Board President

Educator, Entrepreneur, and Advocate I am Charles Slaughter, an educator with a commitment to special education. My professional journey includes over seven years of teaching across a variety of educational levels in Portland, Oregon. I lead a dual career path as both an educator and humanitarian. I founded and currently manage a teaching and tutoring business, catering to a wide range of learning needs. In 2023 I created EmpowerhousePDX, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing rental assistance for individuals with disabilities, with a specific focus on supporting our BIPOC community.

My achievements were recognized early in my career, leading to a scholarship at Portland State University where I earned a Master's degree in Education. Outside of my professional life, I am passionate about traveling the world and immersing myself in diverse cultures, which is a source of inspiration that I bring back to my professional and humanitarian career.

Secretary

From working to prevent child sexual exploitation in Thailand with the Freedom Story to coordinating global, capacity-building workshops with the Nike Foundation, Shannon’s career has been driven by the power of brand to create social change. Prior to starting her own consulting practice, Prior to starting her own consulting practice, Shannon was a strategist at Perennial Strategy (formerly brew advisors0, where she led a portfolio of work for the NoVo Foundation's Ending Violence Against Girls and Women initiative, most notably producing TheLifeStory.org.

For the last five years, Shannon has been consulting at the intersection of storytelling and social justice. Her work includes: contributing to development and launch of the film Sell/Buy/Date; managing the civic engagement strategy for the 2022 midterm elections with Harness; partnering with Mercy Corps on strategic communications; and supporting the research and development for social-justice television series produced by Wise Entertainment.

She is currently the Everyday Feminist Fellow with Global Fund for Women. A Bay-area native, Shannon attended University of Arizona, where she played lacrosse and graduated with a degree in Communication before pursuing a Master’s in International Relations at Hult Business School in London. Shannon is a mentor in the Women in International Affairs Network, Majority Leader for SuperMajority, and volunteer Girl Scout Troop troop leader. Cooking a new recipe, listening to music or taking a pilates class are things that fill her cup up.

Treasurer

My name is Zack Mills, I’m a born and raised native of north Portland. New first-time father and small business owner. My company is, (Nailed it remodeling) the primary focus of my Business is remodeling homes with an emphasis on preserving original and historic homes in the greater Portland Metro area. From a young age my parents always encouraged both my brothers and I to be involved in the community.

That led me to hold a board position at my local neighborhood association. I’ve worked with rotary of Portland in volunteering my time to help mentor high school kids at their annual enterprise academy event. Coached middle school and high school boy basketball for several years. When the opportunity came along to work with Taking ownership. With my current occupation, strong community involvement and strong desire to preserve Portland and its historic neighborhoods. It felt like a perfect match.