Our Team

Program Manager

Originally from New York City with a background in Education and Counseling, Sherri worked for New York City’s Health and Hospitals Corp. She assisted with New York City’s efforts to provide emergency counseling for those affected by 9/11as well as the implementation of a therapeutic child care center for abused children. 

Since moving to Oregon, she has worked for many nonprofit agencies, designing curriculum and/or facilitating innovative programs such as Rethinking Job Search. This program, being the first job search program of its kind to focus on Cognitive Behavioral Training (CBT), was a collaboration between the Oregon Employment Department and Willamette Workforce Partnership. Prior to joining Uplift Oregon, she was contracted to work with the Department of Human Services to assist TANF recipients with engaging in culturally specific treatment resources. 

She currently teaches undergraduate-level courses, enjoys spending time with her family, movies, thrifting for new finds, and is passionate about ceramics and works out of a studio in her home.

Career Mobility Program Manager

Whitney Johnson is an avid dog lover with a background in Communications and Educational Program Direction. With more than a decade of experience in the non-profit sector and a wide variety of program development projects under her belt, Whitney has discovered that her greatest passion is helping people grow by brining them together to build systems of support that help them navigate the highs and lows of personal and professional growth. In her spare time, she is a runner, an outdoor enthusiast, and an improviser with a variety of groups in Portland. Whitney is thrilled to be continuing her professional journey with RISE Partnership and Uplift Oregon in the role of Career Mobility Program Manager and can’t wait to get to work!

Program Support Specialist

As the Program Support Specialist for Uplift Oregon, Raquel helps coordinate benefits trainings for state employees while assisting with data processes including data analysis, data entry, and systems maintenance. Prior to her position with Uplift Oregon, Raquel worked for the Department of Human Services at the State of Oregon and in various capacities in non-profit and for-profit settings. In her spare time, she enjoys visiting farmers markets, the Oregon coast, and fostering dogs. She is pursuing her MBA at Oregon State University.

Program Support Specialist

Program Support Specialist

Alexis is a graduate of Portland State University with a degree in World Languages and Literature. Following graduation, she relocated to Bogotá, Colombia, where she worked as a teacher and dedicated herself to various collectives doing grassroots media work by covering protests, national strikes, and elections as an international elections observer.

Alexis is interested in educating herself on the social and working conditions that migrant farm workers face in Oregon and Washington as well as committed to various projects supporting the reintegration of ex-combatants in Colombia. She likes to relax by translating texts from English to Spanish, weightlifting and going dancing when she can.

Communicator

Kat is the Communicator for Uplift Oregon, dedicated to educating state workers on Uplift’s offerings and building trust with our state and union partners. They are focused on meeting audiences where they are, building equity and accessibility into the foundation of all communications and helping people share their stories in an effective and impactful way. 

Kat is a non-binary individual who spends their time working to build and bolster trans community in Portland, Oregon, by providing resource education and assistance to those in need. In their free time, they love playing board games, trying new coffee shops and attending community events.