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Executive Committee and Staff Directory

Demond Hawkins

President

Shakelah Hicks

Vice-President

Alexis Griffin

Secretary

Dani Gielish

Treasurer

Demond Hawkins

President

Shakelah Hicks

Vice-President

Alexis Griffin

Secretary

Dani Gielish

Treasurer

Dr. Lawrence Rasheed

At-Large Committee Member

Kodjo Wilder

Education Committee Chair

Jonathan Wayne

Health Committee Chair

Siobhan Cancel

Legal Redress Committee Co-Chair

Drae Charles

Legal Redress Committee Co-Chair

Andiel Brown

Managing Director
Sarah_McDonald

Sarah McDonald

Office Manager

Jocelyn Wensel

Health Coordinator

Lawrence Hunter

Education Coordinator

Kharina Miramontes

BIPOC Community Health Worker/HIV Alliance

Demond Hawkins

President

Demond Hawkins is currently serving as the President of the Eugene Springfield NAACP and holds the position of Senior Health Equity Specialist at Trillium Community Health Plan. With a background rooted in his faith, family, and a strong work ethic, Demond brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his roles.

In his capacity as a Senior Health Equity Specialist, Demond collaborates with diverse stakeholders to identify and address disparities in care and outcomes. By leveraging data, his direct experience working with individuals, and fostering community partnerships, he actively contributes to transformative changes in health equity delivery. Demond is particularly passionate about promoting diversity, health equity, and inclusion, as well as recognizing and dismantling systemic barriers associated with racism.
Driven by his goal to effect meaningful change, Demond strives to be intentional in his efforts to ensure that future generations can enjoy a better quality of life than.

Shakelah Hicks

Vice-President
Shakelah has been a prominent business owner and community leader in Eugene, OR for the past 23 years providing services to the community that support family, education, health and beauty. A graduate of IBS School of Cosmetology; the University of Oregon and Purdue University Global. Shakelah has transitioned into Real Estate and has recently joined the Chatel Group a top producing real estate investment group in Georgia where she specializes in serving Atlanta Midtown and surrounding areas.

Alexis Griffin

Secretary
Alexis is a landscape designer by training and currently is enrolled at Oregon State University for Integrative Biology. Her goal is to integrate evidence based practice into the field of landscape architecture and teach future generations about creating resilience urban communities. Alexis hopes to spread awareness about the importance of community and our environment to members in her role as Secretary for this branch of the NAACP.

Dani Gielish

Treasurer
My name is Dani Gielish, and I am the DEI Program Business Partner or OCCU. I’ve been in the financial industry for 23 years and have worked in many different roles throughout my career. DEIB has always been a passion of mine and I fully believe everything I have done in my career has led me to my dream job as a DEI Business Partner for my organization. I love connecting with different people and working cooperatively with others toward goals that transcend into personal interests. My passion is to welcome leaders and employees across all dimensions of diversity — including race, gender, socioeconomic status, language and national origin, sexual orientation, and gender identity. I will strive to create a safe space where people feel seen, heard, valued, and cared for across the organization I work for. My commitment is to decrease bias and increase clarity around expectations, drive equitable access and outcomes create the feeling of security and support. As I embark on my DEI journey, I want to be a force for advancing equity and resilience by identifying the biggest challenges and deploying world-class capabilities to solve them.

Dr. Lawrence Rasheed

At-Large Committee Member
Dr. Rasheed has over 20 years of experience in P-20 educational settings. He currently serves as the African American Student Faculty/Coordinator for Lane Community College, Director of the African American Rights of Passage Program, and is the Black Student Union Advisor. In addition to his roles at Lane Community College, he also teaches a course at the University of Oregon and Pacific University. His concentration on Black Male Studies led him to found R.A.A.M.P. (Reaching African American Male’s Potential) which seeded R.A.A.M.P. Charter Academy. He also founded G.R.I.O.T. (Greatness Rediscovered in Our Time) Mentoring, P.O.W.E.R. (Providing ‘Whol’istic Educational Resources) Consulting, and established the first Black Male Studies course at the community college level in Oregon.
Dr. Rasheed has a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Administration and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Pacific University in Stockton, California. He also holds a Master in Literacy Education from California State University San Marcos and a BA in English from the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) – University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He sits on a number of committees including as the Faculty Representative for Cultural Competency in Higher Education at Lane Community College. As the college’s liaison to Lane County K-12 schools, and coordinator of community outreach and inclusion events, he works daily to build cultural bridges and advocate for black youth. With his passion for the amelioration of African American males, he continuously champions positive perceptions of their social, academic, and personal accomplishments until those archetypes are customary and expected.

Kodjo Wilder

Education Committee Chair
Kodjo Wilder is currently serving as the chair of the Education Committee. He is the Assistant Principal of Cascade Middle School with the Bethel School District. Kodjo is committed to bringing the community together. We prioritize lifting up student and family voices to create a plan of action. Join the Education Committee as we work together to connect and uplift our community.

Jonathan Wayne

Health Committee Chair
Jonathan Wayne, a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and Executive Chair of the NAACP Eugene/Springfield Health Committee, is set to utilize his comprehensive healthcare experience to provide greater access to care in the community. As the founder of Eugene’s first Black-owned psychiatric treatment center and Oregon’s first Black queer-owned psychiatric treatment center, his expertise spans mental health, critical care, emergency services, and healthcare policy, with some of these roles being held at the nation’s top healthcare organizations. Wayne’s strategic goal as Chair is to cultivate a more inclusive and efficient healthcare system.

Siobhan Cancel

Legal Redress Committee Co-Chair
Siobhan has over 20 years of experience in corporate structure and organizational management. She is passionate about helping others and is an advocate for change. Siobhan is the founder of Siobhan’s Solutions and she has constructed the listening sessions and education programs within Siobhan’s Solutions by working with many organizations and individuals. Siobhan believes that equitable organizations will have a positive impact on the surrounding community and increase economic growth. Siobhan is very active in volunteering with local organizations such as STAND for Children, NAACP, United Way, Eugene Chamber and working with local individual community leaders to achieve equitable change for marginalized groups.

Drae Charles

Legal Redress Committee Co-Chair
Drae Charles is a seasoned equity professional with a robust background in fostering cultures of belonging. With expertise in policy analysis, community building, and advocacy, Drae champions marginalized voices, forging alliances, and driving change. As a Bethel School Board Director and the Human Rights and Equity Analyst for the City of Eugene, Drae spearheads initiatives to cultivate inclusive environments and combat hate, bias, and discrimination.

Andiel Brown

Managing Director
Andiel Brown joined us last month as the new Managing Director of the Eugene/Springfield NAACP. Andiel has been a part of the community for 21 years. He received his bachelor’s degree in music from the UofO. In his time as an undergrad, he was a spiritual leader and player on the Ducks football team, and already began to blossom as an activist and advocate for others. Andiel has been the Director of the UofO Gospel Choirs & Ensembles for 16 years and the Executive Director of the nonprofit ADOS Oregon for 3 years.

Sarah McDonald

Office Manager
I am excited to be part of the NAACP. I feel privileged and am looking forward to being of service to all members of my community in the Eugene Springfield area.

Jocelyn Wensel

Health Coordinator
Jocelyn Wensel is a second-year medical student at the International University of Health Sciences. She has her Bachelors in Biology from Claremont McKenna College and a Masters Degree in Medical Sciences from Heritage University. She is passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion. She is interested in working in the public health policy space and hopes to incorporate knowledge of functional and integrative medicine, plant based nutrition, yoga, reiki, and psychedelics into her future practice in family medicine.

Lawrence Hunter

Education Coordinator
I’m grateful to announce that I will be joining the NAACP family as their newest Educational Programs Coordinator. During my years as an independent coordinator and with the YMCA, I’ve gained insight on the sacrifice required to grow programs from seed. As a father I am invested in the diversity of programming and staff in our school districts. In my personal life I produce music and DJ which has taught me focus on the needs of the community while remaining true to your own creative vision. I hope to apply this experience to my time with the NAACP family.
I’m grateful for the many mentors who shared their support and guidance with me. I can’t wait to see what experiences and adventures this next chapter of my career will reveal.

Kharina Miramontes

BIPOC Community Health Worker/HIV Alliance

Kharina Miramontes is a BIPOC Community Health Worker employed through the Eugene branch of the HIV Alliance. Through the BIPOC CHW Program, Kharina has the privilege and honor of working with the NAACP to help break down barriers in medical access, substance use treatments, and behavioral and social services for our BIPOC communities. 

As someone with experience in grassroots organizing and community service, Kharina is looking forward to using their previous experience and current skill set to help bring equity to the Eugene community.

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