Poison Waters is not just a personality. Poison is an experience!! Whether dressed as Poison Waters or her alter ego Kevin Cook, they are both captivating and one of a kind! For over three decades Poison has been having tons of FUN entertaining from countless stages throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond. She has been coordinating, participating in and hosting an endless docket of benefits, revues and shows for various local, regional and national charities. She has been recognized and rewarded for her community service, raising awareness, and providing entertainment to such charities as Cascade AIDS Project, Dress for Success Oregon, the Make a Wish Foundation, Human Dignity Coalition, Oregon Humane Society and the American Heart Association. Poison has received the The Assistance League of Greater Portland’s National Operation School Bell Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Court System, a Hero of HIV Award and the Red Ribbon Award from the Coalition for AIDS Awareness just to name a few. The booking invitations never stop! Highlights have been appearances with Pink Martini, repeat segments on AM Northwest, opening for Storm Large at her Holiday Ordeal, Drag Queen Storytelling at Multnomah County Libraries, and in 2023 will celebrate her 14th anniversary recurring role in Oregon Ballet Theater’s The Nutcracker and is in her 3rd year teaching an online course on Portland’s Drag History with Portland Community College. Poison is honored to have been the Grand Marshal of the Portland Rose Festival’s 2023 CareOregon Starlight Parade and the Pride Northwest’s Portland Pride Parade! Hundreds of thousands have enjoyed her wit, charm and beauty! When she is not enjoying her time hosting events and fundraisers or traveling the globe, she is the co-hostess at the legendary Darcelle XV Showplace where she has been wildly popular for 33 years. In July 2023, Poison was a co producer of Drag-a-Thon, the Guinness World Record breaking longest running drag show at 48 hours, 11 minutes and 30 seconds, raising over $300,000.00 for The Trevor Project! 2023 also marked the 23rd year volunteering with summer camps for children whose lives have been affected by HIV. Poison, as Kevin is the Camp Director for Cascade AIDS Projects’ Camp KC (Kids Connection). During the Covid 19 global pandemic, Poison went virtual, bringing her Drag Queen Bingo, Drag Queen Storytime and event hosting to thousands of new fans all over the world. Whatever the title, event, cause or venue, one thing remains the same: the important bond between Poison Waters and her audience. She remains, “the smile on the face of Portland.” www.poisonwaters.com

Tony DeFalco joined Latino Network as the Executive Director in February 2021, where he and his team work to positively transform the lives of Latinx youth and families in education, leadership, and civic engagement in Oregon. He brings decades of experience in nonprofit management, fundraising, advocacy and coalition-building across diverse sectors in the region and state, coupled with a deep understanding of the issues facing Latinx and communities of color. His past experiences include working with Native American tribes across the country to re-acquire culturally significant lands and working with a broad coalition of environmental groups, commercial and recreational fishing groups and scientists to protect ocean health. Prior to his role at Latino Network, DeFalco worked for Verde for 10 years, partnering with the community to innovate anti-displacement, environmental protection, and economic development efforts.

Mr. Baum has 18 years of experience in real estate development. After starting his career working as an administrator in arts and culture institutions, he spent 10 years implementing a complex campus master plan for the Pacific Northwest College of Art culminating in the award-winning adaptive reuse of a historic post office into a flagship campus in Portland, Oregon. Since joining Security Properties in 2015, Mr. Baum has managed the new development pipeline in Oregon including the project management and completion of the Peloton and Heartline apartments; the Press Blocks development; and, the Pop Blocks master plan at the former Pepsi distribution site in Portland. He oversees projects from entitlement through construction management in multi-family, institutional, office and industrial sectors. Mr. Baum’s educational background includes undergraduate degrees in music and business from the University of Oregon, and a graduate MA degree from the University of Oregon.

Amy is a Real Estate Project Manager with the City of Vancouver and is the project lead for the Heights District redevelopment. Prior to joining the City, Amy worked for a private developer in Vancouver managing commercial and multifamily redevelopment projects. She is a proud Scot and before relocating to the United States in 2017, she practiced commercial real estate law in Edinburgh, Scotland. Amy is also a mother of twins and when not working is chasing after two active 2 year olds.

Alex's career-long focus linking architecture to community organizing serves as the foundation of the firm and its guiding ethos. Early in his career, Alex apprenticed with NGOs in India designing culturally appropriate, earthquake safe homes, and he later served on the Board of Directors of multiple housing justice organizations in Oakland, CA and Boston, MA. His decades of experience leading multifamily developments and community-based master plans continues to shape the firm's body of work and our mission-based approach.

Erin Graham’s career has been fueled by a passion to engage communities in innovation and education to improve outcomes for all Oregon children and families. Erin was appointed president and CEO of OMSI in June 2020. Collaborating with the Board, staff and OMSI partners and stakeholders, she is leading the implementation of OMSI’s exciting 20-Year vision, including the development of a new OMSI District. Erin previously served as OMSI’s chief operating officer and has worked in various roles at OMSI for more than a decade. As COO, Erin led the development of OMSI’s current five-year strategic plan (2020-2025) and the successful implementation of OMSI’s previous five-year strategic plan. In her previous role as vice president of development at OMSI, Erin led significant year-over-year increases in annual contributions to the organization while simultaneously launching OMSI's first capital campaign in 20 years to build Camp Gray in Newport, OR. Before joining OMSI, Erin held senior positions in nonprofit fundraising, operations, and in-house counsel within the arts and technology industries. Erin earned a JD/MBA from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon. In her community work, Erin serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Science and Technology Centers. She is a member of the American Leadership Forum of Oregon and the International Women’s Forum. She also recently chaired the Board of Trustees for the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) where she led the development of a new 10-year strategic plan for the organization.

As Chief Operating Officer, Peter oversees the day-to-day operations of Melvin Mark Companies. He also delivers expert commercial real estate service to his clients and provides leadership to the brokerage and marketing teams in his role of Executive VP of Brokerage. He joined Melvin Mark in 2004 and quickly became a successful part of the company. As a grandson of the founder, Peter has a deep sense of pride in his job and his community. He believes that success is mutual and aims to exceed client expectations. No matter what the project, Peter always works as a team, focusing strongly on what’s important to clients and tailoring each of his processes to meet specific goals. Throughout his time with Melvin Mark, Peter has been a part of many significant endeavors. He has worked with numerous owners in the planning and marketing of new development projects. In addition, he has coordinated the leasing for several building headquarters like 2&Taylor and 250 Taylor (NW Natural) as well as office portfolios like Al Solheim and Goodman Family. Peter has also assisted in locating unique office spaces, like Expensify. Peter loves the business and is proud of the Melvin Mark Companies tradition and name. Having been born and raised in Portland, he has a passion for the city, its people, and its food. Peter is dedicated to the community and is deeply involved in several local organizations and civic committees. When he is not working or with his family, Pe

David Copenhaver holds a distinguished certified development professional (CDP) designation and has been involved in commercial real estate development, management, construction, and acquisition for over 35 years involving in excess of 80 projects situated within the scenic Pacific Northwest marketplace. David’s professional accomplishments include over 7,000,000 square feet of retail office and medical office space, over 1,000 multifamily units, several large mixed-use master plan developments and various business enterprises including yoga and cycle studios and a winery. Additionally, David strives to continually serve on boards of non-profit organizations and has served with numerous community related committees and groups throughout his career.