Staff

Kristin Anderson Ostrom
Executive Director

(she/her/hers) Kristin Anderson Ostrom comes to ORA with more than three decades of public policy and rural organizing experience at the federal and state levels, primarily in the midwest. She earned her Juris Doctor Degree (J.D.) at the Creighton University School of Law and is a certified master mediator under the Nebraska Supreme Court. She has lobbied, led issue and electoral campaigns, developed diverse coalitions, and earned media campaigns to advance public policy and organizational change. She has worked for national and state organizations, including the American Bar Association, ELCA, Bread for the World, Nebraska Justice Center, Voices for Children in Nebraska, and ACLU Nebraska. Working with diverse rural community leaders, she led an award-winning Nebraska grassroots campaign, One Fremont One Future.

Email: kristino@oregonrural.org

Zaira Sanchez
Director of Community Organizing

(she/her/hers) Having been raised in Hermiston all her life, Zaira Sanchez was eager to get out of Eastern Oregon and experience city life. Zaira was the first in her family to go to college, graduating from Clackamas Community College, where she received an Associate’s degree, and Warner Pacific University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Development. In college, Zaira was exposed to organizing and leadership development by working with organizations, including Causa Oregon, Unite Oregon, and Latino Network. Six years later, Zaira decided it was time to move back to her hometown to start shaping it into a more welcoming and inclusive community. Most recently on staff with the UFW Foundation, Zaira brings nearly ten years of experience organizing and working directly with underserved communities throughout the Pacific Northwest. In her free time, Zaira enjoys reading, playing with her dogs, spending time outside, and brushing up on her cooking skills.

Email: zairas@oregonrural.org

Steven Coles
Executive Assistant

(he/him/his) Steven Coles was born and raised in the small town of Elgin, Oregon. He left to study Philosophy and Theology at Northwest Nazarene University and received his Masters at Duke Divinity School in Durham, NC, where he studied Ethics and Theology. While at Duke, Steven worked alongside non-profit organizations and churches to help people experiencing homelessness and LGBTQIA+ youth needs and advocate for those with mental and physical disabilities. Steven is also a writer, speaker, and avid reader. Steven’s role as Executive Assistant provides administrative support, creating safe spaces for people to feel respected, heard, and cared for in rural areas.

Email: stevenc@oregonrural.org

Rafael Romero
Community Organizer

(he/him/his) Rafael Romero is the eldest son of his family. At 14, he and his family arrived from Jalisco, Guadalajara, and as agricultural workers, they have always worked in the fields. He attended school in Prosser, WA, and worked part-time after school at the farm where his parents worked. Rafael has continued to be involved in agricultural work and works for a vegetable farm. He also brings strong communications skills and experience to his role as an organizer, including working as a host for an open channel television show, as director of music videos, and as a local radio host with over ten years for a station in the Tri-Cities. He has had important family losses, such as his brother and grandparents. Rafael’s mission focuses on letting others know that someone else has their lives on his mind and the magnificent nature of finding and developing resources that might not have been there without hearing and seeing the needs of others.

Email: rafaelR@oregonrural.org

Nella Parks
Senior Organizer

(she/her/hers) Nella Mae Parks is a farmer, writer, parent, and community leader in Union County. She returned to La Grande to work for Oregon Rural Action in 2010 and now re-joins the ORA team as a senior organizer working on energy, environmental justice, and agriculture campaigns. She is a born organizer, she loves rural communities, and she's dedicated to making them more welcoming, just, and livable for all.

Email: nellaP@oregonrural.org

Kaleb Lay
Director of Policy & Research

(he/him/his) Kaleb Lay grew up near Union with deep ties to Medical Springs. His family has lived in Union County for five generations. A former journalist, Kaleb wrote for print outlets in Wyoming and Hawaii and his hometown newspaper, The Observer, in La Grande. Kaleb also brings years of outdoor and naturalist experience, having worked as a backpacking and kayaking guide. He can often be found wandering the Eagle Cap Wilderness in the summer months or foraging for mushrooms and huckleberries in the shoulder seasons. An avid outdoorsman and environmentalist, Kaleb's passion involves environmental justice, building rural resilience during climate change, sustainable water policy, agriculture, and ecological protection and restoration.

Email: kalebl@oregonrural.org

Jose Abrego
Communications & Outreach Coordinator

(he/him/his) Jose grew up in Milton-Freewater and has lived in Union County for eight years. With professional nonprofit experience, Jose serves as chair of the La Grande Farmers Market, and volunteers with many local organizations. The first in his family to graduate from university, Jose graduated from Eastern Oregon University with a degree in Community Health. Jose brings strong communication skills. In Jose’s free time, he likes to be with family and friends, travel to new and diverse places, and enjoys playing various board games.

Email: josea@oregonrural.org