Take a moment to check out their bios and read a Q&A to get to know them better. Welcome, Angela, Jeremy, and Grace!

Q: What are you looking forward to in your role at OCJ?

Angela (she/her): I look forward to working with a small but powerful team to protect the community from predatory practices while strengthening laws to enhance people's consumer experience.

Grace (she/her): I'm very excited to bring OCJ’s ambitious and creative strategic plan to life with our expanded Communications + Engagement Team. I'm particularly excited to convene with community partners and facilitate knowledge sharing through events like our winter and spring CLEs. I also look forward to exploring new ways to make consumer justice issues and solutions real through data-driven storytelling, including digging into OCJ’s consumer research to inform audio, video, and other interactive media that engage and educate even more Oregonians.

Jeremy (he/they): OCJ has a very important mission and I appreciate the intention with which the organization puts people, equity, and abundance at the center—internally and externally. I'm excited and inspired by the opportunity to learn and grow as a part of a dedicated communications team with a clear vision of how we will strengthen and defend consumer rights for ALL Oregonians.

Q: How has your past experience set the stage for your work at OCJ? 

Angela: As a social worker, I have spent my whole career fighting for the most disadvantaged. It's extremely important to me that all people have access to their basic needs and the opportunity to grow and thrive in their communities. I am passionate about policy change and my experience working in the state capitol will lend well to advancing our work for consumer justice.

Grace: Having previously worked at both a global PR firm and a small boutique agency, I’ve learned to collaborate with a wide array of clients and organizations, learning to speak new “languages” and find common ground through shared goals. My communications work in the technology space also required me to become very curious about complex topics. No matter the client or subject matter, I've found the most compelling stories are those that uncover shared human truths. Elevating voices to understand the actual impact or "why" of a new innovation or issue always has more meaning than the "what" alone. I plan to bring the same lens to my work at OCJ, always putting people first as we communicate.

Jeremy: Before relocating to Portland in September of 2024, I worked as a community engagement specialist and later a communications strategist at the ACLU of Idaho. I have been extremely fortunate to support social justice advocacy led by impacted communities across a broad set of issues, and I've been able to work with and learn from dedicated colleagues, activists, community leaders, and policymakers in creating engaging and accessible communications materials to support movement work. I am guided by antiracist principles and acknowledge the ways in which our systems and laws—including those we interact with as consumers—support white supremacy and inequitably harm communities of color.

Q: Why are you committed to consumer justice and OCJ's mission?

Angela: Consumer justice is very similar to the work that social workers do by protecting those who are most vulnerable in our community and those who are often taken advantage of. I am committed to protecting and advocating for all people so they can have fulfilling lives.

Grace: As a native Oregonian born and raised in Portland, I want to ensure that this is a place where people can continue to find inclusion, connection, and opportunity for generations to come. I have seen how a "move fast, break things" and "growth at all costs" mindset can destabilize communities, favoring a culture of sterile optimization over vibrant creative expression. As someone who has straddled different cultural and socioeconomic worlds, I have the privilege and responsibility to help envision and build a different kind of society that serves our collective well-being and right to prosper.

Jeremy: It's difficult for me to think about economic justice or consumer justice without also thinking about the racial wealth gap and how the three interact to maintain disparities between economically advantaged white communities and economically marginalized communities of color. For many marginalized communities, we are unaware of all the ways we are impacted by our interactions and activities as consumers, yet we understand (some more than others) that we typically lack power or recourse when we've been harmed by the entities, systems, laws, and agencies which we interact with as consumers on a daily basis. This often forces us to structure our financial decisions in ways that leave us vulnerable to more harm, further exacerbating disparities. 

I am honored to be able to contribute to OCJ's mission and work and help ensure all communities have the resources they need to thrive.

Q: Fun fact?

Angela: I have worked for 9 different elected officials.

Grace: I attended elementary school on a converted farm, where some of my chores included caring for goats, bunnies, and chickens.

Jeremy: I lived outside the country for ~6 years between East Asia and Europe and met my wife in South Korea. No, she's not Korean.