Melanie Klym - Northwest River Restoration Director
Melanie at the Merced River in Yosemite National Park
Melanie is the Northwest River Restoration Director at American Rivers. She works at a local level to support expanded dam removal efforts in the Northwest. Her work includes assessments, regional and national policy and advocacy initiatives, supporting regional workforce development, and providing technical support for regional dam removal and related river restoration projects.
Ruth Bonnette - GIS Analyst
Ruth Bonnette is a GIS Analyst Contractor with an interest in environmental science. She specializes in data compilation and spatial analysis and has contributed to multiple Samara Group projects focused on wildlife crossings.
AirView Cinematography
AirView Cinematography is a video production company specializing in aerial video and photography. AirView was founded to service a larger video production company’s need for high quality aerial imagery. This put them on the forefront of what can be done with the use of drones. They are helping those who are helping save the planet.
Samara Group has enjoyed working with the talented Adam Simmons of Airview Cinematography. He is a former military journalist, received his Bachelor’s of Fine Art from Pacific Northwest College of Art, as well as a Getty Contributor. He’s a lifelong creative professional who’s worked as a photographer, videographer, graphic designer, and even a nightclub dj. He’s AirView’s founder and primary sUAS pilot.
Website: www.airview.us
Instagram: @airviewcinematography
Twitter: @AirViewCinema
Daniel Taylor-Rodriguez, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Dr. Daniel Taylor-Rodriguez is an Assistant Professor in the Fariborz Maseeh Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Portland State University. His research focuses on advancing Bayesian methodology for large scale spatio-temporal problems with emphasis on ecological applications and he is also interested in the methodological aspects of Bayesian testing procedures.
Catherine de Rivera, Ph.D., Professor
Dr. Catherine de Rivera is a professor at Portland State University, Department of Environmental Science & Management. Cat and her students study how anthropogenic changes in habitat connectivity –whether because of biological invasion, the built environment, or sea level rise—affect animal populations and communities and ecosystem function. They address questions about invasions ecology, climate change ecology, ecology of the built environment, and restoration ecology.
Connect with Cat: derivera@pdx.edu
GreenWorks
GreenWorks specializes in sustainable landscape Architecture and environmental design. Founded in 1987, the practice provides a broad range of services for clients in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. GreenWorks is a regional leader in sustainable design and is dedicated to innovating solutions for clients by linking natural resources, urban environments, and people. This focus is a key distinction of our work and our mission: Integrating people and nature through creative and sustainable design. Our work includes parks and recreation, civic, commercial, ecotourism, environmental, water quality, housing, transportation, green infrastructure, institutional, and urban and community design.
Contact us at info@greenworkspc.com
PKS International & Community Engagement Liaisons
PKS International LLC is the fiscal agent and project management entity for the Community Engagement Liaison Services (CELs) program. It is an independent, woman-of-color-owned Portland-based company formed in 1996. PKS International LLC IS WBE/DBE CERTIFIED (#: 11240) and certified with the federal (DUNS #: 016019213, CAGE#: 8ZQJ5). CELs, formed in 2014, is a community engagement program dedicated to serving people who immigrated to the U.S. and who live in underserved communities. With consistent training, active involvement with local agencies, associations and partners, CELs has proven itself to be an effective avenue for authentic public participation.
We are grateful to work with Ping Khaw who provides a wealth of knowledge for projects and laughter for our team. Ping has an extensive background in project management, conference planning and workshop development. Ping was born in Malaysia and speaks 3 languages and 4 dialects. She has served on 3 commissions, 8 non-profit agencies, and co-founded 2 non-profit agencies in the past 30 years.
Over the course of multiple projects, the Samara team has been able to work with a number of talented Community Engagement Liaisons.
More about Community Engagement Liaisons:
CELs liaisons are comprised of community leaders and activists from historically underrepresented groups. Currently, the CELs program has over 80 liaisons. 95% of the liaisons are immigrants or people of color who are fluent in their native language(s) and active in their local community. A majority of our liaisons are women with extensive experience and subject matter expertise. CELs confirms that the people it hires are skilled and prepared to fulfill the needs of the CELs program and its clients. In addition, the CELs program includes liaisons from communities living with disabilities, indigenous/tribal people, as well as LGBTQ and other underserved communities.
CELs provide effective avenues for authentic public participation. Sharing public services, benefits, and burdens more equitably requires intentional engagement of underserved communities. Having our many communities participate fully in our robust public life requires authentic partnerships. Simply hiring an interpreter to speak to populations you hope will show up is not true civic engagement and will not produce equity. CELs liaisons, on the other hand, can identify specific ethno-cultural and language communities within targeted service areas to encourage and develop genuine and representative public participation. CELs liaisons are comprised of community leaders or activists from historically underrepresented groups. Currently CELs program has over 80 liaisons. The program has recruited and trained liaisons throughout the states of Oregon and Washington, with the majority of liaisons residing in Multnomah, Washington, Clark and Clackamas counties.
Communities served: Languages spoken by these liaisons include Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, Karen, Nepali, Russian, Ukrainian, Somali, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Toishanese, Zomi, Burmese, Mon, Vietnamese, Tongan, Micronesian, Chuukese, Cambodian (Khmer), Lao, Hmong, Mien, Thai, Tibetan, Japanese, Korean, Amharic, Mai Mai, Swahili, Tigrinya, Bhutanese, Tagalog, Turkish, Armenian, Romanian etc. Recently added: Liaisons that serve underserved African-Americans, Native/Tribal communities, communities living with disabilities & LGBQ communities.
Website: https://celsservices.com
Stamberger Outreach Consulting
Stamberger Outreach Consulting develops education and outreach programs that engage communities around environmental issues. They offer program coaching, development, implementation and evaluation services to help our clients achieve measurable results. They are committed to creating inclusive public programs that authentically engage diverse communities. Our strong communication skills, detailed scientific approach, and relationships with local organizations allow us to efficiently meet outreach and education program goals. Stamberger Outreach is certified in Oregon as a WBE - Women Business Enterprise and an ESB - Emerging Small Business (#8734)
website: www.stambergeroutrach.com
Samara Group enjoys working with Jamie Stamberger on environmentally and equity-focused engagement projects. Jamie has 15 years’ experience working collaboratively with clients in Oregon to develop, implement, and evaluate community programs. Her work often includes social science research to determine what solutions are most needed by the community and most likely to be successful, education or outreach program design and implementation, and program evaluation and recommendations for continued improvement. We especially appreciate Jamie’s commitment to an equity lens through which she approaches all of her work. Ensuring authentic opportunity for input, authentically listening, and following through and following up on community recommendations are foremost in her approach to working with community members.
Garden Ecology
Garden Ecology is dedicated to enhancing abundance and resilience through increased ecological wellness and sense of place. Providing design, consulting, and maintenance services for both private and public projects. We have had the pleasure of working with April on the Malden Court Community Orchard. She has an exceptional talent for stewardship of the land and education about both native and edible plants. Check out April’s portfolio here: http://gardenecologypdx.com/new-page-5
Instagram: garden_ecology
Facebook: Garden Ecology
Twitter: @AprilJamison1
Website: http://gardenecologypdx.com