Center Staff

Vera Stoulil, Interim CEO

Vera has been a statewide leader in advocacy for children, youth, and families in Oregon for many years. She has demonstrated a commitment to collaboration, innovation, and accountability. 

Vera completed her undergraduate work at the University of Wisconsin – Stout in Vocational Rehabilitation and received her master’s degree in Rehabilitation Administration from the University of San Francisco. She has served as an Executive Director at a nonprofit serving adults with developmental disabilities where she led the expansion of community-based services. At the YWCA of Greater Portland, she served as a member of the executive management team overseeing multiple programs including senior service programs, anti-poverty and shelter programs for families, transitional living programs, and youth development programs for children and teens.

For the last 21 years she served in various executive leadership roles at Boys & Girls Aid, one of the oldest child welfare agencies in the state of Oregon. She led their effort to embrace permanency as an agency-wide priority, ensuring that all programs and service areas promote lifelong connections for children and youth. She was responsible for program oversight of several programs and led the expansion of services and programs. She led the effort to incorporate trauma-informed care and collaborative problem solving at Boys & Girls Aid. 
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Jonah Harris, Policy Analyst

Jonah was brought on as a policy analyst for the Center for Excellence in October of 2022. Prior to that, he spent three years as a research analyst at Westat, primarily working on contracts with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services. He brings a background in qualitative interviewing, literature review, and policy development. Jonah’s professional interests include (but certainly are not limited to) innovative care delivery models, program evaluation, and targeted services aimed at reducing health and mental health disparities. 
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Erica Keaveney, Marketing and Communications Specialist

Erica joined the Center for Excellence as a Marketing and Communications Specialist at the beginning of 2024. She had graduated from Seattle University in 2019 with an emphasis on English – Creative Writing and a minor in Gender Studies. Following her graduation, she explored different avenues of work including political canvassing, social media, and B2B and B2C communications. Erica brings her experiences with nonprofits and marketing to the team with the goal of helping the Center expand its outreach and community engagement.
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