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Our Team
Hear a message from our founder!
Meet the Team
Executive Director
Liz Farmer
Liz Farmer is a second generation Jewish American anthropologist, activist and birth worker. Liz holds a BA in Biological Anthropology and an MA in Cultural Anthropology. During her studies she researched the detriment of over medicalization of birth in the US versus how withholding medical care in the Global South negatively affects birth outcomes. After graduate school she went on to become a birth and postpartum doula, providing private paid care to high income clients while volunteering with marginalized, historically underserved communities. Liz started Portland New Family Fund because she believes doula care is one of the most important pieces in improving the abysmal birth related outcomes in the U.S.
Operations Manager
Tiffany Decker
With a passion for supporting families, Tiffany brings a wealth of experience to her role as Operations Manager for PNFF. Her background as a doula, doula mentor, and business owner gives her a unique perspective on the needs of the pregnant and postpartum families PNFF serves.
She plays a vital role in ensuring our programs run smoothly by handling administrative tasks, assisting with program development, and managing billing and other essential duties. Her dedication helps our team provide crucial support to families on Medicaid.
When she's not helping the team, you can find Tiffany enjoying movies and anime with her family and seeing live music with her husband. She also loves to get out in nature, especially by the ocean, and enjoys spending time kayaking or paddleboarding on local rivers and lakes.
Client/Doula Liaison
Whitney Handrich
Whitney Handrich (she/her) is a Certified Postpartum Doula, Certified Lactation Counselor, and Licensed Massage Therapist specializing in perinatal massage and infant bodywork. As a Korean adoptee, Whitney is an advocate for helping to connect families with doula care and community resources, motivated by the lack of support her own birth parents had. She prioritizes working with historically under-resourced communities and believes trauma-informed support and holistic healing should be accessible and inclusive to all families. Whitney has decades of experience supporting children and families, and she also has taught yoga classes for people of color and immigrants, organized wellness events for BIPOC Adoptees and the AAPI community, and volunteers with the Immigrant Mutual Aid Coalition. In her freetime, she enjoys snuggling cats, doing jigsaw puzzles, biking, and escaping to nature.
Spanish Speaking Client/Doula Liaison
Heidi Acosta
Bio Coming Soon!
Board of Directors
Board Chair
Mauro SiFuentes, EdD (he/him/they)
Mauro Sifuentes, EdD, is an accomplished community organizer, educator, and researcher. His work focuses on culturally-responsive pedagogy towards the wellbeing and healing of youth and families from immigrant, low-income, Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ communities. Traversing the fields of nonprofits, K12 public education, community colleges, universities, and grassroots organizations, Mauro's leadership stewards innovative responses to systemic issues by prioritizing historical context, community wisdom, and collective visioning for lasting social change.
Finance Chair
Jaq Law (they/them)
Jaq Law holds a degree is in BioEngineering. They have moved through a few different career paths and currently work in software but their greatest achievement and heart and soul is their 6 year old child. She has brought Jaq joy beyond their wildest imagination. Going through the journey of pregnancy, birth and postpartum was both amazing and terrifying. Jaq wanted to join the board of the Portland New Family Fund because helping birthing people, especially vulnerable folks in a sometimes problematic healthcare system is a beautiful way to affect change.
Board Member
Deborah Zuniga Goldberg (she/her)
Deborah Zuniga Goldberg, a second-generation Jewish and Latina mother of two, is a communications consultant who helps nonprofits increase their visibility and impact through ethical storytelling and digital strategies. Her consulting practice is guided by a deep commitment to movement building. Driven by her belief that all birthing individuals and their families deserve quality prenatal and postpartum care, Deborah considers it an honor to serve on the board of the Portland New Family Fund.
Founding Board Member (Retired)
Dacia Fusaro (she/her)
Dacia Fusaro is Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practice in Portland, OR.
Founding Board Member (Retired)
Ashley Brown (she/her)
Born and raised in Portland, OR, Ashley is the mother of two lovely young girls. She has worked in property management for thirteen years. She was interested in joining the Portland New Family Fund Board of Directors because of her own experience of racism and inequity in the Portland maternity care system.
Founding Board Member (Retired)
Arija Iverson, MD (she/her)
Arija Iverson, MD, FAAP, is a board certified pediatric hospitalist in Portland, OR, with a special interest in neonatal health and wellness. She believes the key to a healthy child is a healthy family, which begins with equitable access to quality prenatal and postpartum care