Oregon TRIO Association
Promoting educational equity, access, and opportunity for underrepresented students since 2000
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Oregon TRIO Association (OTA) is dedicated to growing and supporting TRIO programs, staff, and students. Within this mission lies the hard truth that recent economic stressors have disproportionally affected Oregon students from marginalized populations. These populations include those identifying as BIPOC, parenting, non-cis gender, former foster youth, the mentally and physically disabled, and first-generation individuals. Their disparities often intersect with low-income being a common denominator among those most affected. According to the 2020 US Census report, 90.7% of Oregon residents have graduated from high school; however only 33.7% of these individuals have attained a postsecondary degree. This data further reveals that 11% of Oregonians are currently experiencing poverty. OTA offers extensive services such as academic tutoring, career guidance, financial literacy education, and mental health counseling for marginalized students via college access and career programs.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Educational Talent Search
The Educational Talent Search (ETS) program identifies and assists individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who have the potential to succeed in higher education. ETS provides academic, career, and financial counseling to its participants and encourages them to graduate from high school and continue completing their postsecondary education. ETS publicizes the availability of financial aid and assists participants in the postsecondary education application process. ETS also encourages persons who have not completed education programs at the secondary or postsecondary level to enter or reenter and complete postsecondary education.
The goal of ETS is to increase the number of youths from disadvantaged backgrounds who complete high school to enroll in and complete their postsecondary education. OTA Talent Search projects work with 5845 students ranging from 6th through 12th grade.
Upward Bound
Upward Bound provides fundamental support to participants in their preparation for college entrance. The program provides opportunities for participants to succeed in their precollege performance and ultimately in their higher education pursuits. Upward Bound serves: high school students from low-income families; and high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree. The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in and graduate from institutions of postsecondary education.
Upward Bound projects provide academic instruction in mathematics, laboratory sciences, composition, literature, and foreign languages. Tutoring, counseling, mentoring, cultural enrichment, work-study programs, education or counseling services designed to improve the financial and economic literacy of students.
Upward Bound Math/Science
The Upward Bound Math and Science program is designed to strengthen the math and science skills of participating students. The goal of the program is to help students recognize and develop their potential to excel in math and science and to encourage them to pursue postsecondary degrees in math and science, and ultimately careers in the math and science profession.
Program services include: summer programs with intensive math and science training; year-round counseling and advisement; exposure to university faculty members who do research in mathematics and the sciences; computer training; and participant-conducted scientific research under the guidance of faculty members or graduate students, who are serving as mentors; education or counseling services designed to improve the financial and economic literacy of students.
Veterans Upward Bound
Veterans Upward Bound is designed to motivate and assist veterans in the development of academic and other requisite skills necessary for acceptance and success in a program of postsecondary education. The program provides assessment and enhancement of basic skills through counseling, mentoring, tutoring and academic instruction in the core subject areas. The primary goal of the program is to increase the rate at which participants enroll in and complete postsecondary education programs.
All Veterans Upward Bound projects must provide instruction in mathematics through pre-calculus, laboratory science, foreign language, composition and literature. Projects may also provide short-term remedial or refresher courses for veterans who are high school graduates but have delayed pursuing postsecondary education. Projects are also expected to assist veterans in securing support services from other locally available resources.
Student Support Services
Student Support Services (SSS) provides opportunities for academic development, assists students with basic college requirements, and motivates students toward the successful completion of their postsecondary education. SSS projects also may provide grant aid to current SSS participants who are receiving Federal Pell Grants. The goal of SSS is to increase the college retention and graduation rates of its participants.
All SSS projects must provide: academic tutoring, which may include instruction in reading, writing, study skills, mathematics, science, and other subjects; advice and assistance in postsecondary course selection, assist student with information on both the full range of student financial aid programs, benefits and resources for locating public and private scholarships; and assistance in completing financial aid applications.
Educational Opportunity Centers
The Educational Opportunity Centers program provides counseling and information on college admissions to qualified adults who want to enter or continue a program of postsecondary education. The program also provides services to improve the financial and economic literacy of participants. An important objective of the program is to counsel participants on financial aid options, including basic financial planning skills, and to assist in the application process. The goal of the EOC program is to increase the number of adult participants who enroll in postsecondary education institutions.
Projects include: academic advice, personal counseling, and career workshops; information on postsecondary education opportunities and student financial assistance; help in completing applications for college admissions, testing, and financial aid; coordination with nearby postsecondary institutions; media activities designed to involve and acquaint the community with higher education opportunities.
Ronald McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program
The McNair program prepares eligible participants for doctoral studies through involvement in research and other scholarly activities. Participants are from disadvantaged backgrounds and have demonstrated strong academic potential. Academic institutions work closely with participants as they complete their undergraduate requirements and encourage participants to enroll in graduate programs while tracking their progress through the successful completion of advanced degrees.
The goal of the McNair program is to increase the attainment of Ph.D. degrees by students from underrepresented segments of society. All McNair projects must provide the following activities: opportunities for research or other scholarly activities; summer internships; seminars and other educational activities designed to prepare students for doctoral study; tutoring; academic counseling; and activities designed to assist students participating in the project in securing admission to and financial assistance.
Where we work
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Total number of organization members
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Academics
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
TRIO programs throughout Oregon pay a membership fee to Oregon TRIO Association to receive our services.
Number of conferences held
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Academics
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Oregon TRIO Association aims to hold annual professional development conferences for TRIO professionals and a yearly student conference for our TRIO students.
Number of conference attendees
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Academics, At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of people on the organization's email list
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Academics, At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The number of TRIO professionals or stakeholders who is on our email list.
Number of meetings with policymakers or candidates
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Academics, At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Lobbying on behalf of TRIO programs for continued support with our federal legislatures. We schedule yearly meetings with our 2 senators & 5 house reps to advocate for TRIO and our students.
Number of training workshops
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Academics, At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Grant Writing workshops to assist institutions in writing competitive proposals to get a new or keep an existing TRIO program in Oregon.
Number of participants attending course/session/workshop
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Academics, At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
OTA will fulfill its mission and vision by:
1. Improving access to education and career for low-income priority students. Priority students include first-generation students, BIPOC students, students with disabilities, and all other underrepresented student populations.
2. Attaining long-term organizational stability. This will be accomplished by increasing funding sustainability, setting up an exploratory taskforce for board development, restructuring our program membership fee system, and developing a volunteer cadre.
3. Expanding TRIO programs to more Oregon communities statewide, specifically targeting low-income rural communities.
4. Building coalitions of community partners and collaborating with them to enhance programmatic operations.
5. Providing best practices trainings, resources, reporting assistance, and mentoring opportunities for Oregon TRIO staff and programs.
6. Strengthening our partnerships with the Oregon College Access Public Arm, the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, Oregon's community colleges and universities, and the US Department of Education.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
(1) Expand the number of traditionally marginalized students who access higher education and the community programs that serve them.
(2) Empower OTA priority students with leadership opportunities, training, tech resources, and essential skills needed to achieve success in school and career.
(3) Enhance the capacity of OTA to fulfill its mission as a stable, sustainable organization that effectively serves traditionally marginalized students.
OTA will also strengthen connections between its two-year and four-year college access and career programs to ensure more students transfer and graduate with bachelor’s degrees.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Our 54 college access and career programs are the backbone of our organization. These programs staff over 200 TRIO professionals who work with over 11,600 Oregon students statewide. These professionals constitute our membership and support us in achieving our mission. Their ability to identify student needs allows us to provide the resources and opportunities necessary for student academic success. Growing, supporting, and sustaining TRIO programs and its members are our primary functions.
Our Executive Director is responsible for executing the mission, vision, and goals of the organization. The ED facilitates the day-to-day work, responsibilities, and tasks associated with the organization and organizes stakeholders to make decisions about OTA’s future. The ED primarily manages board organization, finances, OTA’s website and communications, and executes the events/activities that OTA offers. Secondarily, the ED fosters relationships with current TRIO programs to provide support and services to both staff and students to meet program objectives. Lastly, the ED works with outside entities to cultivate future opportunities and funding to promote our mission and vision and pursue new TRIO grant opportunities for communities in need. The ED is a non-voting board member of the Northwest Association of Educational Opportunity Programs (NAEOP) and the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE).
OTA’s Board of Directors represent eleven individuals from a majority of TRIO programs throughout Oregon. Their objectives are to:
(1) Provide governance, programmatic, and organizational advice.
(2) Monitor the work of the ED to ensure that OTA is making progress towards meeting its goals and executing its strategies.
(3) Play a critical role in centralizing the work of OTA on the student experience and ensure services and programs provided are in line with OTA’s mission.
(4) Serve on committees to assist with the distribution of funding for scholarships, international education, and the selection of student participants in our various programs.
(5) Board members play a critical role as volunteers for the conferences OTA facilitates each year.
(6) Participate in the strategic planning process to craft a forward-thinking vision that aligns with the needs of TRIO programs and students throughout the state.
(7) Serve as stewards for the organization.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Oregon TRIO Association was founded in 2000 when TRIO program leaders organized to create a singular entity to advocate on behalf of TRIO students to US federal legislators. They held annual meetings to provide programmatic support, community, a platform to share best practices, and organized an annual professional development conference for Oregon’s TRIO professionals.
In 2011, OTA received its 501(c)(3) designation, and its board structure was designed to provide an annual professional development conference for TRIO professionals; an annual student leadership conference for TRIO students; and a framework to ensure that OTA sends advocates annually to Washington D.C. to advocate on behalf of funding and sustaining TRIO programs nationwide. Since then, OTA has expanded via enhanced TRIO Alumni benefits to our students through board positions, a fellowship program, increased student scholarship funding, networking opportunities, and a continued push to legitimize the organization. In July of 2021, OTA received a large grant from the State of Oregon to support college access for traditionally marginalized students. This funding established a full-time Executive Director position and has led to substantial changes within the organization.
Today, TRIO programs continue to serve over 11,600 Oregon students and 200 TRIO staff. OTA is working to build organizational capacity, long term sustainability, and creating more opportunities for programs, staff, and student success. Our primary goal is to increase the number of students served in Oregon by applying for new TRIO grants throughout the state. These grant funds are utilized to run TRIO programs and create scholarships that support college students who are no longer eligible for financial aid (and are close to graduation). OTA is constantly pursuing new projects and funding support to expand services and opportunities for students statewide. We also collaborate with other educational institutions, agencies, and non-profit organizations to help students succeed in higher education and career.
Current OTA activities include but are not limited to:
(1) Working state-wide with non-profit organizations and educational institutions to identify communities with a high need for TRIO programs and aiding in the pursuit of those opportunities;
(2) Hosting a yearly professional development conference that is organized to provide training and networking opportunities to TRIO professionals throughout the state.
(3) Organizing an annual student leadership conference designed to instill leadership skills in students for their future success;
(4) Providing a virtual network for programs and students to connect and hosting our annual conferences in a virtual format;
(5) Identifying the unmet financial needs of our TRIO programs, and
(6) Securing funding to provide opportunities and remove barriers to better serve TRIO students.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Oregon TRIO Association
Board of directorsas of 06/09/2023
Mr. Chris Mahan
Clatsop Community College
Christopher Mahan
Southern Oregon University
Troy Henri
Clatsop Community College
Zach Jones
Klamath Community College
Summer Baber
Mt. Hood Community College
Destiny Hunt
Umpqua Community College
Hayley Gibbs
Chemeketa Community College
Naomi McCreary
Southern Oregon University
Christine Riehl
Clatsop Community College
Efra Quevedo-Ramos
Chemeketa Community College
Katie Chiavarini
Chemeketa Community College
Alejandra Lopez Nestor
Student
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 05/17/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.