Our Team

Board of Directors

Hermann Colas Jr.

Board President

Hermann is the founder of the award-winning, family-owned Colas Construction, the largest minority-owned construction company in Oregon. Colas Construction is strongly committed to working with minority contractors, building educational programs for youth, and connecting with communities of color. The company has set a leading example for diversity and inclusion on its projects. As President of the Board, Hermann is committed to honoring the history of Vanport and its BIPOC communities.

Rev. E.D. Mondaine

Board Secretary

E.D. is the founder of Po’Shines Café de la Sol in North Portland. He has helped develop job training and career development programs for communities of color, and is an activist for social justice issues, an entrepreneur for creating successful businesses, a public speaker, a civic leader, and a musician. E.D. serves as Board Secretary.

Corky Collier

Board Treasurer

Corky is the Executive Director of the Columbia Corridor Association (CCA). He guides the largest economic corridor in Oregon, which includes transportation, land use, equity, and natural resources. The CCA includes 2,500 businesses which employ 65,000 people, with the highest number of middle-wage jobs in the state. He is an active member of the Multnomah County Drainage District, Levee Ready Columbia Project, and Feasibility Project of the Army Corps of Engineers. Corky is knowledgeable about Vanport history and the impacts flooding had on Oregon history, and he’s especially aware of other impacts on Native American lands.

Christina Felix

Board Member

Carl Abbott

Board Member

Carl Abbott is a historian, speaker, and urban studies expert. He taught urban studies and planning at Portland State University for thirty-five years and has written extensively about the history of Portland and the Pacific Northwest. He has been active as a board member of a number of community groups, including the Oregon Encyclopedia, the Historic Preservation League of Oregon, the Oregon Downtown Development Association, and Chamber Music Northwest. He wrote the essay about Vanport for the Oregon Encyclopedia. Dr. Abbott is the author of many articles and books about Portland history.

James Stanley Harrison †

Former Board Member

James Harrison was an instructor of history and humanities and former Chair of the Social Science Department at the Cascade Campus of Portland Community College in North Portland. He has taught a range of courses, including the African-American and U.S. History sequences, History of Africa, and Race and Racism. Prof. Harrison has been a speaker for many social justice programs and was writing a book on the history of Vanport before his passing in September of 2022.

Remembering James Stanley Harrison, Vanport Placemarking Project’s first Board member

James Stanley Harrison, Vanport Placemarking Project’s first Board member, passed away in September 2022. James Harrison taught History and Humanities at Portland Community College and served as the Social Sciences Faculty Department Chair for many years, teaching thousands of students about history and racism and inspiring them to join the struggle for social justice. Professor Harrison was dedicated to sharing the story of Vanport; he researched Vanport’s history, taught students about Vanport, and served as a key advisor to both the Vanport Mosaic and Vanport Placemarking Projects. His support and knowledge have been foundational to our work and mission, and he served as a dedicated Board member since the project’s inception.

James Harrison is remembered fondly by the Portland Community College community on their website, and family and friends in his obituary.

We thank Professor Harrison for his dedication to history and social justice, his contributions to the Vanport Placemarking Project, and his long and influential career as a teacher, historian, lecturer, racial justice advocate, and friend. He was a blessing to many and is greatly missed.

Project Team

Maryhelen Kincaid, Executive Director

Thomas Meinzen, Operations Director

and many current and former partners, collaborators, and team members, including:

Tanya March, PhD – Research, Historical Photos & Markers

Sherry Lamoreaux – Editor & Grant Writer

Brian Stevens – Vanport Augmented Reality Project

Kristen Minor – Vanport Archaeological Memory Project Lead

Dave Ellis – Vanport Archaeological Memory Project Lead

sidony o’neal – Artist & Designer, People of Vanport Project

Mark Wubbold – Vanport Extension Center Marker Lead

Christina Felix – Land Acknowledgment/Native American History Project

David-Paul Hedberg – Land Acknowledgment/Native American History Project

Zita Podany – Contributing Author

Contact us: info@vanportplaces.org

Thank You to Our Supporters

We are grateful to our funders who donate financially, our supporters who contribute invaluable in-kind services, and to those organizations who voice their support for our work.  Thank you!