Cara Copeland is a distinguished leader, facilitator, and learning designer within the nonprofit and social services sectors. Over more than two decades, she has held influential program and executive roles, excelling in strategic thinking, team-building, and leadership coaching. Cara is a certified Enneagram and StrengthsFinder Coach, adding depth and intentionality to her strengths-based approach to leadership and organizational development. She holds dual master’s degrees in Sociology and Higher Education Administration, embodying her passions for applied sociology, leadership development, program evaluation, and education.

As a Learning Designer, Cara supports organizations in crafting innovative and effective approaches to training, tailoring strategies to maximize engagement and impact. Her expertise extends to board training and development, equipping nonprofit boards with the tools and insights to govern effectively, align with strategic goals, and foster collaborative leadership. Cara thrives on fostering leadership and team dynamics, finding great satisfaction in designing and leading transformative team retreats, all while embracing a sense of fun along the way.

Her proficiency extends to change management, with a strategic mindset adept at navigating challenges within social services and early childhood sectors. Cara’s mastery of implementation science and continuous quality improvement enables her clients to achieve succinct, impactful outcomes. Equity-driven collaboration underpins her ability to generate participatory and robust results. Cara’s contributions to burgeoning nonprofits span board development, financial oversight, fundraising, grant writing, and strategic foresight. Her ability to engage with a diverse array of community stakeholders—from youth and families to professionals across various disciplines—enhances collaborative efforts toward shared goals.

Outside the professional realm, Cara dedicates her time to teaching parenting classes, indulging in community theater, and exploring the great outdoors through hiking, traveling, and stand-up paddleboarding alongside her husband, family, and friends.

Carrie Prechtel is a dedicated consultant specializing in community engagement and fostering partnerships for collective impact. With a background in education and nonprofit leadership, she has spent her career working to improve community health by leading initiatives, managing health programs, and building sustainable collaborations. Carrie excels in stakeholder engagement, strategic planning, and delivering data-driven insights to address social determinants of health and align with community improvement plans.

Over her career, Carrie has overseen grants, facilitated community health strategies, and held advisory roles with organizations focused on family support, early learning, and health equity. She has been an active member of the Latino Interagency Committee for over a decade and currently serves on the Oregon Health Authority’s PartnerSHIP, helping shape the State Health Improvement Plan.

Based in Talent, Oregon, Carrie enjoys hiking, kayaking, and spending time outdoors with her husband and three dogs. She frequently travels to Portland to visit her two daughters, who are pursuing their education.

Catie Prechtel grew up in Talent, Oregon, and brings a wealth of interdisciplinary expertise to her role with Common Thread. With a PhD in Latin American Studies, her research focuses on gender performativity and queer representation in Mexican lucha libre wrestling, reflecting her dedication to amplifying diverse voices and exploring cultural dynamics. She specializes in participatory research, qualitative analysis, and facilitation, translating data into actionable insights and designing creative materials like infographics and organizational charts.

In addition to her academic background, Catie has extensive experience teaching Spanish and English in both the U.S. and Mexico. In the classroom she strives to foster engaging, learner-centered environments that emphasize connection and communication.

When she’s not working, Catie is creating art, trying new restaurants, going to comedy shows, and traveling.

Heidi brings over a decade of experience leading systems-level change in early childhood and family support programs. With roots in social work and a passion for community-led design, she specializes in strengthening home visiting and early childhood systems, advancing equity, and building cross-sector collaborations that center families’ voices. A practitioner of design thinking, she has applied human-centered approaches across sectors—from co-designing services with young mothers in a rural Australian suburb, to supporting innovation projects through i3 | innovative, Intervention, Incubator, to providing technical assistance to early childhood research and evaluation efforts with EC PRISM. She is especially skilled at guiding teams through ambiguity and cultivating authentic engagement to surface creative, community-driven solutions. As the former state program manager for Healthy Families Oregon, she led strategic initiatives in policy, evaluation, workforce development, and collaborative governance, always with an eye toward ceding power from state institutions to local communities. She is particularly energized by work that braids together lived experience, research, and practitioner wisdom to solve complex challenges. Outside of consulting, you can find her running after her two kiddos, reading, and seeking the best coffee in town.

Jummy Akinyode, a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor and the Founder and CEO of Happy Soul Counseling & Wellness PLLC, has over 12 years of experience in mental health counseling and program development. She is dedicated to creating trauma-informed systems that foster healing and resilience for individuals, families, and communities, with a particular focus on supporting those impacted by the juvenile justice system.

Jummy designed a pioneering school-based treatment program at the first charter alternative school in Texas, empowering students to thrive both academically and emotionally. She has collaborated with organizations such as the Girls Empowerment Network, Foster Care Advocacy Center, and Harris County Juvenile Probation to implement innovative solutions that promote equity, mental health literacy, and sustainable well-being.

Rooted in restorative justice principles and holistic wellness, Jummy incorporates mindfulness practices and innovative approaches into her work to create accessible and impactful solutions. An Ohio native, she now resides in Houston with her family. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, exploring new restaurants, and watching competition TV shows.

Melissa is passionate about quality of care and quality of life for everyone and has over 25 years of experience in healthcare policy and administration. Melissa began her career in Medicaid policy in Arizona and over the years has developed a policy education institute, implemented health care policy and programs across Oregon, managed federal compliance and quality activities, and most recently oversaw a Medicaid managed care plan in Oregon. Her past roles include working as an Executive Consultant with Arizona’s Medicaid program, Deputy Director under Arizona’s former Governor Janet Napolitano, Program Director for the Oregon Health Authority, Associate Executive Director for a national managed care compliance and quality organization, and Assistant Vice-President of Medicaid Programs and Transformation with InterCommunity Health Network Coordinated Care Organization.

As a driver for change in various leadership roles over the years, Melissa has long history of navigating complex regulations, enhancing value-based care, and implementing quality interventions through integrated care and social support services. She truly works from a collaborative perspective and understands the value of collective community impact in breaking down barriers to quality health care.

Melissa has a Masters in Legal Studies from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Conner College of Law and a Bachelors in Global Business also from Arizona State University. She has resided in Oregon since 2011 and currently lives with her family on a small orchard in Salem, Oregon. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, farm work, all things DIY, and traveling.

Molly Day is a seasoned coalition-builder dedicated to addressing the root causes of social inequities. A key contributor to Common Thread Consulting’s collaborative approach, Molly is recognized for her commitment to centering community voices, particularly those often marginalized in decision-making processes.

In 2014, as the founding director of the Early Learning Hub in Multnomah County, Molly transformed the landscape of early learning by empowering parent leaders from Native American, Black, Somali, Latine, Vietnamese, and Slavic communities to shape the vision of state-funded initiatives. This innovative, community-led model culminated in the passage of Preschool For All in 2020, a landmark policy that continues to reshape the early childhood system with parent voices at its core.

Molly’s expertise in building cross-sector partnerships also stems from her leadership at the Children’s Institute, where she aligned preschool and elementary school efforts by organizing parents and community leaders in Portland and rural Yoncalla. Prior to that, she led home visiting and therapeutic foster care programs at Morrison Child and Family Services, developing family-centered services rooted in equity and healing.

With a Master of Social Work from UCLA and a BA in Public Policy from Duke University, Molly is recognized as a leader in early childhood systems change. She is a former Fellow of the Equity Leader Action Network (ELAN) with the Build Initiative, the National Leadership Academy for the Public’s Health, and the EC-LINC cohort with the Center for the Study of Social Policy.

Based in Portland, Molly focuses on projects that amplify community-led solutions. In her downtime, she enjoys drawing, painting, and exploring creative outlets that reflect her commitment to personal and social transformation.

Shaunte’ Duron-Okotete is a dedicated consultant and youth engagement specialist whose lived experience drives her commitment to creating equitable and empowering systems of care. With deep insights gained from her personal and professional journey, she has built a career centered on advocating for young people and ensuring their voices guide decisions about their care and development.

As a Peer Services Supervisor, Shaunte’ led teams in fostering supportive, trauma-informed environments for youth and professionals alike. Her role as a Traditional Health Worker (THW) Program Manager further expanded her impact as she supported Traditional Health Workers across Oregon, developed policies, oversaw certification efforts, and drove systemic improvements within a regional coordinated care organization. Her approach is grounded in empathy and a clear understanding of the challenges faced by both providers and the communities they serve.

At Common Thread Consulting, Shaunte’ combines her lived experience and professional expertise in program management, facilitation, and advocacy to amplify community voices and improve service delivery systems. Her work reflects a deep commitment to collaboration, inclusion, and creating sustainable, person-centered solutions that uplift individuals and communities.

Shaunte’ lives in Grants Pass, Oregon, where she enjoys traveling to the beach and spending time with her husband and three children.

Vanessa is a dedicated advocate for families and communities, bringing over a decade of experience in parent education, advocacy, and elevating community voices. She began her career in the social service field with Head Start, where she cultivated a passion for supporting families and empowering parents. Over time, her work evolved into championing parent education and amplifying parent voices, particularly those from underserved and overlooked communities.

Vanessa is deeply familiar with the barriers families face when accessing essential services and resources. Her mission is to bridge the gaps between systems and communities, ensuring that every voice, regardless of background, is heard, understood, and valued. She believes that when systems collaborate with the communities they serve, they can create resilient, thriving families and lasting change.

Her commitment to advocacy has led her to work closely with organizations to integrate community perspectives into program development and implementation. Vanessa excels in fostering connections and navigating complex systems to ensure equitable access to the services families need to flourish.

Vanessa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science from California State University, Los Angeles. A proud military spouse, she has lived in Southern California, New England, and along the Oregon coast before settling in Florida with her two children and their beloved pup. She enjoys exploring her community, connecting with others, and immersing herself in new experiences every few years as her family relocates.