Staff Profile

Prior to joining the Meyer Trust in November 2007, I worked for approximately 26 years in senior and executive-level positions in a variety of Washington and Oregon private nonprofit agencies including community action, child welfare, vocational-technical training, qualified rehabilitation facility, and food bank, among others.  I have a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Washington (1979) and a BA summa cum laude in Sociology from Manhattan College (1973), and was nominated for Phi Beta Kappa.  Originally from New York City, I have lived in the Pacific Northwest since 1973.  We moved to Portland in 1990.

Bishop Loughlin High School in Brooklyn's Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood. Every day, I took the "A" train from Queens to go to school. The subway stop for the school was Lafayette Avenue.

An engineer or mathematics teacher.

One semester.

It depends on the year. My response as a senior would be much different than when I was a freshman.

With the exception of intramural sports, I didn't participate much in school-sponsored activities. That said, I was a member of the Math Team in my senior year, maybe junior year also. Organized activities outside of high school were Pop Warner Football and Rich Haven Baseball Leagues. Most of the time was spent playing various types of streetball - stickball, stupeball, handball (a few types), slapball, touch football, and hoops. My friends and I also played ringaleeveo, capture the flag, "hide the belt," "jonny on the pony," and other games to test one's mettle. At times, we were more cerebral and played a variety of card games and chess. I hung out with my friends on street corners and in parks. My friends were a mix of those that went to Loughlin, Brooklyn Tech, Richmond Hill, and other high schools. It was a large, sometimes unwieldy group. The group never hung around the high schools. In fact, it would have been very dangerous to hang out near my high school. (We were advised not to walk alone from the subway station to school, and never wait for the train at the end of the platform. Of course, I tested this advice. It only took one mugging to follow it. )

My tastes changed over time. Consistently, I was a fan of the Stones (liked the Beatles but preferred Mick and the boys), Doors, Dylan - you get the drift.

be considered a smart guy, not a "wise guy."

Talk to my family and friends if you really want to know!