Staff & Teams

Our team is small, but mighty! SVP Portland has a talented and dynamic group of people, working together to achieve our goals. Learn more about this dedicated team below.

  • As Executive Director of SVP Portland, Lauren leads a partnership of engaged professionals whose efforts go beyond traditional philanthropy. Prior to her appointment as Executive Director in 2019, Lauren was SVP’s Senior Vice President for Community Impact for seven years, where she was charged with providing strategic direction and oversight of SVP’s capacity building partnerships.

    Before joining SVP, Lauren was a Program Officer at Thrive Foundation for Youth (now King Philanthropies). Her focus was studying research on how to help young people thrive, translating it into practical application, and coaching youth development organizations on how to adopt best-practices on thriving. Lauren also brings experience as a Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) Program Manager, a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Case Manager, and as a Kindergarten teacher in Chile. Her Psychology degree from Williams College has been foundational to all of her work.

    Born and raised in Portland, Lauren has the pride and appreciation endowed from being a fourth-generation Oregonian. She believes our home is one the best places to live and work in the world, and one in which we must diligently invest for the success of future generations.

    When Lauren’s not hard at work for SVP, she’s usually hard at play in the beautiful Pacific NW. She’s passionate about distance running, hiking, road biking and camping in the summer months; when the rain arrives, you’ll still find her running in elite races across the U.S., as well as reading, baking, cross-country skiing or traveling internationally.

    Contact Lauren

  • Carolina was born in Mexico City, raised in Guanajuato, and she moved to Oregon in 2012 to complete the second year of her Master’s degree at Southern Oregon University. She started her career as a mental health counselor, providing support to families with children with disabilities living in poverty and later to high school students. She worked as a behavioral health coach at a rural federally-qualified health center, serving low income people, Latinx, and undocumented communities living with chronic health and mild mental health conditions. She became a wellness program manager in 2015, developing an integrative medicine program that provides holistic healthcare services.

    In 2018-2022, Carolina served as the Chief Operating Officer at Hacienda CDC, a Latino-led Community Development organization and one of our Community Partners. In that role, she oversaw the operations necessary to drive the activities of the organization that include affordable housing development, homeownership support, economic advancement, early childhood, and educational opportunities. She also founded her own coaching and consulting business to support leaders and nonprofit organizations committed to social justice. She is well-versed in understanding community needs and driving programs that advance diversity, equity, and inclusion.

    Carolina enjoys spending time with her young daughter, Yara, and smooching her little cheeks, as well as walks in nature, watching horror shows, dancing and exploring Portland’s gastronomic, arts, and music scenes.

  • Jenn Luevano-Brummett was born in the small fisherman village of Winchester Bay, Oregon. Community leadership, popular education, and restorative justice have been the cornerstones of her career. Throughout university, she led and participated in multiple service learning trips to India, China, and Central America. After completing her undergrad with a double major in Spanish and Social Science she moved to Nicaragua and worked as a service learning coordinator. Shortly after Nicaragua, Jennifer embarked on a journey around the world to dive deeper into what it meant to be a global citizen.

    Currently, Jenn is pursuing a Master’s in Conflict Resolution and has just graduated with a certificate in Collaborative Governance at PSU. Jenn is a trained equity-based mediator and brings a foundation of non-violent peacebuilding and de-escalation tools in the face of conflict. In her free time you can find her pursuing a certification as a yoga teacher, writing her thesis at local coffee shops and dancing the night away. She is a proud adventure cat mama and a dedicated life long learner.

  • Ursula joined SVP in July 2023 as the Encore Program Coordinator, and has since expanded her role to also grow our resources through leadership of SVP's Partner recruitment and engagement.

    Previously, Ursula worked in Human Resources in the tech sector for almost 25 years, including most recently as a Talent & Diversity Manager, a Leadership Development coach, and the Director of Manager Experience programs. Ursula’s nonprofit experience includes prior and current service on the Board of Trustees of the Oregon French International School, where she has previously served as Secretary, Vice-Chair, and Chair.

    Ursula was born and grew up in South Africa, before moving to France and then the United States in pursuit of graduate studies. She came to Oregon in 1996 and now considers herself a real Oregonian, from her love of rainy weather and forest hikes to her obsession with Birkenstocks. Her two children were born in Portland, and now attend the University of Oregon in Eugene. They do their best to keep up with their mom’s many projects, including flower arranging, art, home remodeling, baking, cooking, and reading.

    Contact Ursula

  • Polly joined SVP in July 2024, bringing almost 15 years of experience in project management, business operations, and event coordination. She graduated from Wright State University with a BA in Liberal Studies and holds the CAPM certification in project management.

    In 2009, Polly moved from rural Ohio to Oregon, seeking a larger life in a beautiful place. She remains in awe of the grandness and magic the Pacific Northwest has to offer. Polly has spent years coordinating events and marketing initiatives to raise awareness and funds for a variety of nonprofits and charitable organizations in Ohio, supporting causes ranging from childhood cancer research to local at-risk youth support programs.

    Polly is excited to bring her experience to serve local communities and is deeply moved and motivated by SVP’s mission. She has seen firsthand the power of community resources coming together to serve the greater good and feels immense gratitude for the opportunity to contribute in such a meaningful and impactful way.

    Outside of her professional life, Polly is an avid plant lover and enjoys gardening, taking meandering walks, and immersing herself in nature. Her other interests include writing, reading, and hanging out with her two rambunctious and occasionally affectionate cats.

  • Kristin brings extensive expertise in finance and operations, enriched by her background in marketing, project management, and nonprofit management. Originally from Los Angeles, Kristin moved to Portland in 2015, drawn by her love of service, nature and community. 

    Prior to joining SVP, Kristin served as Director of Finance and Operations at Northwest Outward Bound School, where her skills in financial analysis, budgeting, and organizational support proved invaluable to the organization’s mission. Kristin’s eclectic experience prior to her service in the nonprofit sector includes law, business affairs, marketing, project management, social media content creation and residential real estate sales, investment and renovation. 

    Outside of work, Kristin loves playing board games with her husband, trading plant-based recipes with her daughter, sharing her creative projects with her son and gardening with her rescue pups. You can also find her cheering on the Portland Timbers as a loyal member of the Timbers Army. 

    Contact Kristin

  • Margaret joined SVP in October 2023 as an Encore Program Coordinator, facilitating matches and managing the relationships between Cogenerate Encore Fellows and nonprofit host organizations.

    Margaret worked in the tech sector for more than 25 years, having had 17 roles across eight business groups. Most recently, she was an HR Leadership Partner, responsible for executive talent planning and implementing strategies for the talent planning process. She is also an entrepreneur–she created a small business that designs and sews bridal gowns, and she later added a retail business that has supported hundreds of weddings over 17 years. Margaret is passionate about life-long development of herself and others, and she is a professionally certified Leadership & Transition Coach.

    Margaret earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business & Administrative Studies at Lewis & Clark College, an Entrepreneurial MBA at Babson College’s Olin School of Business, and a Strategic Decision Making & Risk Management Certificate at Stanford University.

    Margaret is a self-described “Renaissance Woman, talent architect, life-long learner, and systems thinker.” She is a part of a very musical family–she plays flute, cello, and piano, and sings in the St. James Cathedral Women's choir. She is a marathon and ultramarathon runner, and just completed her 273rd marathon/ultra distance! Her other superpowers include parallel parking, sense of direction, puzzles of all kids, and sewing!

    Contact Margaret

  • Karla Sanchez was born in Lima, Peru and moved to the United States when she was 13 years old. Karla attended Portland State University and double majored in Accounting and Finance. She was the first in her family to graduate from a university. Karla's first career opportunity was given by a small latina owned marketing agency, Lara Media services, where Karla worked as their accounting specialist. 

    Karla's desire was to get back to her Latino community and a few years later, she started to work for Hacienda CDC, a latino community development corporation, and one of SVP’s Community Partners. Karla started as a staff accountant and moved her way up to Accounting supervisor. After being with Hacienda for over 7 years, Karla decided it was time to move to a new adventure. Karla is currently the Finance Manager at Neighborhood House, a non-profit in SW Portland. 

    Karla acknowledges that there is so much learning her latino community could benefit from, especially around accounting issues. This is why she created S & S accounting services. Karla and her mom are able to connect with other small business owners and help them with their finances. Karla wants her community to learn how to grow their businesses by having basic accounting knowledge. 

    In her free time, Karla loves going to the movies with her 6 year old daughter Daylin; going on walks with her dogs Rosita and Violeta; and playing music with her husband's Cuban band, Dina y los Rumberos. 

Teams

In 2022, we evolved our governance structure beyond the Board of Directors to decentralize our decision-making, be inclusive of diverse lived experiences, and share power with community leadership in meaningful ways.

Decision-making power is vested in standing teams that engage subject-matter experts relevant to the issue. This allows our teams to be collaborative, nimble, and responsive to both organizational and Community Partner needs. 

The Board of Directors provides leadership for SVP Portland’s mission to mobilize the time, money, and influence of our Partnership for investment in our community. They focus on strategic priorities to move the organization forward. Five to eight Directors serve either one- or three-year terms (determined at election), staggered to maintain continuity.

The Equity Team (also known as “E-Team”) is focused on culture-building to more deeply integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into SVP’s identity and operations. The Equity Team is composed of an Equity Learning Cohort that meets regularly for meaningful discussions, and an Equity Action Team that helps provide perspective and make key decisions in the organization as necessary.

The Portfolio Management Team makes decisions about who we partner with in the community and how we allocate resources to those partners. They oversee and monitor SVP’s capacity building investment portfolio, including stewardship of time, expertise, dollars, and influence.

The Marketing & Development Team helps plan strategy for communications and fundraising, ultimately ensuring that how we talk about SVP Portland is accurate, accessible, and compelling.

The Finance Team is accountable for the prudent monitoring and stewardship of SVP Portland’s financial position and resources. They review monthly financial reporting, and help improve procedures and practices.