Christina Wienholz lives in Portland with her family. She began her work with the City of Portland in December of 2019. She is now part of 311 as a customer service representative. In addition to her work on the 311 team Christina is serving on the JVIC to provide protective supplies for people with disabilities and elders in our community. Prior to her beginning her work with the City, she graduated from the Resolutions NW Facilitation cohort and the City of Portland Disability Leadership Academy in 2017, and remains active in alumni activities. She is excited to be part of the Advisory Committee for the Bureau of Community and Civic Life because she wants to ensure that our city is the most inclusive and equitable it can be. She considers her greatest skill to be her commitment to consensus building and ensuring that all voices are heard. It is Christina’s belief that as people become invested in the decision making process they will be empowered, which helps the City to make decisions that consider all viewpoints.
Daniel Franco-Nunez was born in Guadalajara, Mexico before immigrating without legal authorization as an infant California in the late 1980s. Later in the mid-1990s the family moved to Oregon, where Daniel finished school and began his professional career. Daniel identifies as Hispanic/LatinX/Indigenous and uses Him/He pronouns. Most of his career choices were informed by his upbringing as an immigrant. Helping families and community members with interpretation, translation or simply navigating through the right paperwork are things Daniel has always taken pride in. Working with community and helping non-English speakers receive help has been at the core of all his professional and volunteer work. Daniel has worked in multiple public school districts in the Portland Metro area and private corporations that specialize in multicultural outreach and engagement. He is currently the longest serving human rights commissioner on the Portland Human Rights Commission. In the City of Portland he works as a Community Safety Coordinator and Community Advocate in the Emergency Coordination Center in response to COVID-19.
Jose Gomez is Peruvian and for five years he has lived and worked in Portland, Oregon. He is a specialist in social project management and investment studies in socio environmental responsibility, as well as providing community action support to native communities and local governments. Jose has experience in design and implementation of entrepreneurship programs for micro and small businesses. Certified instructor in disaster Prevention and Management programs. He has a Master’s in Social Responsibility and Social Management (Barcelona and Lima respectively). He is married and has three daughters.
KimberléaRuffu (she/her/ella) Urban and Public Affairs Major, PSU, Brooklyn Action Corps Board Member + Chair of BAC Equity and Social Justice Committee. Kimberléa is currently a non-traditional student in her senior year at Portland State University in Urban and Public Affairs with a minor in Black Studies. She plans on applying to Georgia Tech’s City and Regional Planning & Public Policy graduate program after taking a gap year to live in Central America to learn the Spanish language. She currently works as the President’s Equal Access Scholarship student mentor at Global Diversity and Inclusion at PSU. She is passionate about supporting the building of an equitable, sustainable, and joyful world with emphasis on how policy and urban design play a role in this goal. She rents an apartment with her fabulous partner and recently adopted kitten, Marceline.
Leina Gonzalez holds degrees in political science, law, and public policy from the University of Arizona, as well as an advanced degree in literature. Her unwavering commitment to civic engagement, and human rights informs her work at the City of Portland, which she joined in 2019, conjointly serving in the Office of Open and Accountable Elections and the Emergency Coordination Center.
Manijeh Mehrnoosh is originally from Iran, arrived in the US in 1986, and moved to Oregon in 1998. She Graduated from Unite Oregon’s Pan-Immigrant Leadership and Organizing Training (PILOT) Program in 2012. She has a Masters in Library Science from Iran. She is active in the Persian and Muslim communities. She is the Board Chair of Unite Oregon. She is also a board member of the Diversity Advisory Board in the City of Beaverton. She is fluent in Persian aka Farsi, English, and familiar with Arabic. She is working as an Oregon State court interpreter at the moment.
Stan Penkin was born and raised in New York and moved here with my wife Susanne in 2003. His education includes a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Lafayette College and a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from Columbia University. He has three daughters and six grandchildren in Portland. His career has been in construction and development, and in New York was engaged in community activities including a volunteer firefighter and fire commissioner. In Portland, his activities have included: chairmanship of two HOA boards; board of Portland Center Stage; Co-founder of the Oregon Arts and Culture Political Action Committee (artPAC); board of the Creative Advocacy Coalition; member of the Portland Plan/Comprehensive Plan Community Involvement Committee; Chair of the Arts Oversight Committee; and Board Secretary of the nonprofits Friendly Streets and Boom Arts. He is the immediate past President of Oregon Children’s Theater, President of the Pearl District Neighborhood Association, Vice President of NWNW Coalition and immediate past President of the Portland Public Safety Action Coalition. He is currently leading an advocacy group working with the nonprofit Harbor of Hope on homelessness solutions. Perkins served on the Civic Life BAC since 2018.