Project Access NOW Staff

The heart of any organization is its staff. These are the people who take the vision and mission of the organization and make it real.

Leadership Team

Janet Hamilton, Deputy Director

At Project Access NOW, Janet combines removing barriers for our awesome staff and volunteers to effectively serve our clients with finding new opportunities to make those services as comprehensive as possible. She is passionate about winning the War on Poverty, which by the way, has not yet been won.

A recovering Californian, Janet fell in love with the Pacific Northwest in the early 1990s when she traveled here regularly for her work as a healthcare information systems consultant, a profession she has yet to fully shed despite various career forays as a coffee shop/specialty grocery store-owner, organizational development consultant, mediator, and even one day of law school.

When not at work, you can find Janet coaxing her tomato plants through the spring gloom, overspending at a farmers market, or paddling on one of Portland’s fabulous waterways.

Marianne Wood, Director of Finance and Operations

Marianne is often told that she “does not act like a typical accountant” and she long ago decided to take that as a compliment. She brings to this position over a decade of accounting and finance experience as well as a passion for social and racial justice. As a proud Latina, Marianne loves being in a position that allows her to serve the Latinx community here in Portland.Marianne is a native Coloradan but fell in love with Oregon on a trip to visit a friend in 2007. When the economy collapsed in 2008, she decided to head west and has been happily adventuring around the Pacific Northwest ever since. She is an avid cook, hiker, reader, and traveler and loves to fantasize about one day opening up a small Inn.

Marilyn Hartzog – Director of Human Resources

Marilyn joined Project Access NOW after having served as an executive director, a senior manager, and an organizational development consultant for nonprofits in California and Oregon.

After semi-retiring in 2014, Marilyn joined the board of directors of the Nonprofit Association of Oregon and served as an Encore Fellow with Social Venture Partners Portland. She worked on workforce development, human resources, board governance and fund development projects.

Prior to beginning her nonprofit career, Marilyn attended Laval University and worked in international hospitality and tourism marketing in Quebec City, Canada. She served on the board of directors of the Quebec Convention and Tourism Bureau, taught English to French Canadians, and tourism marketing seminars through a program offered by the Tourism Ministry of the Province of Quebec.

A native of Tennessee who grew up in Chicago, lived in Canada and Berlin, Germany, sailed from California to the Caribbean, Marilyn became passionate about social justice and racial equality upon her return to the United States. She is committed to ensuring diversity, equity and inclusion in our human resources and program work at PANOW.

Marilyn and her husband Ernie are avid golfers. They spend their leisure time playing golf, and writing about the African American experience, sailing exploits, and cooking. They support tennis, STEAM and robotics after-school programs for primarily underserved African American and Latinx youth.

 

Senior Staff

Marisela Marquez – Classic Program Supervisor
Jennifer Gonnella – Classic Program Manager

Myrna Valdez – C3 Community Assistance Program Supervisor
Stephanie Marson – C3 Community Assistance Program Manager

Linzay Shirahama – Premium Assistance Program Manager

Katia Ariceaga – Outreach, Enrollment & Access Program Manager
Ellie Solares-Solis – Outreach, Enrollment & Access Program Manager

Sylvia Ní hIvers – Executive Assistant