Hope, Help & Change

The cost of living in our communities exceeds what many working families can comfortably afford. Paychecks don't always stretch to cover basic needs, so many families are struggling to make ends meet. Even though more people are working and Oregon's minimum wage is among the nation's highest, lower wages are not covering the basic costs of living.

For 40 years, Community Action has been offering hope, help and change for families in transition. Community Action programs promote the birth of health babies, reduce the potential for child abuse and neglect, increase children's chances for success in school, and improve the quality and accessibility of child care. We also offer energy assistance and help to prevent homelessness.

Community Action also works with employers, providing information about programs that can assist low-wage workers. We promote the vision that Washington County residents are strong, resilient and involved in the community, living with dignity and security. Please join us as we keep working to make our communities more secure. We urge you to participate, educate, advocate, and donate to organizations working to make a difference.

Community Action's leadership is essential to community service agencies, churches, businesses, civic groups and local governments in Washington County. We are one of 18 Community Action agencies in Oregon (1,000 nation-wide) started after passage of the U.S. Economic Opportunity Act of 1964.

Our current Annual Report lists Community Action's accomplishments.

Employment Opportunities

Community Action does not currently post job listings on the web. A complete list of employment opportunities is available at our administrative offices, located at 1001 S.W. Baseline St., Hillsboro, 97123. If you meet the minimum qualifications for one of our advertised positions, you may e-mail your resume to: resumes@caowash.org.

Individuals and groups interested in volunteering with Community Action may call: (503) 693-3254 for information.

Our Board of Directors and community leaders work diligently, and without pay, to provide knowledgeable, innovative and strategic direction to our work. They help us raise funds and friends as well as provide a strong voice of advocacy throughout our community.

Leadership Team

Jerralynn Ness, Executive Director
Farzana Siddiqui, Director of Child Development
John Russell, Director of Finance and Administration
Lisa A. Brown, Director of Development/Community Relations
Renee Bruce, Director of Family/Community Resources

Board of Directors

Chair: Kevin Aguirre, District Manager, Oregon Dept. of Human Services
Vice Chair: Ron Sarazin, President, Olympic Performance
Treasurer: Leroy Bentley, retired General Manager, GTE
Secretary: Dana Galaxy, Community Representative
At-Large: Leslea S. Smith, Regional Director, Legal Aid Services of Oregon
At-Large: Ralph Brown, retired educator, for Congressman Wu
Christy Barker, Community Representative
Monique Beikman, Tualatin City Councilor, for Mayor Ogden
Rob Drake, Mayor, City of Beaverton
Scott Gardner, Manager, Corporate Accounting, Portland General Electric Tom Hughes, Mayor, City of Hillsboro
D. Craig Kinnie, retired Vice-President, Intel Architecture Labs
Maria Lopez, Community Representative
Lou Ogden, Mayor, City of Tualatin
Dick Schouten, County Commissioner
Cathy Stanton, City Councilor, for Mayor Rob Drake, City of Beaverton
Dick Stenson, President & CEO, Tuality Hospital/Tuality Healthcare
Wendy N. Watson, Kaiser Permanente
David Wu, Representative, U.S. Congress
(TBA) for Centro Cultural