BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors oversees and supports the work of Boost Oregon.  The Board monitors the organization’s financials and creates its strategic short-term and long-term goals.  In partnership with the Executive Director, the Board assists Boost Oregon in carrying out its mission of childhood vaccination education.

Taylor Pinsent

President

Taylor Pinsent is a mother of two spirited girls and an epidemiologist. When she is not negotiating bath and bedtime, she is working to solve and improve the health of our community by studying infectious disease patterns. Taylor understands firsthand the overwhelming yet amazing transition into parenthood, and she is excited to help new parents navigate vaccine information.

Aaron Dunn

Secretary

Aaron Dunn is a Specialist Master at Deloitte Consulting LLP where he supports state and local public health initiatives. Previously, he was the Oregon Immunization Program Manager and the state’s COVID-19 Operations Director. Aaron lives with his family in Sandy, Oregon, and enjoys hiking, reading, and rooting for the Portland Thorns. He’s been a long-time admirer of Boost Oregon and is excited to join the Board of Directors.

Vanessa Becker

Director

Vanessa has over 20 years of experience in nonprofit and government administration. She collaborates across sectors and has served in a wide variety of roles, including as the executive director of a rural nonprofit, interim deputy administrator of a large county health department, and chair, trustee, and director of various educational and nonprofit boards. Born and raised on Oregon farmland, Vanessa made Roseburg her permanent home in 1998. Outside of her work and various volunteer positions, Vanessa enjoys training and competing in the equestrian sport of Dressage, is a voracious foodie, loves to travel, and looks forward to the adventures that every day presents.

Dr. Erika Beard-Irvine

Director

Erika Beard-Irvine, M.D., is a board-certified pediatrician, mom of two, and the doer of all things at Erika Beard-Irvine MD pediatrics in Bend. She loves teaching her patients about health and their bodies and about evidence-based medicine. When she’s not in clinic, you can find her kitting, gardening on her farm, or training in martial arts with her kids.

Wendy Li

Treasurer

Wendy Li is a Senior Director at Nike working in the Nike Sport Research Lab (NSRL). She lives in Portland with her husband and is a mom of three kids – two in college and one in elementary school. Outside of work, Wendy enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, gardening, and working on her Healthcare MBA. Wendy believes in the importance of vaccines in preventative care and overall public health of our communities. She is excited to serve on the board and contribute to Boost Oregon’s mission.

The People of Boost Oregon

  • Caroline Nguyen Ticarro

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    Caroline Nguyễn Ticarro is a dedicated leader passionate about fostering community belonging and wellness. With a background in International Business and extensive 25-year experience in global nonprofit leadership, she brings a holistic approach to her role at Boost Oregon.

    Her commitment to equity ensures that everyone has access to the resources and support they need to thrive and strengthen community ties.  She is excited to advance Boost Oregon’s mission of building inclusive partnerships and promoting a culture of wellness that empowers individuals to make confident vaccine choices for themselves, their families, and the community.

  • Carrie Bader, MPH, MOTR/L, CHES

    TRAINING DIRECTOR

    Carrie Bader is a health educator, occupational therapist, and former New Yorker who has made Oregon her home since the early 2000s. Her training area of focus is motivational interviewing (MI), an evidence-based, collaborative approach to conversation that promotes positive change; she has been a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) since 2009 and is a MINT Certified Trainer. She has taught MI to therapists, medical doctors, social workers, nurses, health educators, and community health workers.

    As Training Director, Carrie teaches and promotes the use of MI to help providers best work with families. When not geeking out on MI, Carrie is busy jumping in puddles and collecting leaves with her daughter.

  • Ryan Hassan, MD, MPH

    MEDICAL DIRECTOR

    Ryan Hassan, M.D., M.P.H., is a board-certified pediatrician working at Pediatric Associates of the Northwest in Tigard. He lives in Happy Valley with his wife, Christen, daughter, Olivia, and chihuahua, Luna Joe. His professional work centers around improving the lives of children by promoting preventive healthcare and healthy lifestyle choices at the individual and community levels and by empowering physicians to become better advocates for their patients.

    Dr. Hassan is an avid outdoors enthusiast and enjoys running, biking, swimming, hiking, backpacking, climbing, snowboarding, and kite surfing.

MEDICAL ADVISORY BOARD

The Medical Advisory Board ("MAB") provides insight and expertise for Boost Oregon's educational resources and programs.  Members of the MAB are appointed by the Board of Directors and act in an advisory capacity in all medical and scientific matters related to Boost Oregon.  All MAB members contribute their expertise on a pro bono basis with no conflict of interest between their professional work and the volunteer work they do for Boost Oregon.

Dr. Joel Amundson, M.D.

Joel Amundson, M.D. is a board-certified pediatrician.  Joel manages, operates, and is chief bottle washer of Trailhead Pediatrics.  While his main passion is improving medical care for children through thoughtful, evidence-based medicine, on the weekends he can be found doing all things Portland, including foraging for wild edibles, woodworking, and canoeing.

Dr. Max Cohen, N.D.

Max Cohen, N.D. is a naturopathic physician and lifelong Oregonian. His goal is to inform and educate his patients on the importance of preventive healthcare. His clinical interests include diet and lifestyle medicine, bedside ultrasound, and evidence-based integrative medicine. Dr. Cohen is a contributing author to ndsforvaccines.com, an educational resource about vaccines. Prior to his medical training, he worked as a microbiologist in a lab studying the tuberculosis bacterium. When not seeing patients, he spends his time with his family and bikes, backpacks, and takes photos.

Dr. Jay Rosenbloom, M.D., Ph.D.

Jay Rosenbloom, M.D., Ph.D. is a board-certified pediatrician, third-generation Portlander, and father to three daughters. To him, being a pediatrician at Pediatric Associates of the Northwest is all about teaching: helping families understand why doctors ask the questions they do or what they’re looking for when they check a body part. Dr. Rosenbloom believes in empowering parents through knowledge and helping them make well-informed medical decisions that are right for them. He loves to hike (especially Tamanwas Falls on Mt. Hood), travel, and eat spicy food.

Join The Team

Employment

We are always looking for freelance grant writers, administrative assistants, graphic designers, and any other skills that benefit nonprofits. Contact us with your ideas, skills, and any other information pertinent to working with us.

Internships

Are you a college or graduate student interested in what we do? We may have opportunities for you! Contact us and tell us how you'd like to assist our work.

NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY

Boost Oregon follows an equal opportunity employment policy and employs personnel without regard to race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, physical or mental ability, veteran status, military obligations, and marital status. This policy applies to all of Boost Oregon's employees, volunteers, members, clients, and contractors. This policy also applies to internal promotions, training, opportunities for advancement, terminations, outside vendors, members and customers, service clients, use of contractors and consultants, and dealings with the general public.