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Get to know the folks who support Mayor Keith Wilson in solving problems and operating high-quality services for Portlanders.
Brenda Alvarado, Senior Aide/Immigrant Affairs Lead
Pronouns: She/ Her
As a Senior Aide to Mayor Wilson, Brenda Alvarado brings lived and impacted experience to advance the City of Portland's sanctuary efforts and support immigrant and refugee communities. As the City's first Immigrant Affairs Lead, she provides centralized leadership and policy guidance to ensure implementation and ongoing compliance with state and local sanctuary protections, while strengthening citywide preparedness and expanding access to resources for immigrants, refugees, and mixed-status households.
Brenda has extensive experience in immigrant rights advocacy, policy implementation, and cross-agency collaboration, including her work with the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition (PIRC), where she led statewide programs, launched the PIRC Immigrant Resource Center outside the ICE facility, and supported hundreds of community members navigating immigration enforcement. She also brings federal legislative experience from her roles with Congressperson Suzanne Bonamici and Congressperson Peter DeFazio, where she advised on immigration policy and led culturally specific, trauma-informed constituent services. Brenda's work is grounded in equity, anti-racism, and community partnership, and she is committed to ensuring all Portlanders can live with safety, dignity, and access to the resources and protections they deserve.
Krishna Anand, Council Liaison
Pronouns: he/him
As the council liaison in Mayor Wilson's office, Krishna's main responsibilities involve tracking legislation from city council, communicating with city councilors and their staff to find alignment, and ensuring open lines of communication between the mayor and city council offices.
Krishna served as a Community Development Program Manager at Unite Oregon, where he focused on policy advocacy related to housing and economic development. Before that, he managed a workforce-related grant in partnership with OHSU and United We Heal. His roles as research assistant and member of the Erb Memorial Union Policy Committee helped contribute to legislation and the appropriation of a $19 million budget for essential campus services.
With a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Oregon, Krishna recently completed a fellowship at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy in Quantitative Research Methods and Data Analytics. He is a native and lifelong resident of Portland, dedicated to promoting transparency, maintaining open communication, and working in good faith to meet the needs of our constituents.
Raihana Ansary, Deputy Chief of Staff
Pronouns: she/her
As deputy chief of staff, Raihana (pronounced Ray-ha-na) works to advance Mayor Keith Wilson’s community and economic development priorities and is a liaison to community-based organizations and the business community.
Previously, Raihana worked as Portland General Electric's local government affairs manager. Before that, she led Governor Kate Brown's community and economic development team for the Greater Portland region and was government relations manager for what is now the Portland Metro Chamber. In Portland Mayor Sam Adams' office, she provided policy support for initiatives like the Portland Plan and the City's Economic Development Strategy.
She holds a Master's in Urban and Regional Planning with a Real Estate Development Certificate from Portland State University and a Bachelor's in International Studies and Political Science from the University of Oregon. She grew up in Northeast Portland and enjoys exploring cities and the outdoors with her husband and two daughters.
Aisling Coghlan, Chief of Staff
Pronouns: she/her
As chief of staff, Aisling (pronounced “Ashling”) works closely with Mayor Wilson to advance his agenda to end unsheltered homelessness and restore public safety, health and confidence.
Aisling has deep experience in local politics and public service. She played a key role in creating and passing Portland’s successful Children’s Levy and led numerous statewide and local ballot measures, such as Oregon’s sanctuary state status affirmation. She has served as a consultant to advocacy groups and local governments – including as the Interim Executive Director of Basic Rights Oregon, where she advocated for marriage equality.
Grace Galvez Mora, Executive Assistant
Pronouns: she/her
As executive assistant, Grace supports day-to-day operations for Mayor Wilson’s office.
Grace brings a wealth of experience in supporting high-profile elected officials and leading operational excellence. As Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations Director, and Executive Assistant to Commissioner Rene Gonzalez, she played a key role in managing strategic priorities, optimizing workflows, and driving organizational efficiency.
Her expertise extends to logistics and large-scale operations, having served as an Operations Manager at Amazon, where she led cross-functional teams, ensured operational precision, and delivered results in fast-paced, high-pressure environments.
Kristopher Taft, Senior Aide
Pronouns: he/him
As senior aide, Kris uses his communication, organization, and education skills to support Mayor Wilson and his priorities.
Kris managed Mayor Wilson’s campaign and led his transition team. With a deep background in education and mentoring, he has advocated and fought for students for over two decades. He also volunteers for Shelter Portland.
Taylor Zajonc, Deputy Chief of Staff
Pronouns: he/him
Taylor served as Mayor Wilson's campaign Communications Director and now supports the Office of the Mayor with public and media relations strategy, constituent support, and other critical community-facing roles.
In addition to his work for Mayor Wilson, Taylor is an award-winning novelist, children's author, and former finalist for the Oregon Book Award/Ken Kesey Award for Fiction. His varied career has included deep-sea recovery operations, historical archival research, wilderness search and rescue missions, and various roles in the financial sector.
How to pronounce "Zajonc"