Senator Kayse Jama was born into a nomadic family in Somalia. He left when the civil war erupted, and finally found sanctuary in Portland. From 2005 to 2007, he trained immigrant and refugee community leaders in five Western states — Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Utah, and Idaho — under a prestigious New Voices Fellowship at the Western States Center. In 2002, he founded the Center for Intercultural Organizing, which later became Unite Oregon in 2016, after merging with Oregon Action In 2021, Kayse stepped down as Executive Director after his appointment to serve as Oregon State Senator for Senate District 24, representing East Portland and Clackamas.

Rep. Annessa Hartman is an American politician and activist serving as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives for the 40th district. From 2020 to 2022, Hartman worked as the marketplace and retail coordinator for the Native American Youth and Family Center. She was elected to the Gladstone City Council in 2020 and the Oregon House of Representatives in November 2022. Hartman is also a chapter director at Unite Oregon.

Rep. Khanh Pham is the State Representative for Oregon House District 46 (Jade District, SE Portland), serving in her second term. She was first elected in 2020 and was the first Vietnamese-American legislator in the State Legislature.

Karol Wai is a first-generation Burmese-Karen immigrant who believes in the power of youth voices and choices to develop equitable solutions. She is a MD candidate at Oregon Health & Science University, elected Diversity and Inclusion liaison for the OHSU School of Medicine, and the first Miss City of Bridges representing the communities of Myanmar. Her experiences growing up in an underserved community of immigrants and refugees centers her passions for person-centered healthcare and strengthening community resilience and capacity. She serves as the Chair of the Unite Oregon Clackamas County Leadership Council and champions Youth Voice Youth Vote, Oregon's first-ever participatory budgeting process.

Khanh Le Executive Director at Unite Oregon: Khanh Le's professional journey spans advocacy and public service. He previously held the position of State Director at the Main Street Alliance of Oregon, advocating for small businesses. He gained political experience in roles with Congressman Honda in Washington, DC, and Senator Tim Kaine's team, contributing to national and local campaigns.

Nuhamin Eiden Deputy Director at Unite Oregon: Nuhamin was born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to a large family. She emigrated to the United States at the turn of the century and has called Portland home for the past 16 years. Nuhamin has spent this time weaving a community intent on building systems rooted in justice and has made lifelong kinships that continue to deepen and expand. Nuhamin has a background in equitable economic development, housing justice, and organizational leadership.

Metzin Rodriguez is the Climate and Environmental Justice Policy Coordinator at Unite Oregon. She is interested in Sustainable Communities and International affairs and advocating for underrepresented communities in the Environmental Justice space. From Coos Bay, Oregon located on the beautiful and windy south coast of Oregon.

Metzin graduated from Oregon State University with a BS degree from the College of Agricultural Sciences in Bioresource Research Option: Sustainable Ecosystems and a minor in Spanish. Where she became the first Latina student body vice president. After graduating, she went to South Korea at Yonsei University and United Kingdom at Sheffield University, continuing learning about global affairs and climate change thanks to the Department of State Gilman International Scholarship Program.

Before joining Unite Oregon she worked at the United States Senate for Oregon. Metzin hopes to support underrepresented communities and move forward the environmental justice agenda, including community resilience hubs and other affordable energy-related policies. In her free time, she enjoys long runs and photoshoots.

Joy is privileged to have married Adrienne, and they have one bright kid. Born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Joy Mulumba journeyed across continents to find his home in the weird city of Portland, Oregon. As a passionate Black immigrant Oregonian, Joy advocates immigrant and refugee rights and inclusion in the nonprofit African Family Holistic Health Organization, spearheading initiatives that promote cross-cultural understanding and unity.

Outside of his activism, he finds solace checking out Portland’s bookstores when he’s not practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu or writing poetry.