WAIC Co-Founders

Mary-Elizabeth Harper, Sophia Luettke, Cassaundra Edwards, Chelsea King, Aaron Woods, Jay Edwards, Garet Prior, Kamran Mesbah, Jerry Greenfield, Kate Greenfield, Cat Allard, Andrew Engel, Paul Diller, and Sarah Finke.

WAIC founders (2019): Mary-Elizabeth Harper, Sophia Luettke, Cassaundra Edwards, Chelsea King, Aaron Woods, Jay Edwards, Garet Prior, Kamran Mesbah, Jerry Greenfield, Kate Greenfield, Cat Allard, Andrew Engel, Paul Diller, and Sarah Finke.

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Vision

Wilsonville as a diverse, inclusive, and equitable place.

Mission

People pursuing a diverse, inclusive, and equitable Wilsonville through intentional dialogue, advocacy, and the celebration of human dignity and belonging. 

Our Purpose

Diversity is the presence of differences within a setting, which aids in greater productivity, problem-solving, enriched perspectives, and efficiency. We pursue diversity through recognizing gender, age, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, physical and mental health, and other attributes. 

Inclusion is all about individuals feeling welcomed, respected, valued and involved. As with equity, inclusion is not a natural derivative of diversity. The act of inclusion seems simple: involve others. However, there is much more to it.

Equity is giving attention to the advantages and disadvantages that exist among groups and individuals, identifying a correction of those inequities, and working through relationships to increase access to resources and opportunities in the pursuit of just outcomes. Equity is equally about the process, as it is the outcome (e.g. housing, transportation, education, etc.).

Our Actions

Intentional dialogue that is open, authentic, fact-based, and information seeking. We know that we will make mistakes, but the importance is to lean into awkward and tough conversations. We are information seeking and look to create safe spaces for conversations with all viewpoints. 

Advocacy that is relationship-based and serves to pursue equitable solutions and increase diversity in systems of decision making and power. We are non-partisan and non-denominational. 

Celebration of the rich diversity within our community. We want to have fun and further inclusive events, celebrations, and spaces in Wilsonville.

Not Our Action 

  • Direct mediation of volatile situations. Our role will be to serve as a resource to community assets and resources.

  • Distribution of immediate need resources. We may partner with events and service providers, but the Wilsonville Alliance was not created to recreate what is already happening in the community. 

  • Shame, blame, or slander others for their points of view or mistakes. 

  • Settle for non-impactful diversity efforts that amount to face-level multiculturalism.

The Team

We are a collection of newly arrived and life long residents, workers, and business owners. Read this Wilsonville Spokesman news article to get an idea of the stories behind our formation.

Through our dialogue-based decision making process, we have decided that the following people will represent WAIC as representatives of the organization:

  • Co-Chairs: Garet Prior and Heather Ingersoll

  • Treasurer: Jason Smith

  • Process Inclusion: Sarah Thom

  • Secretary: OPEN

Please read the position descriptions and email us with any questions or if you would like to discuss this further!

2026 Action Ideas List

Our History

2019 

  • Discussed and formed mission, vision, values, international dialogue points, and defined what we are not

  • Wrote the first Juneteenth proclamation that the City ever passed and highlighted stories of local Black residents about the importance of the holiday 

  • Successfully formed a coalition of voices across the political spectrum to enhance and pass the Equitable Housing Strategic Plan 

  • Proposed idea and helped establish the City of Wilsonville’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion advisory committee

  • Delivered a statement on COVID-19 impacts on equity and inclusion 

2020 

  • WAIC retreat to recap the year and plan for 2021, and officers selected

  • Held monthly WAIC gathering meetings 

  • Monthly (and at times weekly WAIC UP! emails to communicate resources and events)

  • Administered City council election questionnaire 

  • Secured $3,000 grant from LAM Research and additional fundraising  

2021 

  • WAIC retreat to recap the year and plan for 2022 

  • Held monthly WAIC gathering meetings 

  • Input on Wilsonville Middle housing, Frog Pond development, and the School Board candidate questionnaire 

  • Newsletter highlight of diverse events/celebrations (before City’s DEI communications) 

  • Intelligent Lives movie viewing and discussion event 

  • Communications to encourage people to apply to the City’s DEI committee

  • Monthly (and at times weekly WAIC UP! emails to communicate resources and events)


2022 

  • Multiple meetings reaffirm/discuss officers and activities 

  • Affordable housing tour: school district, state legislator, local housing service providers, city officials, and WAIC - led to relationships that helped further Vuela's affordable housing funding, and monthly homeless service providers meeting 

  • Monthly (and at times weekly WAIC UP! emails to communicate resources and events)

2023 

  • Oregon Humanities: Can We All Get Along event 

  • Helped support the City and DEI Committee Juneteenth event 

  • Monthly (and at times weekly WAIC UP! emails to communicate resources and events)

2024 

  • Oregon Humanities Housing and Belonging event

2025 

  • Remembered Aaron Woods’ passing 

  • WAIC kick-start and held 5 gatherings that ended in an updated slate of new leaders selected

  • Updated internal administrative and financial management of the organization

Non-Profit Status

WAIC receives our non-profit status as a project of the Charitable Partnership Fund.