Michael DeMarco, Executive Director
Serving as the lead staffer since the inception of the Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative, Michael has been involved in community organizing on and around 42nd Avenue for the better part of eight years. Born in New York and raised in California, Michael has lived in Portland for eleven years, after having lived and worked in a few different cities. His previous work experience is diverse, from furniture delivery to ranching, to youth education and social welfare programming. Michael holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Cal Poly Pomona, and a master's degree in community and regional planning from the University of British Columbia. He lives with his wife, Emily, and dog in Northeast Portland.

Laura Voss, Land & Development Manager

Born in a small town about an hour north of Chicago, Laura came to Portland sight unseen in 2012 to pursue good beer, her personal search for Sasquatch, and a bachelor's degree in community development from Portland State University. Laura began with Our 42nd as an AmeriCorps VISTA back in 2014, and has since graduated with her master's of urban and regional planning. In her spare time, Laura takes an excessive number of photos of her cat and goes on outdoor adventures with her awesome husband Ryan. Her favorite color is mustard yellow, and she holds an unwavering love for avocados. 

Theresia Munywoki, (com)motion Program Manager

Originally from Texas with family from Kenya, Theresia is excited to take part in developing and managing (com)motion- the brand new multi-use movement studio on 42nd Avenue.  With a long standing history of practicing and performing African dance and a more recent history of practicing and teaching yoga, she has developed a deep appreciation for physical movement and expression.  Since moving to Portland almost 3 years ago, she has found herself spending most of her time in the vicinity of 42nd Avenue - working at Miss Zumstein, Red Sauce Pizza, and the Side Yard Farm.  She is delighted to be managing this project as it is a wonderful way to bring movement arts to the Cully neighborhood and engage the community in connecting through movement. 

John Miller, Administrative Assistant

As the newest member of the organization, John is utilizing his much-varied background to work towards his quest of excellent community support.  Born in New Jersey and raised in the farmlands of Pennsylvania, John came to Portland 20 years ago to meet up with an old friend and never left! He is a single parent to his awesome 4 year old son, Sean and they currently reside in SW Portland.

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