Wendy Willis, JD, Oregon's Kitchen Table Director
wwillis@pdx.edu | (503) 725-6914
Wendy is the founding director of Oregon’s Kitchen Table, a statewide engagement program designed to give every Oregonian an opportunity to participate in the decisions that affect them. Wendy joined NPCC in 2007 as an Oregon Solutions project manager and has served in various capacities since that time. When asked why she does this work, Wendy responded: "I dream of an Oregon where belonging is a birthright and we are all in each other's circle of care. It is joyful and never-ending work!"
Before joining NPCC, Wendy was the Executive Director for City Club of Portland. She has also served as an Assistant Public Defender for the District of Oregon and a law clerk to Chief Justice Wallace P. Carson, Jr., of the Oregon Supreme Court. Wendy is the author of two books of poems, a book of essays, and the co-author of Collaborative Governance: Principles, Processes, and Practical Tools along with her NPCC colleagues Steve Greenwood and Laurel Singer. Another textbook - Kitchen Table Democracy - is forthcoming in 2024, and another book of poems is underway. You can also read Wendy's episodic column, "Democracy Pie," at The Fulcrum. Wendy graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown Law Center and holds a bachelor's degree from Willamette University and an M.F.A. from the Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University. When Wendy is not at work, she is walking with friends, family, and dogs; writing poems; and pottering about with needle and thread.