Meet the 2023 Planning Team
2023 Portland Veterans Day Parade Planning Team (not pictured: Jo Schaefer, Dr. Salina Norton, Melody Moshkowski, Bruce Hall)
Don Espinoza is currently involved with the Veteran’s Family and Friends Employee Resource Group at Moda Health. Don has served in the Army elite 82nd Airborne Division, 3/505th Parachute Infantry Regiment for 3 years, and is a 5-year Veteran of the Army National Guard. He is happy to give back to the community by volunteering his spare time to the Portland Veterans Day Parade.
Shawn Flynn is an Airborne Veteran of the United States Army and served proudly as a surgical assistant (91D) in Berlin, Germany whereby he received his initial surgical/sterile medical device reprocessing experience. He was honorably discharged as an E4 after serving 4 years of active duty. He is co-founder and CEO of Bedrock Surgical, Inc., a Silicon Valley-based data company addressing the systemic quality issues within the sterile processing industry. Shawn was brought to Stanford in 2016 to help open the state-of the-art Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital (LPCH). During his two years at LPCH Shawn drew International acclaim to the Sterile Processing Department earning SPD Honorable Mention Department of the Year. Prior to Stanford, 2012-2016, Shawn was the CEO and Founder of Memphis, TN-based Restore Medical Solutions, a medical device manufacturing company. In Memphis, Shawn became involved with the business and civic community and leveraged his medical device expertise to write and pass legislation with the Tennessee Senate Majority Leader to improve educational standards of SPD technicians, thus improving patient safety statewide. Prior to Restore, Shawn was Director of the Sterile Processing Department (SPD) at one of the largest level-one trauma centers in Atlanta, Georgia. Additionally, Shawn has extensive career experience in tissue banking and the biotechnology space, assisting individuals in need of tissue/organ transplant surgeries. Shawn currently holds multiple U.S./international utility/method patents that focus on surgical instrument/medical device reprocessing in a more efficient and cleaner process. Shawn is currently an active member of National Association of Black Veterans (NABVETS) and other volunteer activities in the community.
Bruce Hall currently serves as commander of the VFW Peninsula PEP Post 1325 and has served on the Executive Board of American Legion Post 150, Veterans Representative of the NALC Branch 82, Inside Guard of North Portland Eagles Aeire 3426, and is active with the Portland Veterans Parade Committee and his church, University Park Baptist. Bruce is a graduate of Letourneau College and entered military service on Jan 6, 1969. He completed Basic Training at Ft. Leonard Wood Misssouri and Advanced Individual Training at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. Mr. Hall went on to attend Artillery Officer Candidate school at Ft. Sill and the Signal Officer Basic Course at Ft. Gordon Georgia and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant Nov 27, 1969 and assigned to the Signal Corps, US Army. He earned his parachutist badge at Airborne School in Ft. Benning, Georgia, attended Basic Avionics Maintenance course at Ft. Gordon, Georgia, and the Air Movement Officer course at Charleston AFB, Charleston, South Carolina. Mr. Hall served in Vietnam from November 1970 to June 1972 and was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, and the Bronze Star. He left active duty in 1973 and worked for NAPA auto parts for nine years and ultimately retired from the US Postal Service in 2011.
Napoleon Hodgers is the Commander of Portland Chapter #0032 of the National Association for Black Veterans (NABVETS). Napoleon has served in the Army National Guard, the Air Force Reserves, and is a 10-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
Tina Kimmey is a neighborhood liaison for the Portland Veterans Day Parade. Born and raised in a small community in Michigan, Tina fondly remembers Veterans Day parades growing up, with her grandfather driving the horse-drawn wagon of fellow WWII vets. Transplanted to Portland in 1998, Tina is always looking for ways to give back to her adopted hometown and is pleased to assist the Portland Veterans Day Parade continue its march into the future of Portland hearts and history.
Major Bob Lloyd has been with The Salvation Army for 30 years following twelve years of employment with Seattle Metro Transit where he first encountered people struggling with homelessness, hunger, and addictions, and vowed to spend his life helping others. Bob is most proud of his six grandchildren and his military experience that continues a legacy of service going back to the Civil War.
Ron Mansolilli is currently the Director of the Veterans Resource Center at Portland State University. He is a retired Navy Veteran with over 25 years of experience in organizational development, program management, and people support, while living in the U.S., Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Ron’s deep commitment to Veterans stems from his own extensive service/experiences in the military, both as enlisted and officer, and then transitioning out into civilian life. Outside of work and home, you can find Ron playing strategic board games throughout the Portland metro area, hiking the beautiful Forest Park with his family, and partaking in local food carts indiscriminately.
Anna Mehrer is an independent Digital Marketing Consultant/Contractor to small businesses, artists, and non-profits, including the Portland Veterans Day Parade (2018). Anna was instrumental in pulling the parade organizing team together by maintaining open lines of communication, coordinating interested parties, and ensuring the website was active during the Great Parade Pause due to Covid-19. Military family members include all of her uncles, one of whom survived being a POW in Vietnam for over four years and another with two Purple Hearts. Previous opportunities have afforded the experience of working summer jobs as a student for the federal government stateside and overseas. She is a member of Search Engine Marketing PDX, Oregon Travel & Tourism Alliance, and the Better Business Bureau. She has called Portland home since 1999 and enjoys metal detecting, baking pies, speaking German, and living life with her partner and their two cats. Find out more about how Anna can help you with your marketing at OrderOrder.net.
Multnomah County Commissioner Dr. Sharon Meieran Commissioner Meieran (pronouns: she/her) represents District 1 and serves as the official board liaison to the Veterans Task Force. A practicing emergency room physician, she uses her experience on the front line caring for those in crisis to inform her policy and advocacy work. Her key focus areas include behavioral health, housing and homelessness, community safety, and the intersections of these systems. The Commissioner's Constituent Services Manager and Policy Liaison who manages her Veterans Policy Portfolio, Shelley Ashford (she/her), attends the planning meetings in the Commissioner's stead. Commissioner Meieran and Ms. Ashford are also sponsoring Operation Green Light for Veterans and the Veterans Day Proclamation at the County in honor and celebration of Veterans Day.
Melody Moshkowski arrived in Portland almost three years ago and serves as a Divisional Director with The Salvation Army. Melody has spent the bulk of her career in the non-profit world both domestically and abroad. Her work has crossed sectors of Humanitarian Aid, International Relief & Development, Emergency Management, and Disaster Response. Melody is also an Army Officer serving with the U.S. Army Reserves, and a Veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Dr. Salina B. Norton Veterans Service Officer, The National Association for Black Veterans Portland Chapter #0032
Larry Peters is a Medicare Benefits Advisor at Moda Health. An occasional musician and absolute beginner artist, he has been involved in organizing a number of local street fairs and community events. He has worked at several Portland newspapers, still roots for the Philadelphia sports teams he grew up watching in New Jersey, and has lived with his wife in Rose City Park for over 20 years, where they raised their son, who is now a Portland State student studying to be a Public School Music Teacher.
Jo Schaefer is from Hillsboro, Oregon and was raised on a farm in the Helvetia area. She worked for PNB/Dex for over 35 years, most of which were spent compiling information for the Yellow Pages. After retirement, she has been an active volunteer for several non-profits and events, including Dress for Success, board member of the Hollywood Neighborhood Association, Central Northeast Neighbors board, Oregon International Airshow committee, Off The Couch Events, Hollywood Boosters, and the planning committee of the Ross Hollywood Portland Veterans Day Parade since 2006, serving as community liaison. She feels that the best way to learn about the area you live in is to support it through volunteering.
Doug Wilkinson is a Veteran of Operation Desert Shield / Desert Storm. Doug served in Logistics and Counterintelligence during his 14 years in the US Army Reserve. Doug is a Strategic Program Manager at the Jacobs Engineering Portland office, and Founder/Executive Director of WARRIORS TOGETHER, an organization addressing mental health and suicide in Veteran, first responder, and construction communities.
Shawn Flynn is an Airborne Veteran of the United States Army and served proudly as a surgical assistant (91D) in Berlin, Germany whereby he received his initial surgical/sterile medical device reprocessing experience. He was honorably discharged as an E4 after serving 4 years of active duty. He is co-founder and CEO of Bedrock Surgical, Inc., a Silicon Valley-based data company addressing the systemic quality issues within the sterile processing industry. Shawn was brought to Stanford in 2016 to help open the state-of the-art Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital (LPCH). During his two years at LPCH Shawn drew International acclaim to the Sterile Processing Department earning SPD Honorable Mention Department of the Year. Prior to Stanford, 2012-2016, Shawn was the CEO and Founder of Memphis, TN-based Restore Medical Solutions, a medical device manufacturing company. In Memphis, Shawn became involved with the business and civic community and leveraged his medical device expertise to write and pass legislation with the Tennessee Senate Majority Leader to improve educational standards of SPD technicians, thus improving patient safety statewide. Prior to Restore, Shawn was Director of the Sterile Processing Department (SPD) at one of the largest level-one trauma centers in Atlanta, Georgia. Additionally, Shawn has extensive career experience in tissue banking and the biotechnology space, assisting individuals in need of tissue/organ transplant surgeries. Shawn currently holds multiple U.S./international utility/method patents that focus on surgical instrument/medical device reprocessing in a more efficient and cleaner process. Shawn is currently an active member of National Association of Black Veterans (NABVETS) and other volunteer activities in the community.
Bruce Hall currently serves as commander of the VFW Peninsula PEP Post 1325 and has served on the Executive Board of American Legion Post 150, Veterans Representative of the NALC Branch 82, Inside Guard of North Portland Eagles Aeire 3426, and is active with the Portland Veterans Parade Committee and his church, University Park Baptist. Bruce is a graduate of Letourneau College and entered military service on Jan 6, 1969. He completed Basic Training at Ft. Leonard Wood Misssouri and Advanced Individual Training at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. Mr. Hall went on to attend Artillery Officer Candidate school at Ft. Sill and the Signal Officer Basic Course at Ft. Gordon Georgia and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant Nov 27, 1969 and assigned to the Signal Corps, US Army. He earned his parachutist badge at Airborne School in Ft. Benning, Georgia, attended Basic Avionics Maintenance course at Ft. Gordon, Georgia, and the Air Movement Officer course at Charleston AFB, Charleston, South Carolina. Mr. Hall served in Vietnam from November 1970 to June 1972 and was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, and the Bronze Star. He left active duty in 1973 and worked for NAPA auto parts for nine years and ultimately retired from the US Postal Service in 2011.
Napoleon Hodgers is the Commander of Portland Chapter #0032 of the National Association for Black Veterans (NABVETS). Napoleon has served in the Army National Guard, the Air Force Reserves, and is a 10-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
Tina Kimmey is a neighborhood liaison for the Portland Veterans Day Parade. Born and raised in a small community in Michigan, Tina fondly remembers Veterans Day parades growing up, with her grandfather driving the horse-drawn wagon of fellow WWII vets. Transplanted to Portland in 1998, Tina is always looking for ways to give back to her adopted hometown and is pleased to assist the Portland Veterans Day Parade continue its march into the future of Portland hearts and history.
Major Bob Lloyd has been with The Salvation Army for 30 years following twelve years of employment with Seattle Metro Transit where he first encountered people struggling with homelessness, hunger, and addictions, and vowed to spend his life helping others. Bob is most proud of his six grandchildren and his military experience that continues a legacy of service going back to the Civil War.
Ron Mansolilli is currently the Director of the Veterans Resource Center at Portland State University. He is a retired Navy Veteran with over 25 years of experience in organizational development, program management, and people support, while living in the U.S., Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Ron’s deep commitment to Veterans stems from his own extensive service/experiences in the military, both as enlisted and officer, and then transitioning out into civilian life. Outside of work and home, you can find Ron playing strategic board games throughout the Portland metro area, hiking the beautiful Forest Park with his family, and partaking in local food carts indiscriminately.
Anna Mehrer is an independent Digital Marketing Consultant/Contractor to small businesses, artists, and non-profits, including the Portland Veterans Day Parade (2018). Anna was instrumental in pulling the parade organizing team together by maintaining open lines of communication, coordinating interested parties, and ensuring the website was active during the Great Parade Pause due to Covid-19. Military family members include all of her uncles, one of whom survived being a POW in Vietnam for over four years and another with two Purple Hearts. Previous opportunities have afforded the experience of working summer jobs as a student for the federal government stateside and overseas. She is a member of Search Engine Marketing PDX, Oregon Travel & Tourism Alliance, and the Better Business Bureau. She has called Portland home since 1999 and enjoys metal detecting, baking pies, speaking German, and living life with her partner and their two cats. Find out more about how Anna can help you with your marketing at OrderOrder.net.
Multnomah County Commissioner Dr. Sharon Meieran Commissioner Meieran (pronouns: she/her) represents District 1 and serves as the official board liaison to the Veterans Task Force. A practicing emergency room physician, she uses her experience on the front line caring for those in crisis to inform her policy and advocacy work. Her key focus areas include behavioral health, housing and homelessness, community safety, and the intersections of these systems. The Commissioner's Constituent Services Manager and Policy Liaison who manages her Veterans Policy Portfolio, Shelley Ashford (she/her), attends the planning meetings in the Commissioner's stead. Commissioner Meieran and Ms. Ashford are also sponsoring Operation Green Light for Veterans and the Veterans Day Proclamation at the County in honor and celebration of Veterans Day.
Melody Moshkowski arrived in Portland almost three years ago and serves as a Divisional Director with The Salvation Army. Melody has spent the bulk of her career in the non-profit world both domestically and abroad. Her work has crossed sectors of Humanitarian Aid, International Relief & Development, Emergency Management, and Disaster Response. Melody is also an Army Officer serving with the U.S. Army Reserves, and a Veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Dr. Salina B. Norton Veterans Service Officer, The National Association for Black Veterans Portland Chapter #0032
Larry Peters is a Medicare Benefits Advisor at Moda Health. An occasional musician and absolute beginner artist, he has been involved in organizing a number of local street fairs and community events. He has worked at several Portland newspapers, still roots for the Philadelphia sports teams he grew up watching in New Jersey, and has lived with his wife in Rose City Park for over 20 years, where they raised their son, who is now a Portland State student studying to be a Public School Music Teacher.
Jo Schaefer is from Hillsboro, Oregon and was raised on a farm in the Helvetia area. She worked for PNB/Dex for over 35 years, most of which were spent compiling information for the Yellow Pages. After retirement, she has been an active volunteer for several non-profits and events, including Dress for Success, board member of the Hollywood Neighborhood Association, Central Northeast Neighbors board, Oregon International Airshow committee, Off The Couch Events, Hollywood Boosters, and the planning committee of the Ross Hollywood Portland Veterans Day Parade since 2006, serving as community liaison. She feels that the best way to learn about the area you live in is to support it through volunteering.
Doug Wilkinson is a Veteran of Operation Desert Shield / Desert Storm. Doug served in Logistics and Counterintelligence during his 14 years in the US Army Reserve. Doug is a Strategic Program Manager at the Jacobs Engineering Portland office, and Founder/Executive Director of WARRIORS TOGETHER, an organization addressing mental health and suicide in Veteran, first responder, and construction communities.
Join Our Team
Are you highly organized? A great communicator and master networker? An innovative, creative problem solver? We are always looking for Subcommittee Leaders to make up the Parade Planning Committee.
Commitment:
If you would like to volunteer on Parade Day only, please apply here.
Commitment:
- Sign up for a subcommittee task list and ensure all items are done by the deadlines.
- Attend all monthly subcommittee report meetings, June to November.
- Actively promote the parade and recruit support team members. Be present on Parade Day.
If you would like to volunteer on Parade Day only, please apply here.
