Recruitment and Retention Specialist & AmeriCorps VISTA Member

Ursula is a passionate explorer of the human experience and curious about the acts and observations that disrupt categorization and illuminate the world's connectedness. An artist in training, Ursula is uncovering her next steps in life. An enthusiastic advocate for experiential education, she's engaged youth in creative writing classes, wilderness canoe trips, horseback riding, artistic inquiry, and studying abroad. Along the way, she's made a home for herself in Minnesota, Washington, Australia, & most recently Copenhagen, Denmark working with the Danish Institute for Study Abroad. Ursula is thrilled to be taking her next step in Portland with Wayfinding Academy.

Strategic Marketing Manager

Marzeta is an adventure seeker, strategist, and philanthropist who does her best to live out loud in the space where work, life, service, and exploration (food, travel, people!) intersect. She cares about culture and cuisine, communications and conversation, charity and community, education and lifelong learning. These inspire and infuse her purpose-driven work in strategy, communications, project management, experience curation, and leadership development. Marzeta has a huge admiration for (and enjoys working with) people with a strong desire to do (inner and outer) work that matters. 

When she's not taking action for impact, you can find her enjoying a delicious meal with family and friends, dancing up a storm to soca music, serving the community with the Rotary family, planning her next trip to discover more flavors of the world, curled up with a good book, listening to podcasts, or with legs folded and eyes closed on a yoga mat where she's resetting and recharging

Matchmaker 

Rachel lives with a growth mindset. She believes in deconstructing the patriarchy, dismantling systems of oppression, and the decolonization of the mind. Rachel strives to create safe spaces and provide opportunities for marginalized and systemically oppressed individuals. She thrives in building connections with people and is never afraid to ask questions. 

Development Director

Tim is finding his way in the world. Tim has taught English in France, been a cheese monger, started a board game company (which failed), helped start a noncommercial radio station in Portland, OR (which didn't), and is part of a gratitude related nonprofit called SuperThank. Tim is currently thinking a lot about economic justice through the lens of wealth distribution, and would be happy to chat with you about it. Tim is honored to join the Wayfinding Academy team to help with development and fundraising. 

Matchmaking Intern

Hello all! My name is Grace McMickens and I am a rising junior at Lewis & Clark college. I am studying Sociology and Anthropology with a minor in gender studies.I am originally from Brooklyn, New York but it smelled weird so I came to Portland for school. It smells far better. I love to write so I try to spend at least 30 minutes a day writing. I also enjoy listening to music and true crime podcasts. Looking forward to meeting everyone in joining the Wayfinding crew!

is the creator and author of “The One Week Job Project,” an inspiring journey across North America in which he worked 52 jobs in 52 weeks to find his passion. Aiken has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, TIME Magazine, and has appeared on CNN, 20/20, Good Morning America, and countless other media outlets around the world. He frequently speaks to students and companies about what he learned from his experience and has developed an international program to empower others to discover their passion by taking on a series of “one week jobs”.

Wayfinding Academy Course: Wayfinding

LL.M. in Law and Technology, Tilburg University
J.D., University of Oregon, School of Law

is active locally in Portland, Oregon policy-making, with a particular focus on environmental justice, sustainable cities, and issues pertaining to the commons. Formerly with “Our Children’s Trust,” Nick helped launch the Youth Climate Action Now (YouCAN) campaign. This campaign is a continuation of an effort that began with energetic youth in Eugene who organized to persuade the Eugene City Council to pass the country’s first binding climate recovery ordinance, committing city planning and policy to a science-based, community-wide greenhouse gas reduction goal of 350 parts per million of CO2, the level deemed “safe” by climate scientists. In Fall of 2015, he was instrumental in crafting and helping to pass Portland's first-of-a-kind fossil fuel infrastructure policy. He also was a participant in the #ShellNo protests which took place at the St. Johns bridge in Portland in August 2015. 

Wayfinding Academy Course: Science, Technology, and Society. 

PhD (in progress), Toulan School of Urban Studies & Planning, Portland State University  

Sarah is the Associate Director of First Stop Portland, a program she helped develop in 2008 while a doctoral student in the Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning at Portland State University. First Stop hosts visiting delegations from around the world who travel to Portland to exchange policies and best practices with Portland's "Green Brain Trust.” Her areas of expertise include social equity, urban placemaking, smart cities, climate action planning, and sustainable development. Her doctoral research examines how cities & regions exchange ideas and practical wisdom to become more sustainable, more resilient places. 

In addition to brokering knowledge exchanges between Portland and leader around the globe, she consults locally on political communications and internationally on sustainable urban planning and development efforts. She is a community activist and the owner of a neighborhood restaurant, the Arleta Library Cafe, promoting fair labor practices and urban agriculture. 

Her favorite mode of travel is walking, which her dog adores but her teenager loathes.

Wayfinding Academy Courses: Futures and Citizenships

Ph.D. Organizational Psychology & Leadership, Claremont Graduate University

is a former traditional model college professor who is starting her own college, The Wayfinding Academy. Her 15 years teaching leadership and organizational behavior courses at colleges and universities across the country has prepared her well to re-imagine what higher education can be with this new endeavor. She is also drawing on her experience organizing events and communities with TEDxMtHood and the World Domination Summit and founding non-profit organizations such as SuperThank.

Wayfinding Academy Courses: Wayfinding and Understanding Ourselves and Others

B.A. Williams College (Physics)

B.A. Oxford University (Physics)

M.B.A Harvard Business School

has pursued a life of involvement with interesting things. His passion for education began with teaching physics and mountaineering in secondary schools; continued through eighteen years at NIKE, with a focus on management learning; and now finds expression in developing and teaching courses on HR, Business and Information. He has engaged deeply with competitive skiing, rock climbing, mountain biking and sea kayaking;and is a life-long woodworker. His wife and he operate a B&B on the edge of Portland’s Forest Park.

Wayfinding Academy Course: Engaging with Information

B.A. Liberal Arts, The Evergreen State College

M.A. Peace Education, The United Nations University for Peace

Ph.D Sustainability Education (in progress), Prescott College

is contagiously passionate about creating education programs that empower our youth to face the crises and opportunities of these times. She had the amazing opportunity to earn a M.A. in Peace Education at The U.N. University for Peace while researching the power and potential of youth to be engaged changemakers. Later, she found her life calling while teaching Peace Studies and Global Citizenship to teens at a farm school. Emily is now midway through a PhD in Sustainability Education. Since moving to Portland, she is immersed in building community and education projects around permaculture, climate action, social justice, nature connection, and rites of passage.

Wayfinding Academy Course: The Good Life

has always been on a quest to learn and experience as much as possible, and, though not always intentionally, has always taken the non-traditional path, using the world as her teacher. She started formally working at age 14, and started traveling the globe shortly after. Many countries, and many majors, jobs and industries, later, Jessica found her own way and is passionate about helping others find theirs, also. An enthusiastic, community-oriented problem-solver, Jessica is streamlines chaos so others can shine by developing systems and strategies to create lasting change for growing organizations dedicated to making the world a better place. Jessica stays active both physically - running and hiking - and in the community - volunteering for a number of local organizations, in addition to Wayfinding. 

is currently finishing her Educational Specialist Degree in School Psychology, and recently completed a certificate in Ecopsychology, at Lewis and Clark. She transitioned to this career after teaching high school English, hoping to maximize her positive impact on students and schools. Mary is interested in how numbers can affect people's daily lives, sustainable systems, and building healthy learning communities. She lives in St. John's and enjoys hiking with her dog son. 

is a former 2nd grade teacher and small business owner. In 2014, she relocated to Portland in search of a more inspirational and welcoming environment for her progressive mindset. Melody is an educational entrepreneur with a passion for sharing new perspectives on the facilitation of learning through unique and creative mediums. She geeks out on creative connections, loves to see people empowered and advocates for simple systems. The Wayfinding Academy embodies the changes Melody wants to help cultivate across the educational landscape and she is exhilarated by opportunities to collaborate with them in reimagining education. She’s always up for a cup of coffee and a good alignment expedition!

Halfway through a rigorous Interior Design program at the #1 school in the nation--and following a life-changing study abroad in Australia--Gina realized that she didn't want to be an Interior Designer. She spent the rest of her time at college twisting and bending projects to fit her desire to become a student of culture and a creative problem solver (who more often than not, is working with her first love... food). 

M.Ed. Higher Education, Loyola University Chicago

has spent the last fifteen years connecting ideas and people through a diverse set of experiences in public relations, higher education, corporate recruiting and international volunteer work. In higher education at places like the University of Chicago and the University of California, Berkeley, Jill has worked in Admissions, Residence Life, Academic Affairs and Career Services. She finds the most joy in guiding and helping others discover their gifts. Jill is happiest when out enjoying nature or exploring a new place. A trip around the world in 2013 with her husband has been the best investment in her life thus far. Being dropped into a new city and immediately knowing her way around is her super power!