Tom Keller (he/him)
CIMR Director
Tom is the Duncan and Cindy Campbell Professor for Children, Youth, and Families in the School of Social Work at Portland State University. He directs the Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring and is the Founding Director of the Center for Internship, Mentoring & Research (CIMR). Dr. Keller is the Principal Investigator of multiple CIMR programs that offer research training and internship experiences for students historically underrepresented in scientific and biomedical careers, including BUILD EXITO, U-RISE at PSU, College Access Program, PROA Pathways Project at PSU, and Bridges to Baccalaureate Metro PDX. His own research interests include the development and influence of youth mentoring relationships, social networks in youth mentoring interventions, evaluation of mentoring program innovations and enhancements, and the mentoring of undergraduates in science, biomedical, and health fields. In his eclectic educational journey, Tom earned a B.S. in Materials Science & Engineering, a Master of Public Administration, and a Ph.D. in Social Welfare.
Karla Horgan Arévalo (she/her/ella)
Mentoring Academy Coordinator
Karla oversees the Mentoring Academy, where she coordinates and facilitates workshops designed to enhance mentoring skills for educators engaged in long-term relationships across various university disciplines. She is deeply passionate about social justice and advocacy, focusing on empowering underrepresented communities and equipping allies with the skills needed to effectively work with diverse groups. Before joining PSU, Karla worked as a Bilingual Mental Health Therapist and in educational roles at both the secondary and post-secondary levels, helping the immigrant community navigate challenges in higher education and the workforce. She holds a B.A. in Humanities from Northwestern College and an M.A. in Clinical Mental Health from the University of Colorado Denver.
Mae Culbertson (she/her)
Project Coordinator
Mae is a Project Coordinator for CIMR and the Events Team lead. The Events Team organizes the 3-day Summer Research Academy, the PSU Research Week Student Research Symposium, the Summer Research Symposium, and other CIMR events.
Shandee Dixon (she/her)
CIMR Faculty Lead
Shandee is an Associate Scientist at the Oregon Clinical & Translational Research Institute (OCTRI) at OHSU and the Research Thread Director for the Wy'east Post-Baccalaureate Pathway at OHSU’s Northwest Native American Center of Excellence. Since joining the CIMR team in 2021, she has taken on roles as Co-Investigator of BUILD EXITO and URISE, faculty lead for summer research experiences, and coordinator for student research placements. Shandee earned her Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Michigan and completed postdoctoral work at UCLA, UC Irvine, and as an OHSU Diversity and Inclusion in Research Fellow. Before joining CIMR, Shandee was a Scientist at the OHSU Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research Center (CEDAR), where she founded the CEDAR Health Inequities Committee focused on building awareness around the impact systemic health inequities have on early detection and treatment of cancers. As a first-generation college student, she is passionate about advocating for underrepresented groups in STEM. When she’s not working, Shandee enjoys taking her mom and grandma on long drives around the PNW and loves playing board games with her partner and her two tuxedo kittens, Pepperoni and Juniper.
Vikki Espinosa (she/her)
CIMR Career Strategist & DISC Program Coordinator
Vikki brings over three decades of experience in the semiconductor industry and career development to her role at CIMR. As a career strategist, she focuses on preparing students for internships and workforce transitions, equipping them with practical skills in networking, workplace etiquette, and professional growth. With a strong background in coaching and mentoring, she has helped diverse populations, including early-career professionals and international students, navigate career pathways in STEM fields. Before joining CIMR, Vikki led career development initiatives in higher education and industry, shaping programs that empower students to succeed. She is pursuing her master’s degree in education at PSU and is passionate about fostering inclusive, student-centered learning environments. When she’s not working, Vikki enjoys writing, lifting weights, and spending time with her husband and two daughters.
MacKenzie Gray (she/her)
Research Associate
MacKenzie is a part of the research and evaluation team examining the programs within CIMR. Through the use of mixed methods, she aims to understand the factors that contribute to students' success in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. MacKenzie earned her B.S. in Public Health from PSU while participating in the BUILD EXITO program. She then completed her Ph.D. in Biology Education at PSU, where she studied the experiences of community college transfer students in the STEM fields.
Kay Logan (she/her)
CIMR Manager of Operations and Finance
Kay oversees the financial and operational aspects of CIMR, including processing of stipends and other forms of support to students in research and internship placements; managing budgets; assisting with data tracking and grant reporting. She joined CIMR as the Center’s first staff member in 2010. Before PSU, she worked at Education Northwest as part of the National Mentoring Center, serving youth mentoring programs across the country.
Becky Miller (she/they)
Program Manager
Becky is a Research Assistant in the School of Social Work and a CIMR Program Manager of URISE Scholars working towards advanced degrees in the biomedical workforce. Working specifically on coping self-efficacy intervention research to support young people transitioning from foster care to independent living has given Becky a breadth of experience managing social science research projects, developing data collection protocols, analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, and testing innovative research methods. As a program manager, Becky thrives on supporting students in their research placements and helps people tap into their community resources and inherent personal knowledge to make sound decisions moving forward in their education.
Carlos Quatela (he/him)
CIMR Academic Advisor & Program Manager
Carlos Quatela is a dedicated and experienced higher education professional with a strong background in educational leadership, program management, mentoring, and academic advising. He holds an M.S. in Educational Leadership and Policy and various certificates in digital marketing strategies and project management from Portland State University. He is also enrolled in Oregon State University’s Ed.D program in Adult Higher Education. In his role as Program Manager and Academic Advisor at Portland State University's Center for Internships Mentoring & Research (CIMR), Carlos has successfully guided first-generation college students, is proficient in multiple languages, including Spanish and Portuguese, and brings a multicultural perspective to his work, emphasizing equity and student success.
Cassandra Ramirez (they/she)
CIMR Student and Program Manager
Cassandra Ramirez is the CIMR Student and Program Manager. In this role they coordinate the BUILD EXITO program during it’s last year as well as supporting the other programs under CIMR (DREAM, PROA, and URISE) and beyond (Ignite). Their main goals are making sure the programs are working for the students, providing support to students in tandem with the CIMR team, getting programs set up in the CIMR infrastructure, sharing program coordination materials with programs, supporting program administration across CIMR programs, and more. They have lived in Portland most of their life, were recently learned she is neurodiverse (ADHD/Autism), and has one dog (Robin) and cat (Pepper).
Motutama Sipelii (he/him)
Partnership Coordinator
Motu is actively involved in enhancing student engagement and building CIMR's presence on campus. He explores new ways CIMR can support both existing and new projects while collaborating with multiple departments. Motu earned his B.S. in Health Science from PSU and an MPH in Health Management & Policy from the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health. As a first-generation Pacific Islander from American Samoa, he is dedicated to student advocacy and addressing disparities affecting the Pacific Islander community.
Arjun Viray (they/them)
Communications Coordinator
Arjun is the Communications Specialist for CIMR. From managing CIMR’s website to sending out newsletters, Arjun helps students, faculty, and staff in CIMR stay up to date on important information. Arjun also plays a big role in event planning for CIMR for events like Summer Research Symposium, Research Week, and more.
Jazzmine Waugh (she/her)
Research Associate
Jazzmine is involved with dissemination and evaluation of CIMR programs. She explores methods of increasing retention of students that have historically been underrepresented in STEM. She also manages and analyzes data across CIMR . Jazzmine got a B.S. in Organismal Biology from PSU and a PhD in Biology: Data Science from the University of Washington.