Maurice Henderson

Chief of Staff and Director of Strategic Initiatives

maurice.henderson@portlandoregon.gov

Maurice most recently served as the Assistant Director of the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT). At PBOT, Henderson was recognized for his excellent leadership within the bureau and for his innovative and effective approach working with city leadership and community leaders on the Smart Cities effort. Before arriving in Portland in 2015, Henderson served in a variety of top roles in the administrations of three mayors of Washington, DC, and was a top press aide to former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine.

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Kristin Dennis

Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Operations

kristin.dennis@portlandoregon.gov

Kristin most recently served as Mayor Wheeler’s Chief of Staff in the Oregon State Treasury, where she previously served as Policy Director. Earlier, she was an aide to Oregon State Senator Richard Devlin. She was elected to serve on the Lake Oswego City Council at the age of 22 from 2007 to 2010 and worked for a plastics recycling company in Portland. Kristin holds a law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law and is a member of the Oregon State Bar.

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Kyle Chisek

Director of Bureau Relations

kyle.chisek@portlandoregon.gov

Kyle has worked in City government since 2006 when he began in former Mayor Tom Potter’s office, after previously working in the private sector. Since that time, Chisek has worked both in capital project management in the Policy, Planning, and Projects group as well as Program Development in the Development, Permitting, and Transit group. Chisek was also the project manager for the City of Portland’s Smart City Challenge grant application to the US Department of Transportation.

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Jennifer Arguinzoni

Director of Strategic Partnerships

jennifer.arguinzoni@portlandoregon.gov

Jennifer worked on project management for the transition to mayor as Transition Manager. Jennifer has more than a decade of state and federal legislative experience in Georgia and Washington DC.

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Michael Cox

Director of Communications

michael.b.cox@portlandoregon.gov

Michael was previously Mayor Wheeler’s Communications Director at Oregon State Treasury. He has more than a decade of experience in campaigns and government in Oregon and California. 

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Elisabeth Perez

Senior Policy Advisor 

elisabeth.perez@portlandoregon.gov

 

Elisabeth began working in the Mayor’s Office as a Hatfield Fellow focused on resiliency after graduating from Tulane University with a M.S. in Disaster Resilience Leadership. From there, she became the Mayor’s Senior Policy Advisor focused on Resiliency as the liaison to the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM), Bureau of Emergency Communications (BOEC), and leading Smart Cities initiatives throughout the City. As the liaison to BOEC, she worked with the Mayor to hire a new Director and is proceeding to work with the Mayor and Human Resources to hire a new PBEM Director. As the leader on Smart Cities efforts, Elisabeth successfully implemented a partnership with AT&T on transportation sensors and is engaging the private sector in partnerships.

As a Changemaker at the Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking, Elisabeth received The Victor C. Alvarez Spark Innovation Award as initial funding to start the MyNew Orleans Photo Project in 2016. The project aims to increase awareness and reduce stigma around homelessness in New Orleans.

Elisabeth hopes to transfer her skills working with both marginalized groups and disaster professionals to make communities more resilient through engagement, training, and community informed decision-making.

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Berk Nelson

Senior Advisor

berk.nelson@portlandoregon.gov

Berk attended the University of California, Davis School of Law where he received his J.D. in 2005. Berk received his undergraduate degree from the Colorado College where he received his B.A. in Sociology in 2000. He comes to us from Perkins Coie where he did contract work in the commercial litigation department and was previously with Molina Healthcare, Inc. where he served as in-house counsel.

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Michelle Plambeck

Senior Advisor

michelle.plambeck@portlandoregon.gov

Michelle most recently served as an aide to Multnomah County Commissioner Judy Shiprack, where she advised the commissioner on issues relating to early learning, food policy, public safety and land use. After studying History at the University of Oregon, Michelle worked for non-profits and then as a legislative assistant for then-Representative Michael Dembrow and Oregon Speaker of the House Tina Kotek. 

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Nicole A. Grant

Senior Policy Advisor

nicole.grant@portlandoregon.gov

Nicole joins the Wheeler Administration as a Senior Policy Advisor after having served as the Senior Policy Analyst and Portland Police Bureau (PPB) Liaison for the Hales Administration. As Senior Policy Analyst, Nicole has primarily worked on public safety policy issues, particularly those falling under the DOJ settlement agreement. Nicole moved to Portland in May 2015 after practicing law in Baltimore, MD.  Nicole is a Maryland native, and a graduate of Yale University and Columbia Law School.

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Andrea Valderrama

Senior Policy Advisor

andrea.valderrama@portlandoregon.gov

Andrea most recently served as Portland City Hall’s first Policy and Outreach Advisor dedicated to East Portland and coalition engagement under Commissioner Novick, where she advised on transportation, housing, public safety, budget, worker friendly, and government affairs policy, and developed regional strategies on displacement mitigation in economic development and transportation projects. Andrea is the first and only person of color serving on the David Douglas School Board, and was recently named one of Portland’s Top 10 Social Change Makers by Prichard Communications. She earned her BA from the University of Oregon and is pursuing an Executive Masters of Public Administration at Portland State University’s Hatfield School of Government. 

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Seraphie Allen

Policy Advisor and Community Affairs Liaison

seraphie.allen@portlandoregon.gov

Seraphie serves as the Mayor’s liaison for issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community. With a degree in English and Gender Studies from Lewis & Clark College, Seraphie previously worked in education and continues to coach high school basketball. Seraphie enjoys reading long books, being outdoors and playing on a Portland Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team.

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Angel James

Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff

angel.james@portlandoregon.gov

Angel most recently served as the Transition Scheduler to Mayor-elect Wheeler. Previously, Angel served as Executive Assistant to the Assistant Director for the Portland Bureau of Transportation. Angel has more than a decade of experience providing support to high-level officials in Portland.

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Lisa Taylor

Scheduler

lisa.taylor@portlandoregon.gov

A native Portlander, Lisa has held a variety of jobs and is jack of a lot of trades, including years of experience performing executive-level administrative and managerial support. Lisa has a BA in Graphic Design from Portland State University. She always votes and loves the arts.

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Mustafa Washington

Constituent Services Manager

mustafa.washington@portlandoregon.gov

Mustafa has a Master’s of Science in Management and Organizational Leadership from Warner Pacific College, and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Warner Pacific College. Prior to joining Mayor Wheeler's staff, he was a staff member for Mayor Hales as the Constituent Service Specialist and later promoted to Executive Assistant. Among his proudest accomplishments: Mustafa is the first person in his immediate family to complete a Master’s degree program.

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Trevaun Myrie

Constituent Services Specialist

trevaun.myrie@portlandoregon.gov

 

Trevaun provides services to constituents and supports policy staff. He graduated from Jefferson High School-Middle College for Advanced Studies. Among his accomplishments: Trevaun has participated in a Nike Creation Project Experience (NPCE) program for two years. Trevaun grew up in Jamaica, big fan of soccer and he is also player of the sport. Loves music, dancing, movies and cars.

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Antoinette Edwards

Director of the Office of Youth Violence Prevention

antoinette.edwards@portlandoregon.gov

Antoinette served as the first Diversity and Volunteer Services Director for the Oregon Trail Chapter for the American Red Cross. She has a Bachelors in education from Portland State University. She joins Mayor Wheeler's staff from working with Mayor Adams and Mayor Hales respective administrations. Among her proudest accomplishments: the Gladys McCoy Citizen Involvement Award in 2009, Social Justice Fund Northwest’s Jeanette Rankin Award for being a tireless lifelong activist in 2013, and the Equity Foundation's “Women Who Lead“ award in 2015. Antoinette founded the first Black PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) chapter in the nation. Antoinette lives in NE Portland and enjoys being a wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She loves spoken word, reading, reading to children and the art of Feng Shui.

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Tom Peavey

Policy Manager for the Office of Youth Violence Prevention

tom.peavey@portlandoregon.gov

Tom has a bachelor’s in Police Science Administration from Washington State University. Prior to joining Mayor Wheeler’s staff, he was a staff member as the policy manager of the Office of Youth Violence Prevention for former mayors Tom Potter, Sam Adams, Charlie Hales as well as Commissioner Dan Saltzman.  Tom served as a Crime Prevention Coordinator for the Portland Office of Neighborhood Involvement (2004 to 2006), following a 31-year career as an officer with the Portland Police Bureau (1973 to 2004).