Steve wilkinson
Executive director
Steve is a longtime Portland resident, an active musician, business owner, and has an extensive background in non-profit outreach and event management. He has experienced two very different sides of the houseless crisis: he lived in his car for five months while in college and is currently a homeowner and landlord. He is excited to be a part of Operation Nightwatch and hopes to share his experience of bringing people together to explore creative ways to provide immediate attention to those in need. Steve has a rescue dog, Olive, and they enjoy traveling around the Pacific Northwest.
KOLIN BUSBY, LCSW
MENTAL HEALTH DIRECTOR
Kolin Busby serves as the Mental Health Director at our Downtown Hospitality Center. He offers low-barrier, cost-free mental health services and support to those who do not typically engage with traditional service providers. For over eight and a half years Kolin’s focus has centered around building deep, trusting relationships with guests while providing a secure, stable, trauma informed space for individuals to gain their footing, and reconnect with themselves first before embarking on life changing decisions. He also provides crisis counseling, solution-focused brief therapy, and engages guests in harm reduction strategies during regular program hours and beyond.
“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” Carl Rogers
Frankie Coan
Mental Health SpECIALIST
Frankie started volunteering with Operation Nightwatch in 2020. Over that time, he developed an abundance of meaningful relationships. This was done through playing games, sharing meals, watching movies and a lot of talks about life and how to navigate through its challenges. His fundamental goal is to maintain these meaningful relationships by communicating compassionately and honestly, cultivating trust and stability and empathetically listening to our patrons to understand them and provide the best support he can.
john rezende-shalom
Mental Health SpECIALIST
John has worked in mental health as a case manager since 2015 and is enrolled in the MSW program at Portland State University. At Operation Nightwatch, John helps coordinate volunteers and operations. Having started at Operation Nightwatch in October 2023, John is working on relationship building with guests and helping them on identified needs.
Brian Willet
peer support speciaLIST
Brian is a service-connected disabled US Army veteran with a background primarily in emergency medicine and street-level crisis intervention. He works to build one-on-one relationships with guests, offers peer mental health support, and supports staff in serving guests in whatever capacity needed. Brian brings to the team his lived experiences including homelessness, overcoming severe mental health issues and addiction.
Judy johnson
chair
Judy Johnson practiced law for over 35 years before retiring in 2018. She began to volunteer at Nightwatch over sixteen years ago, and currently serves as chair. She is excited to be a part of Nightwatch, and to work with and support an organization that she sees as striving to support members of Portland's unhoused community. Judy also serves on the board of Agape Village and is a past member of the board of the National Alliance of Mental Health (NAMI)-Oregon.
Maureen Hagen
Secretary
Maureen Hagen is from Rochester, NY. ABD, Columbia University (International Relations & Middle East Studies). She is a former Peace Corps Volunteer (Morocco) and undergraduate professor. Maureen moved to Oregon in 1992 and was ordained as a deacon in 2004. She is currently serving at St. Stephen's Episcopal Parish and began volunteering weekly at Operation Nightwatch in September of 2017. Maureen joined the Operation Nightwatch Board of Directors in 2019. Her interests are travel (60 countries), languages (5+), and meeting people from different cultures.
david groff
treasurer
David Groff began volunteering at Operation Nightwatch in 1993. A retired college administrator and professor, he has served on the Operation Nightwatch Board of Directors on and off since 2000.
Ted Pelletier
board member
Ted and his wife live in downtown Portland near St Stephen’s Episcopal Church. Living in this location often brings him in contact with members of the population from which Nightwatch draws its guests. Having had extensive experience in the past volunteering at a soup kitchen and food pantry, he recently started volunteering with Nightwatch. To him, it has been a great opportunity and experience offering hospitality to guests and has affirmed the value of the program. He has not only been able to provide comfort and service to the guests, but he has also received their offers of conversation and friendship. He looks forward to participating in the planning, decisions, and support of the program to ensure its continued ability to serve Portland’s houseless community.
Chris shimamoto
board member
Chris Shimamoto has an extensive background in business development, having worked at Nike for many years. Chris is also a world traveler and enjoys learning about different cultures.
Braunwynn Franklin
board member
Braunwynn is a Black Woman with lived experience in mental health, incarceration, and multi-generational trauma, which includes racism. She has facilitated, presented, and advocated nationally for peer mental health and prison reform communities and she is dedicated to making a difference in these communities. She has worked with and trained individuals in various settings and in several states on peer support, peer wellness, and other health-related peer services for over 13 years. She has a passion for social justice change within prisons and the justice system as well as the heart to support people in gaining a better quality of life mentally, spiritually, and physically. Braunwynn leads with a calm, wise, and direct manner, both nurturing and encouraging. She is actively serving on three boards in addition to participating on several committees.
Drew stock
board member
Drew Stock has served in multiple volunteer roles in the Portland area, ranging from outreach and content management with STEM education organization iUrban Teen, to leading hiking trail stewardship activities with Trailkeepers of Oregon. He has been inspired by what can be accomplished when people come together to address the challenges facing them, and is looking forward to collaborating with the board, staff, and volunteers of Operation Nightwatch to provide vital resources to all who are in need. Drew has a professional background in event management and technical support, and is currently a Support Engineer with Salesforce.