CELs Liaisons
CELs team is a diverse group of talented professionals.
Their qualifications and experiences include:
Community Engagement and Outreach
- Engaged immigrant and ethnic minority communities in government and local business projects.
- Cultivated relationships and collaborated with community groups, including neighborhood businesses and faith-based organizations, to understand the impact of city projects.
Marketing and Communication
- Provide cultural input to content writing, visualization, and contextualization
- Created, adapted, and distributed marketing materials to targeted communities.
- Marketed, facilitated, and effectively delivered co-developed messages, services, or products to intended communities through local media channels.
Data Collection and Reporting
- Solicited data for various projects, via interviews, and in-person engagement
- Provide an after-session summary report
- Solicited/provided community input and comments for future improvement.
Interpretation and Facilitation Services
- Provided interpretation and facilitation services for city public involvement programs, covering cultural, legal, medical, social, and technical services.
- Facilitated and led focus groups between city agencies and local communities.
Languages Spoken by Our Liaisons
Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, Karen, Nepali, Russian, Ukrainian, Somali, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Toishanese, Zomi, Burmese, Mon, Vietnamese, Tongan, Chuukese, Cambodian (Khmer), Lao, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Fulani, Wollof, Hausa, Krio, Amharic, Mai Mai, Swahili, Tigringa, Bhutanese, Dari, Uzbek, Pashto, Turkish, Urdu, Armenian, Romanian etc.
Due to community demands, CELs has added liaisons that serve underserved African American/Black, Native/indigenous/tribal, disability & LGBTQ+ communities. Please feel free to contact us (admin@CelsServices.com) for more details.
Meet Our Key Liaisons
Anabella Salkind (she/her)
Serving the Spanish-Speaking Community
Anabella Salkind (she/her) is a Spanish bilingual community liaison and interpreter committed to equity, culturally responsive practices, and family engagement. With a background in business, education, translation, and community outreach in the Hillsboro area, she supports diverse families in navigating schools and services. Anabella’s work is informed by lived experience, disability advocacy, and a deep belief in inclusive, collaborative communities.
Baher Butti (he/him)
Serving the Arabic-Speaking Community
Baher Butti (he/him) is a Community Engagement Liaison serving the Arabic speaking community. Baher has been a community organizer since 2007, and has gained extensive experience supporting refugee and immigrant populations, and implemented this experience in cross-cultural outreach and stakeholder relations. Baher is dedicated to amplifying diverse voices and building inclusive pathways for community integration and long-term success.
Caitlin Clevenger (she/her)
Serving the Underserved Community
Caitlin Clevenger (she/her) is an equity-driven professional with over a decade of experience leading community projects in Southwest Washington. She specializes in project management, strategic communication, and community development, working to bridge gaps between underserved communities and public and private sectors while fostering collaboration, growth, and positive community change.
Chau Huynh (she/her)
Serving the Vietnamese-Speaking Community
Chau Huynh (She/Her/Hers) is a Community Engagement Liaison serving the Vietnamese community. With background in non-profit advocacy and extensive experience supporting immigrants and refugees, Chau specializes in cross-cultural outreach and stakeholder relations.
Emma Abbas (she/her)
Serving the Arabic-Speaking Community
Eman Abbas (she/her) serves the Arabic community by building relationships, listening to families’ needs, and connecting community members to resources and services. She brings experience in community support, employment services, and coordinating solutions through her work with the Oregon Employment Department. She is passionate about community work, and connecting them to opportunities and resources.
Fardowsa Abukar (she/her)
Serving the Somali-Speaking Community
Fardowsa Abukar (she/her) is a Community Engagement Liaison serving the Somali community. She support individuals and families by bridging language and cultural gaps in healthcare, education, and social services. Through her work, she helps community members understand critical information, advocate for themselves, and access resources with confidence and dignity.
Fatuma Ibrahimm (she/her)
Serving the Somali-Speaking Community
Fatuma Ibrahimm (she/her) is a Community Engagement Liaison supporting Somali families and diverse communities. She brings hands-on experience working with elementary schools and early childhood programs through KinderCare, where she supported family engagement, cultural connection, and inclusive learning environments. Fathma is passionate about building trust and strengthening community relationships.
Han Pham (she/her)
Serving the Vietnamese-Speaking Community
Han Pham (she/her) is a Community Engagement Liaison serving the Vietnamese community, with a focus on linguistic equity and immigrant support. Drawing on an MS in Computational Linguistics and experience as a translator/interpreter, Han is committed to breaking down language barriers and ensuring every community member can navigate essential services with confidence.
Hanna Grishkevich (she/her)
Serving the Slavic Community
Hanna Grishkevich (she/her), Ph.D., is a Russian/Ukrainian community liaison, educator, and language specialist. Through the CELs program, she partners with Clackamas County, Multnomah County, and various City of Portland bureaus to lead culturally responsive outreach. She specializes in interpretation, facilitation, and community engagement to bridge gaps between government and diverse immigrant populations.
Hemi Pariyani (she/her)
Serving the Farsi/Armenian Community
Hemi Pariyani (she/her) is Armenian and was born in Tehran, Iran. She has worked in administrative roles in many companies, as well as being a business owner. Hemi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management and Organizational Leadership from George Fox University. She is passionate about interpreting and is proficient in Farsi and Armenian languages. Her experience in customer service and cultural diversity helps her navigate in various situations.
James Paulson (he/him)
Serving the Black/African American Community
James Paulson (he/him) is a Community Engagement Liaison that supports Black and African American Communities. He holds a Bachelors of Science in Economics from Portland State University with a Masters in Labor Relations from the University of Oregon. He has had a long career in Human Resource Management and is best at engaging with public organizations and/or topics which don’t seem relevant to their current situation.
Jessica Dover (she/her)
Serving the Spanish-Speaking Community
Jessica Dover (she/her) is a Spanish-language interpreter who has worked in legal, health, conference, and community interpreting in the Pacific Northwest for 20 years. She is certified as a state court interpreter, as a CMI through the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters, and in Oregon as a Certified Healthcare Interpreter. She is an ATA-certified translator (ES>ES) and holds a Specialized Certificate in EN<>ES Translation from the University of San Diego Extension.
Dr. Josh Porter (he/him)
Serving the Spanish-Speaking Community
Josh Porter, Ed.D. (he/him) is a Community Engagement Liaison serving Spanish-speaking communities across the Portland metro area. With a Doctorate of Education from Lewis & Clark College and over 20 years in Oregon’s public sector, he specializes in bilingual outreach, focus group facilitation, and stakeholder engagement for government clients. Josh is committed to centering community voice in public decision-making.
Kseniia Nesviatypaska (she/her)
Serving the Slavic Community
Kseniia Nesviatypaska (she/her) is a Community Engagement Liaison serving the Slavic and Eastern European community. Originally from Ukraine, she holds a degree in management of nonprofit organizations and has over 10 years of community outreach experience in the United States. She co-founded the Community Pulse Association, providing culturally specific food assistance and educational activities for the community.
Maria Ardelean (she/her)
Serving the Romanian-Speaking Community
Maria Terezia (Marina) Ardelean is the CELs Romanian community representative. A former engineer with 30 years of experience in Romania, she holds a Master’s in Human Resources and currently serves as a Special Education Assistant. Since joining CELs in 2018, Maria has utilized her expertise to foster community collaboration.
Maya Pueo Von Geldern (she/her)
Serving the Native Hawaiian/Italian-Speaking Community
Maya Pueo von Geldern (she/her) is a Community Engagement Liaison serving North & Northeast Portland. As a Native Hawaiian with a lifetime of advocating for Native rights, and years of experience in public education advocacy, Maya focuses on cross-culture community outreach and community organizing. Her focus is on lifting up the voices of those most commonly ignored and working collaboratively with families to create stronger communities.
Paul Riek (he/him)
Serving the Spanish-Speaking Community
Paul E. Riek (he/his/him) is a Community Engagement Liaison serving the Latinx community. A professional Spanish interpreter and translator with an engineering degree, Paul has extensive experience organizing day laborers and other Latinx community members. Through his work he helps community members build power to participate in the decisions that affect them.
Paulina Tran (she/her)
Serving the Vietnamese-Speaking Community
Paulina Tran (she/her) is a Community Engagement Liaison serving the Vietnamese community in Washington County. She has over 20 years working as a Vietnamese interpreter. Paulina also previously worked for the State of Oregon’s Adult and Family Services, supporting immigrant and refugee populations. In addition, Paulina has volunteered her time supporting the community, including serving as a mediator for the City of Portland Neighborhood Association.
Stevie Tove Wilson (she/her)
Serving the Underserved Community
Sutapa Svetamani (she/her) is a professional Thai and Laotian medical interpreter actively engaged in community and advisory roles in Oregon. She serves on the State of Oregon’s Translation Advisory Council as the Thai language representative. She holds an MBA and has an extensive background in consumer finance. In her free time, she is an avid traveler with a strong passion for the aviation industry.
Sutapa Svetamani (she/her)
Serving the Thai-Speaking Community
Sutapa Svetamani (she/her) is a professional Thai and Laotian medical interpreter actively engaged in community and advisory roles in Oregon. She serves on the State of Oregon’s Translation Advisory Council as the Thai language representative. She holds an MBA and has an extensive background in consumer finance. In her free time, she is an avid traveler with a strong passion for the aviation industry.
Thi Luong (she/her)
Serving the Vietnamese-Speaking Community
Thi Luong (she/her) has worked with CELs for 10 years, engaging communities through surveys, interpretation, translation, and facilitating meetings to gather feedback. With 16 years at IRCO, she supports newly arrived immigrants by connecting them to resources, insurance access, and language services, applying specialized training across both roles.
Trevor Attenberg (he/him)
Serving the Disabled Community
Trevor Attenberg (he/him) has extensive experience with adaptive training and community organizing in the disabled and blind community. He currently works with accessibility testing at PCC and elsewhere. He is passionate about justice, recognition, inclusion, and diversity.
Xiuying Wongsomadi (she/her)
Serving the Chinese-Speaking Community
Xiuying Wongsomadi (she/her) serves the Asian and immigrant communities. She brings years of experience working directly with students and families from diverse cultural backgrounds. Currently working in the school system, Xiuying focuses on building trust, strengthening family engagement, and supporting equitable access to resources. She is passionate about empowering communities through culturally responsive outreach and meaningful connection.
Yuhan Kinder (she/her)
Serving the Chinese-Speaking Community
Yuhan Kinder (she/her) is a community liaison with extensive experience working alongside Mandarin-speaking communities. Her background includes business operations, real estate, outside sales, project management, and non-profit work focused on minority advocacy. As a trained medical interpreter, she bridges cultural and language gaps while building trusted relationships that support access, collaboration, and sustainable community outcomes.
Yvonne Li (she/her)
Serving the Chinese-Speaking Community
Xiuying Wongsomadi (she/her) serves the Asian and immigrant communities. She brings years of experience working directly with students and families from diverse cultural backgrounds. Currently working in the school system, Xiuying focuses on building trust, strengthening family engagement, and supporting equitable access to resources. She is passionate about empowering communities through culturally responsive outreach and meaningful connection.
Sandra Valdez (she/her)
Serving the Spanish-Speaking Community
Sandra Valdez (she/her) is a National Certified Medical Interpreter serving Oregon and Washington. For 20 years +, she has partnered with Latinx communities to break communication barriers. Her work goes beyond interpretation—she actively reaches out to recruit community members, offer involvement opportunities, and support county projects that empower underserved populations with compassion and dedication.
Lung Wah Lazum (he/him)
Serving the Burmese-Speaking Community
Lung Wah Lazum, MBBS, MBA, is an Environmental Public Health Program Manager at East County Community Health. With expertise in medicine, community health, and nonprofit work, he builds trusted partnerships and advances culturally responsive health education and community engagement, particularly with immigrant and refugee communities.