Staff
Patti Whitney-Wise, Executive Director
Email, (503) 595-5501, Ext. 302
When it comes to ending hunger, Patti Whitney-Wise is one of the nation’s most effective activists. Her creative approaches and innovative leadership of the Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force helped Oregon become the only state in the country to reduce hunger, as measured in the 2005 USDA report. She has won multiple awards for her work and is an author of “Act to End Hunger: 40 Ways in 5 Years to Make a Difference.” Patti’s 30 years of experience ranges from multi-state outreach for the Children’s Rights Group on all federal food programs to addressing a broad range of poverty issues as the Executive Director for the California Council of Churches.
Jessica Chanay, Deputy Director
Email, (503) 595-5501, Ext. 305
Jessica is the Deputy Director and guides program planning and public relations for Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. She was previously the Assistant Director and Director of Programs and Services at FOOD for Lane County, a non-profit food bank. She holds a Masters degree in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Oregon, with an emphasis on food systems planning and community food security. In 2005, Jessica was awarded the Oregon Food Bank Ron Cease award for excellence in leadership, service and dedication to the mission of addressing hunger and its root causes.
Shauna Petchel, Operations Manager
Email, (503) 595-5501, ext. 300
Shauna joined Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon in 2006 and manages our internal operations and finances. Shauna studied nutrition science at the University of Nevada and holds a Masters in Public Health from Portland State University, with an emphasis in policy and management. She has volunteered extensively in nutrition education to children and seniors, and previously worked in the health care sector.
Jennifer Lindsay, Development Manager
Email, (503) 595-5501 ext 309
Jennifer believes the world can be a better place for everyone, and that people working to make that happen deserve the resources they need to accomplish their missions. (Donate your time AND your money!) For over a decade, she's raised money for non-profits, from the Brookings Institution to grassroots arts organizations. A native of New York State, she has also lived in DC, VA and LA. Now her family has chosen Portland to be their home. Professionally, she has also been a certified post-partum doula, a middle-eastern dance performer/instructor and librarian. Her favorite quote is: “When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die.” -Eleanor Roosevelt
Nancy Weed, SNAP Outreach Coordinator
Email, (503) 595-5501, ext. 308
Nancy is a former welfare and food stamp recipient, who was successful in putting herself through graduate school as a single parent to earn her Master of Social Work. She considers her former client perspectives as a powerful additional asset for her ongoing client advocacy work. Coming to Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon with a strong background in community organizing, Nancy has coordinated the successful SNAP outreach project that has helped increase food stamp participation statewide by over 80%.
Judith Auslander, Senior SNAP Outreach Specialist for Washington County
Email, (503) 595-5501, ext. 7
As a recent addition to the Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon team, Judith is very excited about the opportunity to help seniors find out more about food stamps. She is most excited about sharing with seniors how food stamps can benefit them and better support their community. Judith has her Masters Degree in Education from Pacific University as well as her certification as a professional Life Coach. Outside of Partners, Judith runs her own coaching business and volunteers with local organizations to achieve health care coverage for all Oregonians.
Laurel Weir, SNAP Rural Outreach Organizer
Email, (503) 595-5501 ext 306
Laurel came to Oregon from Washington DC, where she was the Policy Director for the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. She has a Master's Degree in Public Policy from the University of Maryland and is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Nutrition at Oregon State University. While working on behalf of homeless individuals and families, she saw the critical role of adequate nutrition in supporting the health and well-being of people throughout the life cycle, and those experiences led her to become an advocate for programs to alleviate hunger.
Robyn Johnson, Community Advocacy Coordinator
Email, (503) 595-5501, Ext. 303
Robyn joined Partners in 2008 to help expand the work of the Child Nutrition team on the Summer Food Program, as well as launching and managing our County Data Project. She currently is working to expand grassroots anti-hunger advocacy throughout Oregon as our new Community Advocacy Coordinator. Prior to her work with Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, Robyn worked at 211info, helping to connect Oregonians with emergency and support services.
Annie Kirschner, Child Nutrition Outreach Coordinator
Email, (503) 595-5501, ext. 304
Annie currently oversees our statewide outreach work for the Summer Food Program and After School Meal and Snack Program, building partnerships and increasing participation. Annie came to the Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force as an AmeriCorps VISTA for a year, before joining the staff of Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon in 2006. As a VISTA, she assisted child nutrition outreach in Multnomah and Clackamas counties' summer food and after-school meals programs. She holds a Bachelors degree in Creative Writing and previously worked with a teen anti-drug media project and tought ESL to recent refugees.
Rick Freed, Child Nutrition Outreach Specialist
Email, (503) 595-5501, ext. 6
Rick collaborates with our Child Nutrition Coordinator to expand federal child nutrition programs in Oregon, with a special emphasis on the After-School Meal and Snack Program. He also works on outreach updates and revisions, fundraising, and providing research and publication assistance for many PHFO projects. Rick moved to Oregon from Florida, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology at Portland State University, concentrating on sociology of religion, social deviance and conflict theory, after an earlier career as a chef.
Sally Eliason, Child Nutrition Outreach Specialist
Email, (503) 595-5501, ext. 301
Sally currently works with the Child Nutrition team. She recently coordinated the development of the five year plan, Ending Hunger Before it Begins: Oregon’s Call to Action. She graduated from Portland State University with a Masters in Social Work where she focused on system analysis, organizational development, and human service policy. While in graduate school, she worked as the Executive Director of a food pantry and financial aid program in Silverton, OR. She brings a passion for how the issue of hunger is perceived, framed, and solved across the diverse regions of Oregon.
