. The nonprofit sector may want for authority and resources alike. And the private sector may be primarily motivated by profits. But in the end, their interests are intertwined, because the success of each, indeed, of the great American experiment itself, depends on finding new ways to address the many challenges before us.”
Board Members
The OCP Board is made up of members from across sectors who have experience initiating and supporting cross-sector partnerships.
Chris Carlson
Board Member
Chris served as Executive Director of the Policy Consensus Initiative (PCI) a national, non-profit composed of elected leaders from around the country that helped initiate collaborative systems for addressing challenging issues in state governments. During that time, PCI sponsored the formation of the National Policy Consensus Center at Portland State University as well as the University Network for Collaborative Governance. Chris was the founding Executive Director of the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution. Prior to that, she served as a Program Officer at the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. Chris has also served as a local elected official.
Mike Cully
Board Member
Mike is the Executive Director for the League of Oregon Cities, Prior to his appointment with the League, Cully served as the CEO for San Diego North Economic Development Council (SDNEDC). He previously worked as President & CEO of the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce, President and CEO of the Visalia Chamber of Commerce and worked for more than a decade in on-air television for affiliates around the country. He was awarded the “Executive of the Year” award by the Central CA region of the Public Relations Society of America and was publicly recognized by the CA State Assembly for his public and government service.
Dr. Ernesto Fonseca
Board Member
Ernesto is the Chief Executive Officer of Hacienda, an Oregon Community Development Corporation and Social Enterprise that advances the livability, health, and economic progress of underserved communities in the Pacific Northwest. Ernesto has dedicated the last 16 years of his career to the development of high-quality, affordable housing and social services in Mexico and the United States. Ernesto brings ample experience in community development, housing, and energy access from his time working with the Housing Authority of Maricopa County and the City of Avondale, and Arizona State University. Ernesto holds an MS in Energy Performance and Climate Responsive Architecture, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Design and Planning from Arizona State University.
Whitney Grubbs
Board Member
Whitney is a strategist, leader, and collaborator who has worked in education and public policy in Oregon for fifteen years and is the Executive Director of Foundations for a Better Oregon (FBO). She leads FBO’s program, policy, and strategy development; engages with Oregonians statewide to better understand community values and priorities; and forges public, private, and civic partnerships that pursue a more just future for children and families. Whitney previously championed strategic investments in children and schools as a senior policy advisor and Director of State & Regional Alignment for Governor John Kitzhaber, and as Chief of Staff and Legislative Director for the Oregon Education Investment Board.
Megan Loeb
Board Member
Megan serves as the Program Officer for Economic Vitality & Health at the Oregon Community Foundation. Megan’s work experience includes grantmaking and education initiatives in the field of corporate social responsibility. She has worked with high-tech companies to strengthen their community involvement through charitable giving and corporate foundation grants. She has also led numerous initiatives focused on improving K-12 education, from grant-making to program development and management.
Bobby Lee
Board Member
In early 2021, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler appointed Bobby Lee to serve as his Chief of Staff. Bobby previously served as Director of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development and Director of Economic Development for Prosper Portland. At the state level, Bobby served two Oregon governors, focusing on regional economic and community development issues.
Gina Firman Nikkel, MS, Ph.D.
Board Member
Dr. Nikkel is the Executive Director of the Association of Oregon Counties and an Associate Clinical Professor in Psychiatry at Oregon Health and Sciences University. She formerly served as the President and CEO of the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care, The Executive Director of the Association of Oregon Counties Mental Health Programs and has worked extensively in mental health and addictions policy, leadership and management, health care financing, development, and political advocacy. Gina also served as a Tillamook County Commissioner and as Vice-President of the Association of Oregon Counties, working with the National Association of Counties in Water Policy and Human Services.
Kate Sinner
Board Member
Kate has spent two decades in public policy and strategic partnership roles within the public sector. She began her career as campaign and Capitol Hill staff in Washington, DC. Kate served as the Director of Federal Relations at Oregon State University (OSU) for seven years, where she developed and executed OSU’s federal program that included policy and budget and spearheaded OSU’s effort to enhance federal research awards. In 2014, Governor John Kitzhaber appointed Kate to serve as North Central Regional Solutions Coordinator, where she led the Governor’s Regional Solutions Team in North Central Oregon. Kate served as Governor Kate Brown’s Deputy Legislative Director. Kate’s current position is Manager for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Business Oregon. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University.
Greg Wolf
Executive Director
Greg Wolf – Greg brings more than 35 years of experience working in state and local government and extensive expertise in collaborative processes. Mr. Wolf currently serves as the Director of the Oregon Community Partnership. Prior to that he founded and directed the County Solutions Program at the Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) which supports County Commissioners in their Convening role. Before coming to AOC he served as the Governor’s Regional Solutions and Intergovernmental Director. He has also served as the Deputy Director of Department of Land Conservation and Development. Mr. Wolf was the founding Director of Portland State University’s National Policy Consensus Center as well as founder and Director of Oregon Solutions and Oregon Consensus. Mr. Wolf served for seven years as the Community Policy Advisor as well as Dispute Resolution Advisor for Oregon’s Governor. Mr. Wolf is a native Oregonian and a graduate of the University of Oregon Honors College
Champions for Partnerships
The following organizations join Oregon Community Partnership in championing the use of public-private-civic partnerships to enable groups to work together to integrate and leverage their resources to achieve better outcomes for Oregon communities.
