Our People

Staff

Portrait of this team member
Carrie Hoops
Executive Director
CONTACT + Bio
Portrait of this team member
Michelle Reynolds
Director of Strategic Grantmaking
CONTACT + Bio
Portrait of this team member
Jennifer Allen
Director of Responsive Grantmaking
CONTACT + Bio
Portrait of this team member
Yaelle Amir
Program Associate
CONTACT + Bio
Portrait of this team member
Alma Llamas
Finance Manager
CONTACT + Bio
Portrait of this team member
Lacey Matney
Grants Manager
CONTACT + Bio

Board Members

John Tapogna
John Tapogna
Read Bio
William Swindells
William Swindells
Read Bio
Kali Thorne Ladd
Kali Thorne Ladd
Read Bio
Peter Koehler
Peter Koehler
Read Bio
Giyen Kim
Giyen Kim
Read Bio
Donald Grotting
Donald Grotting
Read Bio
Subashini Ganesan-Forbes
Subashini Ganesan-Forbes
Read Bio
Charles Putney
Charles Putney
Read Bio

The Millers

James Miller and Marion Miller posing for the camera while dancing.
Read James Miller’s Bio

There's no mystery around why the Miller Foundation funds the arts and education in Oregon. Founder James F. Miller grew up poor but hungry to learn. An honor roll student when he graduated from Portland's Lincoln High School in 1921, Miller planned to go onto college — a plan crushed by lack of money.

Decades after the blow, he still described the barrier as "heartbreaking." In his early 20s, he reluctantly began selling investments. He never imagined that one day he and future wife, Marion, would be wealthy enough to donate millions to causes that mattered to them.

When work took the Oregon-based couple to New York City, they deepened their shared love of the arts and cultural learning. Beginning in the 1940s, the Millers gave generously to organizations in New York, Oregon, and across the U.S.

After 68 years of marriage, Marion passed away in 1998, leading James ("Jim") to return to Portland and carry on their tradition of supporting the arts and education. In 2003, he memorialized her contributions to their joint causes by creating a foundation in both their names: the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation.

Though Jim died in 2004, the Foundation continues to honor the Millers' passion for education, the arts, and Oregon. The Foundation’s efforts focus solely on communities across Oregon, where we support K-12 education, artists, arts education, and a wide variety of art organizations.