Staff & Board

Our Executive Director

 

Hilary Shohoney

Hilary was introduced to Free Geek in her time spent as both Outreach and Development at Oregon Chapter Sierra Club and Communication and Outreach Manager at Pacific Rivers. Prior to her time in the nonprofit world, Hilary worked as Senior Audit Analyst with Microsoft Licensing and as National Sales Director at Pappas Telecasting. With her prior experience in technology and nonprofit work as a profession, Hilary found herself perfectly placed for her current role at Free Geek. Hilary was first introduced to Free Geek while working at other Portland Area nonprofits where technology was necessary and the resources to purchase it were incredibly limited. More than once, Free Geek provided her team the technology they needed through their hardware grants program. Free Geek’s mission inspired her. They were not only keeping e-waste out of landfills, they were also getting devices in the hands that needed it most. Growing up in rural Idaho, Hilary had limited access to the internet and computers. When she graduated High School and headed off to college this limited access created a real barrier. While many other students were able to complete their assignments at home, Hilary was spending extra time in the library really learning to type for the first time. As the Executive Director of Free Geek, Hilary feels grateful to help break these barriers down for others.

 

Our Managers

 

Adelle Pomeroy -- Digital Inclusion Program Manager

Adelle began her journey with Free Geek as a volunteer helping to disassemble tech in our warehouse. Now, she is the Digital Inclusion Programs Manager. Together with a team of five, she manages our community programs: Community Technology Education, Hardware Grants, Plug Into Portland, Welcome to Computers and Tech Support. Adelle enjoys watching and reading sci-fi, fantasy, and anime. Her idea of a great weekend is spent with friends and family outdoors, romping in the mud with her dog Tui or snuggling her cat Potato and reading a good book. She needs some alone time she plants and makes prints.

 

 

 

Amber Schmidt -- Manager of Technology Refurbishment

Amber started with Free Geek as a volunteer intern at the front desk in 2012 while pursuing her degree in Psychology and Criminology. Nine years later, she leads our technology refurbishment operations and oversees our IT team. Amber's professional background is in retail and people management, with over a decade of experience in a management role. She quickly became enamored with the work of Free Geek and learned she could use her background in management and her coursework in human behavior to facilitate the interfacing between humans and technology. She found that she had a knack for computer hardware and enjoyed the puzzle-like aspects of troubleshooting a broken machine. In her offtime, Amber streams on Twitch, enjoys walking and playing with her two giant dogs, Moose and Milo, and still maintains an avid interest in the psychology of crime by reading books or watching documentaries regularly. She can probably eat her weight in vegas (sushi) rolls, and can most likely beat your pinball high score.

 

Betsy Glickman -- Operations and Administration Manager

Betsy is the newest manager at Free Geek. Her past work includes community organizing around houseless rights and advocacy, as well as food justice work. She is excited to get involved in creating more equitable digital access across class divides here in our local community. In Betsy's personal life she spends as much of it on a bike as she can. Whether that is commuting, weekend joy rides, community outreach by bike, or long distance tours with friends or her wife. Every anniversary her wife and her plan a trip to see rural areas they haven’t been to before. Betsy states, "Nothing will connect you to our planet and the need to save it like a bike ride."

 

 

 

John Ashcraft -- Manager of Receiving and Recycling

John Ashcraft is the Manager of Receiving and Recycling & Chief Environmental Health and Safety Compliance Officer at Free Geek. John has 10 years experience with electronics recycling at Free Geek and is responsible for ensuring compliance with a focus on organization, safety, and reducing waste in a culture of continual improvement. John has been engaged in reuse and recycling as long as he can remember: from aluminum cans, to copper wire, then dumpster diving for college textbooks and computers, and building a used book business that supported his B.S. in Sociology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. John spent a few years in Maui before settling in Portland with his partner Veronica, their flock of front yard chickens and friends. Every year or two John runs off to join the Seaclown Circus for a few weeks of adventure in Greece.

 

 

Juan Muro -- Senior Manager of Customer Experience

Juan Muro joined Free Geek in 2018 as Manager of Sales and was promoted to Senior Manager of Customer Experience in 2019. Juan was and raised in San Diego, and then spent 10 years living and working in San Francisco, California. He moved to Portland in 2017 after deciding to change careers from the coffee world to the nonprofit sector. Professionally, Juan dedicated the first half of his lifetime working with people. He worked his way up in the retail and service industry. Along that journey he took on various roles that eventually led him to management. At Free Geek, Juan leads our Sales Department and Customer Experience team. He drives our B2B, Online Store and Customer Service Experience. His lived experience with disadvantages and inequality is the motivation for Juan's personal connection to Free Geek's mission and values. Outside of Free Geek he is a coffee enthusiast, a dog lover, is passionate about digital equity and believes in teaching through storytelling.

 

 

Tyler Davis -- Development Manager

Tyler joined Free Geek in 2018 as Annual Fund and Events Associate, and was promoted to Development Manager in summer 2020 when former Development Manager Hilary Shohoney became Executive Director of Free Geek. He organized Free Geek’s first ever annual fundraiser, Geek Prom, and helped build lasting relationships between the organization and many community partners and supporters. He has prior experiences working with youth, children with disabilities and in political organizating. Tyler is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Administration and Policy and is a member of the 2021 class of Leadership Clark County, a nonpartisan civic leadership program committed to developing effective community leaders to serve Clark County, WA. As a PNW native, Tyler enjoys all things outdoors, and you can often find him out on the trail. He also plays rugby for an inclusive gay ruby team (the Portland Lumberjacks), enjoys all things nerdy, and volunteers with a number of organizations throughout the community. Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-davis-9b1248155/

 

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Our Board Members

Free Geek’s board is made up of a collection of community members. In keeping with our core values, members have a diverse range of skills and mission-related interests. It's the responsibility of these volunteer representatives to set and refine Free Geek’s vision. They are also tasked with making organization-wide decisions. 

 

Kyle Kasner -- Interim Board Chair

Technology Infrastructure Specialist.  Previously IT Administrator for Free Geek.  Skills in computer hardware, computer repair, and Windows.

LinkedIn profile

 

Erich Merrill -- Board Secretary

Erich was initially involved with Free Geek as a donor. For several years he brought computers and electronics before he became involved as a board member. A neighbor of the prior board chair introduced him to Free Geek, and said she was looking for a board member who could bring a lawyer's perspective to the team. Because Erich was a business lawyer, he was happy to do just that. As part of the Free Geek board, he hopes to help Free Geek continue its good work, expand its reach, increase its financial support, and continue to be a great community asset and place to work and volunteer.

Erich grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, and attended engineering school at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Erich is a runner, and likes to ski and kayak---though not at the same time. One of his favorite past jobs was as a raft trip photographer on the Chattooga River. He kayaked through Class 3, 4, and 5 rapids every day, as his "commute" to work!

"Free Geek was one of the first to make it easy to do the right thing."

LinkedIn Profile

 

Ryan Harvey -- Treasurer

Ryan learned about Free Geek over a decade ago when a friend introduced him to Linux, the command line, and The Free Geek Store. It was then, he says, that he was introduced to the notion of being a true "owner" of a computer, rather than just a user of one.

Ryan is an institutional investment consultant with Sellwood Consulting. As Board Chair, Ryan is dedicated to making sure that Free Geek continues its digital impact and remains the unique and welcoming place that it is. When he's not spending time with his wife and two daughters, Ryan likes to put his private pilot's license to use exploring everything Oregon has to offer. He also loves to volunteer at Free Geek. 

LinkedIn profile

 

Other Board Members

Marcus Carter II -- Board Member

Marcus is Director of Social Equity at Cinder. He is a teacher, organizer, and catalyst for social equity across corporate, non-profit, and grassroots organizations. Marcus is also a member of Portland Workforce Alliance, TechTown PDX, SW SHRM, WO:KE PDX.

LinkedIn profile

 

Manu Kondapi -- Board Member

Manu is a system validation engineer at Intel Corporation with a degree in Electrical Engineering and skills in curriculum development/teaching, Carnatic (Classical Indian) Music and web development. Manu is also involved in Portland Metro STEM Partnership.

LinkedIn profile

Ronda Sensenig -- Board Member

LinkedIn profile

Nicole Frisch -- Board Member

LinkedIn profile

 

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