Thank You to our Contributors
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!
4imprint
Autzen Foundation
City of Portland
Collins Foundation
Columbia Corridor Association
Columbia Slough Watershed Council
COLAS Construction
East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
Friends of Portland International Raceway
Home Builders Association of Metro Portland
Jubitz
Kenton Business Association
Kenton Neighborhood Association
Kinsman Foundation
Levee Ready Columbia
MCDD Flood Protection
Metro Vanport Legacy Fund
National Trust for Historic Preservation
North Portland Trust Fund
OnPoint Community Credit Union
Oregon Cultural Trust
Oregon Park and Recreation’s Oregon Heritage Commission
Otak
sparks+sullivan
Peninsula Drainage District #2
Portland International Raceway
Port of Portland
Portland Parks and Recreation
Portland State University
Prosper Portland
Ramsay Signs
Regional Arts and Culture Council
Restore Oregon
S2 Imaging
SERA Architects, Inc.
TMT Development