Who We Are
Any organization is only as good as their people. Luckily, our people are wonderful.
Tracy Oseran
Founder & Executive Director
Tracy started Urban Gleaners in 2006 with the simple observation that there were hungry people in the Portland community who could be fed with good, edible food that was being thrown away every day in our city. Tracy was previously the owner of a catering company in Los Angeles and sold a packaged food product in local grocery stores. Her love of food and interest in community activism was a natural combination that led to the founding of Urban Gleaners.
Kerri Cacciata
Program Director
Kerri was raised in the booths of restaurants run by her parents, and in her grandma’s garden. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in community organizing in San Francisco, then studied culinary arts, finding harmony when the two subjects come together. She has worked in non-profit agencies, taught cooking and permaculture courses, started farmers markets, and cooked both on farms and in James Beard award-winning kitchens. When she isn’t hard at work, you can find her busy befriending all cats.
Ashley Hess
Development Director
Ashley grew up on an organic farm here in Oregon. Together with her husband and toddler, she remotely farms a small herd of miniature cattle and occasionally raises a turkey or forty. A fan of innovation, efficiency, and thriving communities, her passion for fundraising and food pairs perfectly with the mission and work of Urban Gleaners.
Jessica Newman
Food & Logistics Director
After volunteering with Urban Gleaners for over a year, Jess officially joined the team in 2017. Jess has managed teams and implemented new processes for over a decade and now she’s brought her organizational skills to the Urban Gleaners warehouse. Aside from identifying mystery foods, rummaging through produce, helping things go smoothly, or just shuffling crates, it has been said that she is the wizard of the warehouse.
Alec Boehm
Community Support Associate
Alec is honored and proud to be working with Urban Gleaners. As a child, he collected stamps.
Brennan Devoid
Community Support Associate
Brennan grew up in Vermont and at a very young age fell in love with all things food. From farming to preparing meals for his family, this passion soon fostered the realization that he wanted to pursue a career in the kitchen. After working for over a decade in the kitchen and seeing food waste firsthand, he decided he wanted to still work with food while giving back to the community as well. Brennan is a strong believer in responsible farming and food equality.
Jason Howd
Community Support Associate
Jason has worked with food in the Portland area for almost two decades. A man of many hats — bread baker, pastry chef, farmers market manager, chocolatier, caterer, and journalist — Jason received a degree in Communication and Latin American Studies from PSU, and has since focused his reporting on food security/insecurity both locally and abroad. Look for his smiling face and have a chat! He loves seeing happy people go home with a full bag of awesome food.
Mike Long
Community Support Associate
Mike is from Kelso, Washington, and after many years traveling, working with farms and community organizations in New Orleans, and doing environmental work in Rwanda, Alaska, and other countries, Mike returned to the Pacific Northwest. He’s passionate about reducing food waste, serving the community he lives in, and thinks space travel “sounds fun.”
Sarah Maness
Weekend Warehouse Coordinator
Sarah hails from the boonies of Southern Vermont (where there is still no cell service) and has always loved being in the kitchen. While studying human ecology at College of the Atlantic, she served as a farm to school educator and studied the roles of various stakeholders in the food system in her native Vermont—and discovered she enjoys doing the dirty work of food justice more than writing about it!
Richard Pacheco
Community Support Associate
Richard is a ninja. He has extensive experience in food service. And on occasion, we learn some new and esoteric fact about our coworker.