Meet The Team

Staff

Tomi Douglas
CEO

Tomi Douglas

CEO

tommy@metroeast.org

Tomi is a seasoned nonprofit administrator and arts professional who currently operates her consulting firm 4th Wall Consulting from her home in Portland, OR. Before starting her consultancy, Tomi was the Cultural Services Director for the City of Eugene for many years where she oversaw the City's arts and culture portfolio including venue management, public art, performing arts programming, community event producing, and overseeing all regional cultural tourism and policy matters. Before that she served the City of Portland as Mayor Sam Adams' Culture and Communications Policy Advisor and had previous executive management and arts programming roles at landmark institutions such as MoPOP in Seattle, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and as Executive Director of the New York City Gay Chorus. Tomi specializes in organizational change management, new revenue development, membership and loyalty marketing, and arts producing. In her spare time, Tomi loves reading, cooking, trail running, cross-country skiing, golfing badly, and throwing sticks for her two dogs, George and Lil' Sebastian.

Read Bio
John Lugton
Head of Production

John Lugton

Head of Production

john@metroeast.org

Born and raised by the North Sea in Scotland, the NW is like a home away from home. Growing up I was captivated by the French black and white Adventures of Robinson Crusoe TV show, that seemed to play every summer holiday!! The opening music, the composition, the pacing, the look and feel were all vital in making the story so real. I love helping organizations bring their ideas to life through the video production process. And I make sure that our award-winning production staff helps you make a difference. I believe that everyone has a story to tell and that there is a story behind everything!! But in the spirit of the true storytellers when out with friends I frequently remind myself "Why ruin a good story by sticking to the facts?" Other hobbies and passions both great and small: Football, creating, gardening, solving, cooking, dancing and singing and just plain looking at things from the perspective of beauty.

Read Bio
Monica Weitzel
Director of Community Relations

Monica Weitzel

Director of Community Relations

monica@metroeast.org

Monica Weitzel is the queen of networking and loves to make connections between the people she knows. Because of this, her role as Director of Community Relations is a natural fit. She focuses much of her time seeking out, creating and nurturing partnerships with local non-profits, schools, and government agencies. Her work in this area is supported by her role as the co-producer and host of MetroEast's long-running flagship TV program, Community Hotline, which spotlights those same three groups. As a member of the Leadership team, Monica enjoys helping to guide the organization forward, always with an eye on MetroEast's mission. Monica's biggest passion is her 3-year-old granddaughter, Eva, who affectionately calls her "Monca".

Read Bio
Seth Ring
Director of Education & Volunteers

Seth Ring

Director of Community Relations

seth@metroeast.orgI am a local Oregonian with a passion for nature and civic engagement. After much merriment in the biological sciences/getting my Biology BA at Lewis & Clark, I got my Master's in Science and Natural History Filmmaking at Montana State University. I work with volunteers and educators to give underrepresented groups a voice and keep media in the hands of regular ol' citizens. My wife and I enjoy board games, being ridiculous and long walks on the beach.

Read Bio
Jessica Liu
Director of Equity and Inclusion

Jessica Liu

Digital Media Trainer

jessica@metroeast.org

Jessica was born and raised in Oakland, California and developed her love for media in the Bay Area. She feels at home in the PNW amongst the rain, mountains and neighborhood cats. She is excited to share her passion for media production, audio engineering and community building. Jessica is excited to support the thriving talent of East County and is dedicated to empowering those who do not have the resources or platform to be heard.

Read Bio
David Elkin-Bram
Director of IT

David Elkin-Bram

Director of Information Technology

david@metroeast.org

As one of the longest-serving members of MetroEast's team, David has seen a great deal of progress, change, and story-telling in the walls of MetroEast. David serves as the Director of Information Technology and continues to guide the organization towards positive technical fruition. David began volunteering in Community Media productions in 1992 and dove into every class available. "I needed to get my hands on all the gear," David recalls fondly. After many hours of donated time, interning in playback in 1993, and accepting two paid internships in '94 to '95, he was offered an IT role at MetroEast. From there, built the radio station KZME under the tutelage of several luminaries in radio broadcasting. David also had hands in the technical direction for live productions and audio engineering. Most of David's technical background forged within and through MetroEast roles, continues to evolve. A proud coder and scripter, a MacOS and iOS aficionado, and Adobe go-to person. All things technological go through their desk, from networking to data management to AI systems. When David isn't staring at a screen or blinking boxes, they dabble in graphics, compositing, animation, and music-making some "noises." Culture jamming is also a deeply held passion, de-constructing media and examining it with a critical lens. As part of a family, David enjoys watching their kid grow up and figure out the world with their partner Andrea - and you may find them enjoying a snifter of some high-end Añejo tequila, too.

Read Bio
Gene Hall
Media Services Manager

Gene Hall

Media Services Manager

gene@metroeast.org

Gene Hall was born and raised in Portland Oregon and spent his formative years sloshing through the puddle-laden, rain-drenched streets of 1980's St John's in North Portland. As a child, he tapped into creativity as an outlet, because it rained no less than 180 days a year and dreaming was free. Music was an early creative outlet, but visual art went along with that hand in hand. Gene completed his first video certifications at Portland Cable Access (now known as Open Signal) before he started High School. Many attempts at making great video projects followed and ultimately failed. In the 90's he worked with touring bands as a player and later as an audio engineer. In the 2010s music was still on the plate, but he returned to filmmaking by competing in local video filmmaking contests and working as a freelance sound recordist/designer and in color correction. Gene brings his passion for creative arts to his role as Media Services Manager and is always willing to help you solve the next puzzle on your creative plate.

Read Bio
Loren Coulter
Training & Programming Coordinator

Loren Coulter

Training & Programming Coordinator

loren@metroeast.org

A lifelong resident of Portland, Loren's first exposure to video started early. A 5th-grade class project with black and white cameras and a reel-to-reel video recorder sparked an interest that still burns 5 decades later. Loren came to MetroEast (then Multnomah Cable Access) as a volunteer in May of 1987 and joined the staff in September of 1988. Over nearly 30 years, he has worn many hats: Equipment Room Tech, Producer, Playback Operator, and has developed and taught thousands of video production classes. When occasionally not at MetroEast, Loren enjoys music as an out-of-practice trumpet player and moderately skilled drummer, as well as running lights and sound for a local band. He also relaxes by drawing, escaping to the beach, and gorging on Mac and Cheese.

Read Bio
Treasure Thomas
Operations Coordinator

Treasure Thomas

Operations Coordinator

treasure@metroeast.org

Born and raised in the Windy City, she left to attended Denison University, receiving a degree in Cinematography. There she amplified her passion to create. Treasure spends her nights writing screenplays, binge-watching TV series, or drowning in romcom movies. She wants to travel and watch the sunset in different places across the world.

Read Bio
Emily Vidal
Producer

Emily Vidal

Producer

emily@metroeast.org

Emily is a filmmaker with a passion for international travel and cultural exchange. Emily has been roaming the studios of MetroEast, usually with a camera, microphone, or clipboard in tow, for nigh on 18 years. A native Oregonian through and through, Emily's official appropriated motto is "always be prepared" (the unofficial one being "no matter where you go, there you are.") A favorite toolkit regardless of project and location: Gaff tape; scissors, paper & pen, flashlight, earplugs, and a handkerchief (to sop up the occasional drink spills and of course the blood, sweat, and tears.) Working alongside awesome colleagues and volunteers to help bring media to life for the greater good of the community has been one of the most rewarding and formative experiences of her short life. She hopes to continue to do so until the dystopian future comes to overtake our current reality. Should this come to pass she plans to be there, with an extensive revamp of the above-mentioned toolkit, to cover the apocalypse.

Read Bio
Ivana Horvat
Digital Media Producer

Ivana Horvat

Digital Media Producer

ivana@metroeast.org

Ivana Horvat entered this world on a cold and snowy day in the former Yugoslavia after her mother walked through the steep, curvy streets of Sarajevo through two feet of snow to get to the hospital. When she is not producing video, she spends her time going to ethnic grocery stores, running around at the dog park, seeing second-run movies in theaters, VJing at local shows and wishing she had the patience to play board games. A fan of French new wave cinema, cabbage rolls, puppets over CG, introspection, ping pong, mumblecore, and meeting new people, she has a zest for life and a serious case of FOMO. She has a background in documentary film and premiered her first feature-length documentary called Finding Bosnia in 2015. She believes creating an emotional connection to new ideas is imperative to creating a better, more empathic society.  

Read Bio
Keith Thomas
Producer

Keith Thomas

Media Services Manager

keith@metroeast.org

Keith is a northwest native having been born and raised in what is the greatest city in the world-Portland, a city that he absolutely loves. His only time spent away from the City of Roses was in the mid-nineties where he moved to Orlando, Florida to attend Full Sail Center for the Recording Arts and received an AAS in studio recording engineering. Although Keith has become an accomplished and talented video producer his first media love is audio and sound. Just don't get him talking about his car stereo because you won't shut him up! Keith likes to work out and feels physical fitness is one of the most important aspects of life because if you have your health you have everything. Again, don't get him talking about weightlifting. See the point above! In his spare time, he loves the outdoors and enjoys getting out and experiencing nature especially during the warm spring and summer months.

Read Bio
Glenn Dyer
Contractor - Equipment Room

Glenn Dyer

Contractor - Equipment Room

glenn@metroeast.org

Born and raised in SoCal, Glenn graduated from Mt Hood Community College's Integrated Media Program in 2017. As a Metroeast intern, Glenn was voted 2018's volunteer of the year. During his time off, Glenn enjoys relaxing with a good movie, some old sit-coms, or an action-adventure videogame. Glenn most appreciates Metroeast as a haven of free speech, where people of all backgrounds can come to share their voice.

Read Bio
Nanatzy Madrigal
Communications Coordinator

Nanatzy Madrigal

Communications Coordinator

nanatzy@metroeast.org

Nana grew up in Southern California & fluently speaks English & Spanish. He appreciates Greek mythology, collecting vinyl records & creating far too many musical playlists. Nana received his Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of California in North Hollywood & ventured into marketing throughout Los Angeles & Portland. His goal is to design pieces that entice & retain your attention through creative concepts & dynamic practices.

Read Bio
Tony Evans
Contractor - Producer

Tony Evans

Contractor - Producer

tony@metroeast.org

Tony was abandoned at the beach as a baby and raised by a herd of wild clams.  As a result of his upbringing, Tony is regarded today as a very engaging and witty conversationalist. Tony enjoys all aspects of production - from planning to post.  Working as a team with his fellow producers on a big project is what he enjoys the most. Put a camera in his hands, and he is in heaven. He also enjoys problem solving.  When presented with a creative, technical or logistical challenge,  he will leave no stone unturned to find the solution. When not at work, Tony enjoys his favorite pastimes of building scale models, reading, and watching movies. When his wife is also not at work, Tony enjoys his favorite pastimes of mowing the lawn, vacuuming, and cleaning out the garage.  He also enjoys travel, with road trips being only second to his passion of taking cruises to exotic and scenic places - especially the desert.

Read Bio
Sam Omeechevarria
Facility Manager

Sam Omeechevarria

Read Bio
Kira Lombardozzi
Finance Manager

Kira Lombardozzi

Communications Coordinator

nanatzy@metroeast.org

 

Read Bio

Board of Directors

Bruce Fife
Board Treasurer

Bruce Fife

Board Treasurer

tomi@metroeast.org

Bruce had the trombone forced on him by his loving parents at the age of 9. At 10, he rebelled and switched to guitar (may have had something to do with Elvis). He was a full-time professional musician for 25 years. In 1999, he was elected to the Executive Board of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), Local 99 in Portland, Oregon, and then President in 2001. He was elected to the position of International Vice President of the AFM in June of 2010. Additionally, he serves on the Executive Board of the Oregon State AFL-CIO, the Music Education Assistance Project, Inc., Portland Jobs with Justice Steering Committee, and was a founding member of the Oregon Alliance to Reform Media.

Read Bio
Guy Edwards
Board Vice President

Guy Edwards

Board Vice President

tomi@metroeast.org

Guy specializes in social media marketing and search engine optimization. No matter how crowded the internet gets he helps client's websites get found. After attending the Art Institute of Chicago he went to work with large publications to help them transition from print publication to online subscriptions. He has pioneered e-commerce for businesses and distance learning courses for major universities. After a write up in The Wall Street Journal Guy worked with several advertising agencies in Portland. Guy owns Brainjar Media, a company that develops and markets websites for a wide range of organizations including corporations, small-businesses, and nonprofits.

Read Bio
Jeff Dennerline 
Non-Voting Board Director

Jeff Dennerline

Non-Voting Board Director

tomi@metroeast.org

Jeff is an Oregon native who has spent most of his life entertaining, informing and educating people. The owner of a broadcast consulting company, he has a background in music, theater, film, radio and television. From humble 'geek' beginnings in high school band and theater, his journey has included working on mega-sized sporting and entertainment events like the Super Bowl and The Oscars. Most recently he sailed on a research vessel looking for Amelia Earhart's downed airplane in the South Pacific. A pilot, woodworker, amateur chef and coffee snob, he's never at a loss for a good after-dinner story.

Read Bio
Kelsey Boyd
Board Director

Kelsey Boyd

Board Director

tomi@metroeast.org

Kelsey is an educator in the East county area as well as an engaged volunteer in both schools and the community.  In addition to being mom to three young children, she is an active runner with and board member of Eastside Running and Endurance helping promote an active lifestyle to our community.

Read Bio
Mark Ramsey
Board Director

Mark Ramsey

Board Director

tomi@metroeast.org

Mark was born and raised in West Virginia. A Pilot by education, Mark founded Starsign Northwest Aerial Advertising in 1990. He ran that company until selling in 1995 and then purchased an advertising agency, Advanced Impressions. Under Mark's direction, Advanced Impressions grew an average of 920% each year, winning multiple awards, until he sold it in 2000.  Currently he owns a business consulting firm and is the CEO of Secret Santa Charities, a local 501(c)3. He also sits on several boards. He is married to his wife of 30 years, Luanna. Together they have two adult children.

Read Bio
Miranda Gonzalez-De La Torre
Board Director

Miranda Gonzalez-De La Torre

Board Director

tomi@metroeast.org

Miranda is an Oregon Native, graduated Gresham High School. She discovered her love for music early on and spent most of her youth in concert band.  From 2004 - 2005 She volunteered at Mounted Explorers Post 686,  helping care for rescued horses,  was an assistant band director at Dexter McCarty middle school from 2005-2006 and more recently was a judge for Gresham's Got Talent.  Her experience has allowed her to connect with dozens of talented people in our community and beyond. As a board member of Metro EastCommunity Media, she is able to provide others with the opportunity to explore their passion for media and entertainment.

Read Bio
Ryan Johnson
Board Director

Ryan Johnson

Board Director

tomi@metroeast.org

Ryan has lived and worked in the Gresham community for the last 20 years. He has found that it is easy to criticize from the outside, and therefore gets involved and works with others to become part of the solution. Ryan's involvement and support of many local charities and events has given him the opportunity, first hand, to understand the challenges as well as the satisfaction of helping his neighbors. Ryan is the Assistant Service Manager at Gresham Ford, where he has worked for over 10 years.

Read Bio
Shannon Chisom
Board President

Shannon Chisom

Board President

tomi@metroeast.org

Shannon is a Pacific Northwest fundraising consultant and event manager specializing in non-profit management for over 20 years. She came to Oregon over 15 years ago as a music promoter and event manager and has stayed to become a part of the East County community. As a promoter, she focused energy on promoting local musicians and music, and has always had a passion for this art. Complex and unique projects are her specialty, and the ability to give back to the community while working is key to her success. She comes with a strong network and loves to connect people to work together as a team.

Read Bio

Education Advisory Board

We have formed an Education Advisory Board specifically to help us inform our educational efforts in East County. Our board is composed of people of color, immigrants, refugees, educators, and former workshop participants. This group will also help us make deeper cultural connections with our beneficiaries by helping with our cultural outreach efforts at festivals and events.

Members

Gwendolyn Adams

Rodney Adams Jr.

Rodney Adams Sr.

Maria Felix Altamirano Gomez

Dajour McKinley

Annette Marion

Barys Zhiznevsky

Isabel Abnel

Benjamin Lostheart

Education Advisory Board