Cara Shufelt (she/her)
Special Projects Coordinator, Rural Organizing Project
Cara Shufelt brings over two decades of community organizing experience to her work in rural Oregon. Since joining the Rural Organizing Project in 2002, she has served in multiple leadership roles including Organizer, Co-Director, Executive Director, and currently as Special Projects Coordinator. Her organizing journey began during her college years at Lewis and Clark College, where she helped mobilize hundreds of fellow students to take to the streets for the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle. Cara's commitment to grassroots organizing focuses on building movement infrastructure (that lasts over time) and building power to advance justice, democracy and human dignity.
Nina Narelle (she/her)
Partner, Future Work Design
Nina Narelle brings deep expertise in organizational transformation and community organizing to her work as a consultant. Her approach combines firsthand experience in marginalized communities with professional expertise in guiding organizational change. Drawing from her background as a community organizer, she helps teams develop innovative approaches to equity and collaboration. Nina specializes in providing organizations with practical tools and processes that transform team dynamics, focusing on sustainable changes that continue to benefit groups long after engagements end.
Moira Bowman (she/her)
Director of Organizing, Oregon Food Bank
Moira Bowman has dedicated over three decades to advancing justice and equity in Oregon at local, state, and national levels. At Oregon Food Bank, she is leading a statewide organizing program - building community power from the coast to eastern Oregon. Previously, she served as Deputy Director at Forward Together and as program Director at Western States Center supporting movement building at the intersection of gender, race and sexuality. Moira is on the Board of Portland for All, organizing communities to build a more effective and compassionate city.
Nancy Haque (she/her)
Director of Policy and Programs, Meyer Memorial Trust
A long-time organizer and activist in social justice movements, Nancy Haque has dedicated her life to trying to make the world a kinder place. Her career includes serving as executive director of Basic Rights Oregon and as Building Political Power Director at Western States Center. Her previous work includes Portland Jobs with Justice and working as a regional field organizer for National Jobs with Justice. Nancy's approach combines policy expertise with a deep commitment to civic engagement and equitable social change.The daughter of immigrant parents from Bangladesh, Nancy is the first member of her family born in the United States. She studied Political Economy and Social Change at The Evergreen State College and has a master’s degree from the Center for Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Update: Hop Hopkins is unable to join us but Nina Narelle will be joining the panel.
Hop Hopkins (he/him)
Executive Director, WildEarth Guardians
Hop Hopkins is a veteran organizer with 30 years of experience working at the intersections of race, class, gender and the environment. Previous to serving as Executive Director at WildEarth Guardians, Hop led organizational transformation at the Sierra Club. He is a social movement strategist and scholar, and has been a leader in movements from HIV/AIDS to Global Justice, food sovereignty, anti-displacement and clean energy transition. Hop holds a Master's in Urban Sustainability, a bachelor’s degree in Culture, Ecology and Sustainable Communities, was a certified arborist, has earned a Permaculture Design Certificate and has completed leadership programs at Harvard's Kennedy School and the Rockwood Leadership Institute. His commitment to environmental stewardship extends to his personal life, where he maintains an urban homestead and practices sustainable living with his family.
