Michael Reyes: Unapologetically Leading with Justice and Equity
“NWHF opened my world. I learned how to unapologetically lead with my values to center justice and equity. I was a staff member at the foundation for six years. There, I built relationships with many of the same leaders and organizations who are now supporting my campaign. I'm grateful to be part of such an inspiring and supportive network of leaders.” - Michael Reyes
Michael Reyes, former Community Engagement Officer at Northwest Health Foundation, announced in March that he is running for Reynolds School Board, Position 3. On our website we often highlight grantees who have decided to take the bold step of running for office, and the opportunity to highlight a former staffer has us all excited over here!
Michael was born in Puerto Rico and raised in a military family, growing up in different parts of the country and even living in Germany for three years. He has lived in East Multnomah County for nearly 14 years and has worked in and around education all his career, starting with youth programs in Eastern Washington. Michael worked at NWHF for six years supporting community-led efforts for policy change and building political power. Many of these efforts worked to improve our educational system in Oregon. Today, he works at the Oregon Department of Education managing the Latino/a/x Student Success Plan. From inside the agency, he even leads some of the work our community partners originally advocated for. In this way, the work he did at NWHF continues.
Michael is running to bring his perspective as a parent to Reynolds School District. He has seen first-hand the significant challenges the school community went through this past year with distance learning and, now, figuring out the return to in-person learning. His priorities are centered around equity, community leadership and reflective leadership.
“My past work supporting advocacy efforts and my current role at the Oregon Department of Education allow me to understand that closing the educational opportunity gap requires systemic-level change. This pandemic put a huge spotlight on our injustices and inequities. I want to work with the board not to go back to business as usual, but rather learn from this past year and work to do better for our students.” - Michael Reyes
The Reynolds School District covers a large portion of East Multnomah County and several cities. The population served is not only racially, ethnically and linguistically diverse, but also diverse in lived experience. For example, Alder Elementary is in Rockwood, a community that experiences many socio-economic challenges, which requires a holistic approach to support students and families. Whereas at Troutdale Elementary, you see many more students whose families are homeowners and middle-income. This provides a level of stability for those students that allows the school to focus primarily on their academic needs. Michael stresses that these different socio-economic realities mean each school community needs a unique approach. However, the goal must be the same: the board needs to ensure each Reynolds student receives an excellent and enriching educational experience.
COVID-19 changes how candidates would run a typical campaign. In his case, Michael’s campaign will be mostly virtual, he plans to connect with community members virtually, through social media and the tried-and-true phone call. He is committed to engaging with voters even though he can’t knock on doors.
Michael spends his free time with his wife, son and dog. He identifies as a huge nerd and just finished a 1,000-piece Star Wars puzzle, which took the family a week and a half to complete!
Learn more about Michael at his website: reyesforreynolds.com