Amber Ball

Executive Office Coordinator and Special Projects Liaison
Dakubetede, Shasta, Modoc, Klamath

Amber joined NACF in 2022 and supports the executive office planning and implementation as well as the program department. Amber is a passionate advocate, programmer and coordinator committed to serving and creating community through the arts. She has worked locally and regionally with arts organizations such as Safe Harbors NYC, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Oregon Contemporary Theater and In the Margin. Amber studied, Theatre Arts and Native American Studies at the University of Oregon. She is a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz.

Robert Franklin

Media and Communications Specialist
Diné (Navajo Nation)

Robert started at NACF in 2022 and supports the communications team with a range of experience in storytelling, graphic design, photography, videography, podcasting, streaming, branding, advertising, and marketing. Previously, Robert served as the Manager of the Native American Student and Community Center at Portland State University. He earned his BFA in Visual Communications, cum laude, with an emphasis in Graphic Design from Northern Arizona University. He is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation (Hashk’aa Hadzohí | Táchii’nii).

Rachel Hershey

Associate Director of Development

Rachel joined NACF in 2023 to support and grow the organization’s fundraising programs. She is a lifelong Oregonian and has held multiple roles in arts philanthropy and nonprofit operations and program development. Most recently, Rachel served on the capital campaign team and as Donor Engagement Manager to build and open the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton, OR. She is honored to be a part of a transformative organization advancing access to and celebrating Native arts and cultures.

Katy Hilton

Director of Development & Communications

Katy Hilton joined NACF in 2022 and is responsible for leading and implementing all fundraising initiatives for the organization. Katy recently served in development leadership roles at Inner-City Arts and Center Theatre Group, and previously managed the state-wide Investing in Artists grants program and the L.A. County-based ARC grants program at the Center for Cultural Innovation. She has engaged in multiple, community-wide advocacy projects in the arts in both the Bay Area and Los Angeles, and brings two decades of arts non-profit experience and service to the team.

Laura (Cales) Matalka

Program Manager
Chickasaw Nation

Laura joined NACF in late 2016, and is responsible for developing, coordinating, and managing several aspects of the foundation’s grantmaking programs, special projects, convenings, and visibility opportunities. She has over ten years of experience working in the nonprofit arts sector, and earned her MA in Art History from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and BA in Art History from Wright State University. She is an enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and also of European-American heritage, including Bohemian, Dutch, English, German, Irish, and Slovenian. Laura lives in Portland, OR with her husband and son, and enjoys hiking, camping, cooking, and exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Reuben Tomás Roqueñi

Director, Transformative Change Programs
Yaqui/Mayo/Chicanx Descent

Mick Rose

Community Engagement and Program Manager
Diné/Omaha/Pawnee

Yá’át’ééh, Shí éi Mick Rose Yinishyé, Hoogan łani Nishli dóó Naaki Diné’e Báshishíín, White Buffalo Omaha dashináli dóó Bilagaana dashichei. My name is Mick Rose. I am from the Diné Nation, Omaha Nation, and Pawnee Nation.  I grew up in my ancestral lands, Dinétah, in a large very close family. I spent my childhood playing with my cousins along the Tóta’, along the mesas, or reading in the library.

I have worked in the Portland Metro Native American/Alaskan Native community for many years as a community organizer, visioning and building programming and events with and for our community.  I am so happy to be with the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, where I will be dedicated to bringing community-centered events to the new Center for Native Arts and Cultures building.

Beckett Royce

Facilities Manager

Beckett joined NACF in 2022 and is responsible for building systems and maintenance, as well as coordinating and supporting events and rentals, in the exciting new Center for Native Arts and Cultures. With a background in theater and construction, she brings more than 25 years experience in building trades to her role.

Annie Silver

Development Operations Specialist

Annie joined NACF in 2020 and is responsible for building, maintaining and utilizing the organization’s fundraising systems. With a background in arts and education nonprofits, she brings more than five years of fundraising experience to her role. Annie received her BA in International Affairs and Anthropology from Northeastern University and lives in Portland with her husband and three cats.

Gabriella Tagliacozzo

Director of Operations

Kevin Washington

Director of Finance

Lovi Woods

Staff Accountant

Mandy Yeahpau

Associate Director of Marketing & Communications
Comanche / Cherokee / Tarahumara

Mandy Yeahpau joined NACF in 2022 and is responsible for leading the communications and marketing initiatives for the organization. Mandy recently served as the Social Media Manager for IllumiNative working to smash harmful stereotypes about Indigenous peoples and increase respectful and authentic representation of Native Americans in the media. Uplifting Native peoples and highlighting their strengths and knowledge is the motivation behind much of Mandy’s career path, including her time as an award-winning journalist and Independent filmmaker. She earned her B.A. in Convergent Media and Communications with an emphasis on Video Production from Southern Oregon University, and is of Comanche, Cherokee and Tarahumara descent.