Jackie Haddon, Board Chair
I am so excited to serve on the Board of Directors for Girls Build! As a clinical social worker and mental health agency director for most of my career, I have always been deeply involved in standing up for the rights of others to live with dignity and advocating for equitable access to education, employment, healthcare and housing. My social work career has focused on the needs of teen girls and young women – many of whom have survived highly traumatic life events and are working to see themselves as powerful beings. Now as a real estate agent, Certified Aging in Place Specialist, professional volunteer (and parent of a Girls Build camper!), I value the opportunity to be of service to my community in a new way.
Stephanie Grant, Board Treasurer
Stephanie is a litigator at Portland law firm Tonkon Torp LLP and a graduate of Lewis & Clark Law School. The work of Girls Build™ is near and dear to her heart, since her parents taught her how to swing a hammer before she could wield a pen. With Girls Build™, Stephanie hopes to use all the tools at her disposal to pass on the gifts of curiosity and confidence. In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her husband and dog, and trying to master her mom’s Korean comfort food recipes. Stephanie has been on the Girls Build board since 2019.
Connie Migliazzo , Secretary
Connie was born and raised in Los Angeles, and has spent her adult life bouncingall over the east and west coasts. She lives in Portland now with her Portland-native husband, two kids, and handsome dog. She's a landscape architect and runs her own design practice in Portland called Prato. In her free time, she loves to cook elaborate meals, hike the gorge, swim in any body of water, snuggle with her kids, or build projects inher own garden with her husband. Connie was drawn to the mission of Girls Build after volunteering with a similar organization in the Bay Area and seeking out ways to work with children in the design/build space here in Portland. After many years of working hand-in-hand with the construction industry, she feels passionately about empowering more women to enter the building + construction field. Having her own daughter now, she feels stronger than ever about Girls Build's mission to empower young girls to have confidence in their abilities and to build anything they can dream up.
Karina Ruiz, Board Member
Karina has over 20 years of experience and has managed over $1 billion in educational projects throughout her career. Her belief that education shapes the future of this world, drives Karina to ensure that teaching and learning objectives remain the team’s focus throughout each project. She is actively engaged in the national dialogue on the intersection between pedagogy and design innovation. As principal, she brings an innate ability to inspire educational planning, build community engagement and design efforts that exceed expectations of clients and users. Karina has been proud to send her niece to Girls Build since the moment she turned eight, and she has attended every year since. Karina partnered with Girls Build in 2019 and 2020 to offer a very successful architecture class for girls.
Shakunda Murphy-Wilson, Board Member
Shakunda is a Midwesterner through and through. She moved to Portland in 2021 and started working for Alchemy Code Lab as the Career Development Director. She is now the Program Manager for The Oregon Solar Energy Education Fund. Shakunda has a strong background in workforce development, enhancing employee engagement and retention, and preparing the world for a brighter, more efficient future.