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@TheOregonCF
May 13, 2024
Media Contact:
Colin Fogarty, Director of Communications, Oregon Community Foundation
cfogarty@oregoncf.org
Oregon Community Foundation Welcomes Leaders in Healthcare and Housing to Board of Directors
PORTLAND, Ore. – Oregon Community Foundation’s Board of Directors has two new members who bring extensive experience in community engagement and housing development. Karis Stoudamire-Phillips is the Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Community Initiatives at Moda Health and Delta Dental of Oregon. Ernesto Fonseca is CEO of Hacienda Community Development Corporation, a long-time OCF partner that strengthens families by providing affordable housing, homeownership support, economic advancement and educational opportunities. After a unanimous vote, Stoudamire-Phillips and Fonseca join the 15-member board that oversees Oregon’s statewide community foundation.
"On behalf of Oregon Community Foundation Board of Directors, I welcome Karis and Ernesto into this exciting evolution of philanthropic potential in Oregon,” said Lane Shetterly, Board Chair of Oregon Community Foundation. “New leadership means new opportunities for discovery and meaningful impact in a state hungry for positive change in Oregonian’s daily lives.”
"The foundation’s next stage of growth will depend upon our ability to bring Oregonians together around the state to deliver bold solutions with innovative resources,” said Lisa Mensah, President and CEO of Oregon Community Foundation. “Karis and Ernesto bring tremendous experience and insight to advance our work.”
Stoudamire-Phillips and Fonseca replace former board chair Kimberly Cooper and board member Patrick Criteser, who both served 8 years on the OCF Board of Directors.
Karis Stoudamire-Phillips is a native of Portland. In her role at Moda Health and Delta Dental of Oregon, she develops, directs and implements community engagement strategies and action plans throughout Oregon and Alaska. She works to increase workforce and corporate cultural diversity, equity and inclusion, while ensuring product offerings across all businesses meet the needs of a diverse customer population.
She has served on OCF’s Portland Metro Leadership Council since 2017, becoming chair in 2023. She also played pivotal advisory roles for OCF in the Albina Arts Community Visioning Committee and Connecting to Black Communities.
Ernesto Fonseca joined Hacienda as CEO in April 2017, bringing his passion for community development and a belief in the power of connecting families to opportunity.
Ernesto’s own story reflects the potential that can be unleashed by investing in all our community members. Raised in central Mexico, Ernesto watched his parents take advantage of educational opportunities and their own initiative to build careers in construction and nursing. They passed on their values of hard work and education to their children, and Ernesto embraced those values to gain a foothold in this country by initially working in kitchens and restaurants as he pursued his educational goals, culminating with a Ph.D. from Arizona State University in Environmental Design and Planning.
His extensive board service includes Northwest Outward Bound School, The Prosperity Agenda, Housing Oregon, Energy Trust of Oregon and Two Worlds Community Foundation. He also services in an advisory capacity to ASU Stardust Center for Affordable Homes & the Family.
Since 1973, Oregon Community Foundation has worked to improve the lives of all Oregonians through the power of philanthropy. In partnership with donors and volunteers, OCF strengthens communities in every county in Oregon through grantmaking, scholarships and research. In 2023, OCF distributed $225 million in grants and scholarships. Individuals, families, businesses and organizations can work with OCF to create charitable funds to support causes important to them. To learn more, please visit oregoncf.org.
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