The skanner., February 21, 2018, Special Edition, Page 3, Image 3

February 21, 2018 The Skanner Page 3
News
that they did and what
the mission of the Forest
Service was, and how the
job of the contracting of-
ficer helps support that.
She pretty much sold me
on it. I wanted to make
sure I did a job that was
helping people, and she
definitely showed me
that this position does
do that,” Fuller told The
Skanner.
“
One of
the most
import-
ant things
for me is
when I get
a chance
to see the
finished
project
Fuller works out of the
Forest Service’s Vancou-
ver, Washington office,
managing internal and
external contracts that
help the Forest Service
do its work. That in-
cludes both non-emer-
gent infrastructure proj-
ects – like repairing a
bridge on Forest Service
land that needs to be up-
dated for public access
– as well as managing
contracts during emer-
gencies like forest fires.
This can mean bringing
outside contractors in
where necessary, con-
tracting with caterers
to make sure firefight-
ers at base camp are fed,
lodged and have access to
fire, and other tasks that
accompany assembling a
base camp.
Fuller
recommends
young people who are
interested in doing sim-
ilar work to pursue an
MBA, which is required
for some allocation cer-
tificates she needs to
do her job. She said her
work requires a high
Start-Ups
degree of flexibility and
open-mindedness.
A
self-described “city girl,”
she had never spent
much time in the out-
doors before taking her
current job, and atten-
tion to detail and custom-
er service are needed.
“It really is a fun job.
I think one of the most
important things for me
is when I get a chance to
see the finished project
and that actually, the con-
tract is complete,” Fuller
said. “Now I can see that
this bridge has been con-
structed, and it’s going to
help the public be able to
access some of the areas
that are very popular.”
Fuller has worked out
of the same office since
2009, but it’s common for
Forest Service employ-
ees to move to different
agencies and divisions,
and often it’s encour-
aged since seeing how
different regional offices
work can help employ-
ees grow. She’s also re-
quired to take 80 hours
of continuing education
every two years to keep
her certifications cur-
rent. Typically she takes
courses that are specific
to her role – for example,
contracting law or ethics
in contracting.
Forest Service spokes-
person Shandra Terry
said anyone interested
in finance, accounting or
contracting should con-
sider a career path like
Fuller’s.
“I think it’s super im-
portant for [readers] to
know what’s attainable,”
Terry said. “In the sense
of discipline and educa-
tion and career track, we
need more of, we need
our little girls to know
that it is attainable -- that
you become a success and
that and that you can start
off here, but you never
know where you’ll end
up with that education
and that inspiration.”
Michelle J. DePass Named
Meyer Memorial Trust’s
New President and CEO
Meyer Memorial Trust, Oregon’s second-largest foundation,
today announced Michelle J. DePass as its new president and
chief executive officer. She will succeed Doug Stamm, who
has led the $800 million trust since 2002. DePass is currently
the dean of the Milano School of International Affairs,
Management, and Urban Policy and Tishman Professor of
Environmental Policy and Management at The New School in
New York. Previously, she was appointed to the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) by President Barack Obama, where
she served as assistant administrator for International and
Tribal Affairs. Prior to joining the EPA, DePass was a program
officer at the Ford Foundation. Her portfolio focused on the
environment and community development, including green
economy and climate change, environmental health and
justice, and indigenous environmental rights. DePass holds a
bachelor’s degree from Tufts University, a Juris Doctor from
Fordham Law School, an honorary doctorate from Fordham
University and a Master of Public Administration from Baruch
College, where she was a National Urban Fellow.
Lake Oswego
in leadership: on Feb. 12 the Lake
Oswego School Board announced
its superintendent, Heather
Beck, would be taking a position
overseas and that she would be
replaced by Michael Musick. June
30 will be Beck’s last day. Fol-
lowing the January incident, the
district posted a statement on its
website saying it was “no secret”
that racist incidents were part
of the community’s history, and
that it would follow a restorative
justice model in addressing the
incident.
“The recent incident in Lake
Oswego Junior High confirms
that we have more work to do to
educate our students about the
use of hate speech and to educate
our families and teachers and
staff about how to respond.,” the
statement said. “Derogatory and
racially charged terms are al-
ways unacceptable and should
never be used. If any student
hears these words, no matter the
context, parents should notify
the teacher or bus driver, and the
principal so action can be tak-
en. We can all learn how to have
frank and sometimes courageous
conversations about race in our
homes and community in order
to build the norms that do not al-
low for hate speech and intoler-
PHOTO COURTESY OF PRICHARD COMMUNICATIONS
cont’d from pg 1
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ance to exist.”
The student who received the
note was one of three African
American students at Lake Oswe-
go Junior High School. The two
other Black students said in an
interview with The Skanner News
“
The recent in-
cident in Lake
Oswego Junior
High confirms
that we have
more work to do
that the treatment he received fits
a pattern of behavior – and that
the school district’s response has
been lacking.
Both Precious Lott and Jay
Hawkins told The Skanner their
daughters have experienced
physical assaults at school – one
a few years ago in elementary
school, and one just recently –
that school officials never con-
tacted them about. Ajialia Mc-
Clure, an eighth grader who has
attended Lake Oswego schools
most of her academic years, said
in fourth grade another child
pulled a chunk of her hair out
by the root. Dakota Webb, who
moved to the area more recently
from Virginia, said earlier this
year a student hit her in the face,
causing a headache and blurred
vision for the rest of the day. Nei-
ther Lott, who is McClure’s moth-
er, nor Hawkins, who is Webb’s
father, say they knew about these
events until their children came
home from school that day.
The girls also described an en-
vironment where they hear ra-
cial slurs constantly in hallways,
where students repeatedly ask
them for “permission” to use the
n-word, and are frequently the
butt of racist jokes and comments.
“I would say I hear [the n-word]
20-30 times a day,” McClure said.
Lott said she was born and
raised in Northeast Portland,
and attended a predominantly
White school in Southeast Port-
land where she made friends with
students she stays in touch with
to this day. She never had experi-
ences like the ones her daughter
describes to her. Webb said mov-
ing to Lake Oswego from a more
diverse area has been jarring.
The girls are also close to the male
student described in previous
stories.
“They’re the only ones going
through this,” Lott said. “At the
end of the day, who else do we
have but us?”
cont’d from pg 1
again: lack of funding.
“Money creates a whole set of new
complex challenges, but it usually
solves an immediate problem,” said Mi-
chel — from paying a company’s rent to
paying its utility bills.
Their funding woes are not unique to
them, however.
In 2016, female-led companies made
up just under 5 percent of all venture
capital deals, while less than 1 percent
went to Black founders.
Michel said it’s a typical scenario
faced by most budding entrepreneurs
— one he compares a band scoring its
first short-sighted record deal. “You
start your own business as an entre-
preneur and you have so much control,
then you go to fundraise and you have
no control again.”
With their T-shirt campaign, Michel
is looking to change the trajectory. “My
dream with Fund a Founder is really
to create an alternative to traditional
funding and dismantle the status quo.”
The child of Haitian immigrants, Mi-
chel was born in New York City and
has traveled to over 30 countries. Be-
fore breaking into tech, Michel toggled
among the service industry, fundrais-
“
My dream with
Fund a Founder is
really to create an
alternative to tradi-
tional funding
ing for local charities, and corporate
sales. He’s also a sign language inter-
preter and speaks four languages.
And he’s excited for the future.
According to Michel, the next cohort
of TiE start-ups is majority minori-
ty-owned. “And it wasn’t on purpose,”
he said. “These are the companies that
are doing great and innovative things
and are thinking outside of the box.
We’re here — but we need the money
to make the dream
come true.”
Fund a Founder
recently launched
an additional T-shirt
design – the “naugh-
ty robot” for the tech
outlier, which is of-
ten how minorities
and females feel in
the start-up arena,
Michel explained.
And while Fund a
Founder is current-
ly raising capital for
his and Brown’s com- ‘Fund a Founder’ and ‘Black Founders Matter’ t-shirts.
panies, the goal is to
a Founder is slowly gaining traction,
expand the model to support his peers with the first few thousand dollars
on a larger scale.
raised.
The clothing is also meant to spread
“I think it has the ability to change the
awareness about the needs of minori- landscape of funding and also empow-
ty and female start-ups – think of each er other entrepreneurs like ourselves,”
t-shirt like its own social awareness said Michel. “We want to make it more
billboard.
hospitable and support people who are
Though still in the early stages, Fund trying this too.”
COURTESY OF FUND A FOUNDER
Forest