About Us

Leadership

Sheila Martin

Vice President of Public Affairs and Chief of Staff to the President
-> Email Sheila

Sheila Martin is the Vice President of Public Affairs and Chief of Staff to President Ann Cudd. She is highly regarded in the region and internationally for developing strategic economic and community initiatives that engage with higher education, and played a critical role in developing PSU’s new strategic plan and financial sustainability plan. In addition to her work at PSU, she is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness.

Martin has served as the economic development advisor to Washington State Governor Gary Locke and as a Senior Economist at RTI International. From 2004 to 2018, she was a member of the Portland State faculty in the School of Urban Studies and Planning, and also served as the director of the Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies and the Population Research Center. From 2018 to 2021, she was the Vice President for Economic and Community Engagement at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.

Community Impact Team

PSU’s academic, research and outreach activities are guided by the motto, “Let Knowledge Serve the City”. This core commitment has led to a robust spectrum of community engagement activities that span campus and has attracted faculty, staff and students who are passionate about putting their ideas and knowledge into practice in the real world.

The Community Impacts Team is housed within Public Affairs and has deep connections across communities at PSU and with external organizations.

-> Email the Community Impact Team

Angela Jackson

Executive Director, Industry and Entrepreneurial Engagement
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Angela Jackson is a business and entrepreneurial leader who connects PSU to business, workforce and technology opportunities to enhance the economic mobility of PSU students. She is co-founder and General Partner of the Portland Seed Fund, Oregon's most active venture capital investment firm. Jackson was named an Inc. Magazine Person to Know in Portland, Tech Champion of the Year by the Technology Association of Oregon and Woman of Influence/Entrepreneur of the Year by the Portland Business Journal. Prior to her time at PSU, she led the Portland State Business Accelerator to two international accolades, and is honored to play a role in both generating high wage jobs and filling them with talented PSU graduates.

Cynthia Carmina Gómez

Director of Community and Civic Impact
-> Email Cynthia Carmina Gómez

Cynthia Carmina Gómez is a futurist, cultural strategist and creative writer with an MFA in nonfiction writing and a Master's in Education. In her role at PSU, she brings ideas and knowledge into practice through community-centered initiatives. She serves on the university’s Climate Justice Committee and Hispanic Serving Institution initiative. She oversees Latiné Futures, a community collaboration to co-create a bold vision for our community’s future. An Oregon Governors' Gold Civic Leadership awardee, she has 22 years of experience as a faculty and higher education administrator and worked ten years at Latino Network coordinating leadership programs.

Cynthia Carmina Gómez es la Directora de Comunidad e Impacto Cívico en la Universidad Estatal de Portland, donde pone en práctica ideas y conocimientos a través de iniciativas centradas en la comunidad. Ella es miembro del Comité de Justicia Climática y Ambiental y se encarga de iniciativas relacionadas con el establecimiento del asignación federal, Institución de Servicio a Hispanos. Desarrolló Futuro Latiné, una colaboración con la comunidad donde se esta creando una visión para el futuro de la comunidad. Tiene 22 años de experiencia como profesora y administradora de educación superior y trabajó diez años en la Red Latina coordinando programas de liderazgo. Es recipiente del premio Oro al Liderazgo Cívico de los Gobernadores de Oregón. Cynthia es escritora creativa y tiene una maestría en bellas arte y maestria en education.