Allocation Committee

The Portland Children’s Levy is overseen by a five-member Allocation Committee that operates under a set of bylaws and meets publicly to make funding decisions. It is composed of one Portland City Commissioner, one Multnomah County Commissioner and three citizen members: two appointed by the Mayor and one by the County Commission Chair.

Meetings are open to the public, and notices are sent to our email list prior to meetings and posted here on our website. You can join our email list to stay in the loop about funding opportunities and updates from the Levy. 

Interested in serving on the Allocation Committee? There are no current openings, but you can read about the city process here.

Mitch Hornecker

Executive VP/Chief Legal Officer West Region
Principal, Modoc Consulting

Mitch is a Principal at Modoc Consulting, a business consulting practice.  Previously, he was the Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, West Region, at Balfour Beatty Construction.  Before Balfour Beatty, he was the President of Howard S. Wright Enterprises, responsible for ethics, code of conduct, community giving, risk management, legal, HR, insurance, IT, governance, compliance, acquisitions and joint ventures.  

Prior to his business career, Mitch was a practicing attorney and shareholder for 22 years at Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt specializing in business and business regulations. 

Mitch’s community involvement includes being a Meyer Memorial Trust, Trustee; co-founder, former board chair and current board member at New Avenues For Youth; former board chair and current chair emeritus of the Portland Business Alliance; Portland State University College Affordability & Success Coalition member and co-chair of the Regional Revenue & Existing Assets Committee.

Traci Rossi

Executive Director, Friends of the Children - Portland

Traci has a long and successful career working in education, nonprofit organizations and youth development, focusing on service to women and emerging, emergent and under-served communities.

She is currently executive director of Friends of the Children-Portland, which provides vulnerable children with a nurturing and sustained relationship with a professional mentor. Previously, she served in leadership roles at the Center for Women's Leadership, Innovative Changes, Greater Than (formerly “I Have a Dream” Foundation) and Catlin Gabel School. She is a public member of the Board of Governors/Oregon State Bar; a board member of the Gray Family Foundation; and on the Board of Directors of KairosPDX.

Traci looks forward to working with the committed and wide range of non-profit organizations in our community, and to  connecting with the deserving programs that partner with the Levy. She wants to amplify their work and increase children’s access to proven programs that support the components that are necessary for all families in Portland to thrive and succeed.

Dan Ryan

Chair, Allocation Committee
Portland City Commissioner
503-823-3589

Dan Ryan took over as chair of the Allocation Committee in September 2020 from Mayor Ted Wheeler. Dan is very familiar and a long-time backer of the Levy,  having spent much of his career in the nonprofit world, most recently as the CEO All Hands Raised and previously, as a Portland Schools Board Member. He is a strong advocate of the Levy’s missions and goals, and has worked with many Levy parnters over the years. Dan said he  is specifically interested in Levy efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the community, and in its support of historically underserved children and families reaching their full potential.

"In these challenging times, the Levy stands firm in its belief that all children have an inherent right to thrive and prosper in our city -- and that includes refugees, immigrants, people of color and the most vulnerable of our population,"  Dan said. "The programs that the Levy support will continue to reach out and serve the disenfranchised so all Portland residents have the opportunity to thrive and prosper." 

Dan serves on the leadership advisory boards of Wells Fargo, the Portland Trail Blazers, and Trillium Family Services and the University of Oregon Alumni Association. Prior to All Hands Raised, Dan worked in the private, public and non-profit sector including positions at the Oregon Ballet Theatre, Portland State University, Metropolitan Group, Virginia Mason Foundation, and New School University. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Oregon and did graduate-level work at New School University’s Graduate School of Management & Urban Professional. 

Felicia Tripp Folsom

Empowering Leaders Executive Director, The Contingent

Felicia  has a long history of community involvement in equity, children and housing issues.  She is the executive director of the Empowering Leaders program at The Contingent,  a board member of All Hands Raised, an executive board member of the Portland African American Leadership Forum and chair of the Community Housing Fund.

She was previously executive director of the Emergence Foundation, as well as the former scholarship chair of Black United Fund of Oregon. She is a long-time support of the Portland Children's Levy and its partners and is excited about the possibility of making transformational and positive changes in the community as a Levy Allocation Committee member.

Jessica Vega Pederson

Multnomah County Commissioner
503-988-5217

Jessica is a passionate advocate for children and programs that support their education, health and well being.

Elected in May 2016 to serve on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, Jessica is proud to fight for an inclusive, prosperous, and vibrant community.  She has championed the County’s efforts to combat climate change, represents the County at various regional transportation tables, and has focused on expanding access to early childhood education and chair's the County's Preschool for All task force.

A proud resident of East Portland, Jessica was raised in Northwest Indiana among her large, loving Mexican-American family. Following the lead of her mother who was a local activist for civil rights, she became involved in advocacy in high school.