Staff
is the Executive Director at Children First for Oregon. Robin is responsible for the strategic direction and growth of the organization. She oversees management of personnel, fiscal policy & budgeting, fund raising, policy and program development, advocacy, legal and fiduciary compliance, public relations, networking and board development.
As a member of Voices for America’s Children’s Health Policy Advisory Team, Robin is directly involved in the organization’s interaction with Oregon’s congressional delegation and has lead CFFO’s efforts in support of SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program) expansion at the federal level. Robin also serves on the Kids Count National Steering Committee for the Annie E. Casey foundation.
Prior to joining Children First, Robin spent over 20 years in the corporate world including 11 years at Fred Meyer. She was executive director of The Fred Meyer Foundation from 1998 – 2001 where she developed & implemented the initial grant making strategies and policies for the foundation. As a long-time community volunteer, Robin has served as president of the parent organization at the elementary and middle school level, chaired a district-wide coalition of parent leaders, served on the board of several local Portland nonprofit agencies and been a reading mentor for The Oregon Children Foundation’s SMART (Start Making A Reader Today) program.
Robin graduated from Ithaca College and pursued graduate studies at San Francisco State University and the State University of California at Los Angeles. A native New Yorker, Robin spent 13 years in California and has been in Oregon for over 18 years and considers it home.
, Policy & Communications Director, is responsible for Children First’s policy agenda, policy publications, and public education and media outreach efforts. She has a B.A. in English Literature and Political Science from the University of Tampa (1995) and a Masters of Social Work from Portland State University (2003), with a focus in community organizing and additional graduate-level coursework in policy analysis and program evaluation. Before joining the staff of Children First for Oregon, Cathy worked as a researcher at Portland State University’s Child Welfare Partnership for 6 years. Cathy’s research and policy analysis experience and interests have focused on child welfare, particularly child neglect, the needs of foster youth transitioning to adulthood, policies and programs to promote the financial stability of families, and the portrayal of social issues in the media and the resulting impact on public policy. Cathy has been an active and committed community volunteer. She has served on the Steering Committee of the Social Welfare Action Alliance, Co-Directed the Portland GreenMap project and volunteered for SMART (Start Making a Reader Today) and the Community Alliance of Tenants.
, Policy Assistant, is responsible for supporting Children First’s policy agenda, assisting public education and media outreach efforts, and helping to produce the organization’s various publications. He graduated from Haverford College outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2006, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Music. His senior economics thesis examined the impact of Measure 5 on Oregon students’ performance during the 1990s. The study looked at both the change of school funding sources as a result of the measure, as well as student test score trends over that period. Before joining Children First, Ben has worked or volunteered with Arras, Inc., The Nature Conservancy of Oregon, and Senator Ron Wyden’s Portland office.
, Development and Marketing Assistant, is responsible for Children First’s internal operations with regards to development and marketing efforts and also for the overall efficiency of the organization. She graduated Cum Laude from the University of Oregon in 2007, with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Business Administration. Pamela was actively involved in the UO Marching Band, the Druids Junior Honor Society, and the Mortar Board Senior Honor Society. Pamela has been a national spokesperson for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for the past 5 years and continues that work today. She is also on the Board of Directors for the Coalition of Advocates for Equal Access for Girls. As a former foster youth, she has a deep interest in the well-being of Oregon’s children.
