Staff

Elias (Emma) Ronai-Durning (he/him and they/them) has been with ROP for over seven years. Elias brings a creative, fearless, and deeply strategic approach to organizing that responds to the call of the moment. For this reason, you will find him helping launch a new Human Dignity Group one day, leading a session coordinating statewide groups in election scenario response planning the next, and meeting with new supporters to invite them to join us in our work.

Based on his deep relationship with the ROP network, the staff team often looks to Elias for leadership and grounding, making this transition into Co-Director a natural fit. Over his years at ROP, Elias has been the point person for organizers in the majority of counties in the state. He has built deep trust with hundreds of leaders because of the way he shows up with insightful questions and the belief that when we come together, we can face whatever is before us. It’s a belief that has been tested again and again in his time with ROP and always holds true.

Send Elias an email at elias@rop.org or emma@rop.org.

Hannah Harrod (she/her and they/them) has played multiple roles at ROP since 2016. She joined ROP to coordinate taking rural Oregonians to Standing Rock, bolstering indigenous resistance to the building of the Dakota Access Pipeline. She was then a staff Organizer for nearly five years. Hannah recently returned to us to support the team while our Director was on parental leave.

From leading programs like ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) Out of Sheridan and the Rural Organizing Fellowship to working with groups to build their leadership team cohesion and supporting a growing ROP staff team in leading innovative work, Hannah brings a strong sense of heart, connection, and vision to ROP that inspires us all to become leaders in our rural movement for justice.

Send Hannah an email at hannah@rop.org

Abelio Carrillo Chales (he/him/él) is the Community Resource Organizer based in the Community Building Center in Cottage Grove. Abelio joined the team in 2021 to coordinate the food pantry that opened at the height of the pandemic and to serve as a Mam translator for the Guatemalan community. Abelio’s ability to form connections and make people feel at ease quickly led to him taking on additional responsibilities at ROP. Alongside translation work, Abelio also leads our program to navigate people into the Oregon Worker Relief Program, creates vital informational videos in the Mam language, and helps to lead efforts to form a Lane County Accompaniment program to help keep people out of ICE custody. When he isn’t busy supporting families accessing community resources, Abelio enjoys traveling the state to play soccer, drawing, and spending time with his family.

Send Abelio an email at abelio@rop.org.

Martha Verduzco (she/her/ella) joined the ROP Board in 2017 and served as Chair until transitioning onto staff in 2024. She is one of the founders and leaders of Hood River Latino Network and was a key leader in the campaigns to support hunger strikers at the NORCOR regional jail in the Gorge. After years of organizing to end NORCOR’s contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), they were successful in 2021! In addition to forming and organizing with these groups, Martha has also organized community cultural celebrations that have brought together hundreds of people, planned rallies in support of Dreamers, and mobilized support for pro-immigrant legislation in Oregon. Martha’s heart, commitment, and extraordinary instincts have made her an incredible Board Chair, and we are thrilled for her to be transitioning onto the staff team.

Send Martha an email at martha@rop.org.

Sam Corti (she/her) is our Development Director extraordinaire, also based in Central Oregon.  Sam is a natural relationship builder and storyteller, demonstrating the incredible work of the ROP network and the impact of the staff team to our financial supporters and broader community. Sam is constantly claiming her job is easy due to the phenomenal work she gets to represent, but we know that isn’t true! Sam brings years of experience to the table, ensuring ROP is resourced for the work ahead. She also brings warmth and a sense of humor that reminds us to slow down and laugh together, especially in the tougher moments.

Sam was born and raised on the New Hampshire seashore and made her way to Central Oregon by following her devotion to working for justice. After a stint in Washington DC, Sam began working for Best Buddies, organizing fundraising bicycle rides that raised millions of dollars for people with disabilities. After seven years with Best Buddies in New England and the Bay Area, Sam was hired by the JMT Wilderness Conservancy as Development Director to set up their development department. Unable to resist the pull of Oregon, Sam came to Central Oregon as Development Director for KPOV, High Desert Community Radio. She led the radio station to record levels of fundraising each of her years there. She also expanded and improved KPOV’s communications, outreach, and social media presence. Sam is excited to bring her fundraising and communications skills to ROP’s organizing for real and lasting change in rural Oregon. Sam is a mother to LJ and Owen and is married to her husband John. Sam enjoys backpacking and all kinds of music.

Send Sam an email at sam@rop.org.

Sidra Pierson (she/her) joined ROP in 2022, first as a field organizer, and quickly began forming relationships around the state with new and longtime local leaders. She is an incredibly skilled facilitator and has been instrumental in nurturing existing Human Dignity Groups and fostering new ones, supporting the vibrancy of our network, and helping to bring ROP to a place of connection with member groups in every rural county in the state. Sidra is also a brilliant communicator and serves as a project lead for many of the essential ways that ROP interacts with our network and supporters, as well as statewide and national partners.

Sidra first got involved in organizing in high school, participating in walkouts to protest sexual harassment and in support of Black Lives Matter, as well as starting a Fair Trade club to advocate for fair working conditions and sustainable livelihoods. At college in Vermont, she was deeply involved in climate justice organizing, joining a campaign to advocate for divestment from fossil fuels and organizing conversations about justice and inclusivity in campus spaces. She also worked with other students to prevent a white nationalist from speaking on campus and to create alternative, inclusive events. Sidra grew up in California and spent her childhood visiting family across Oregon. She is so excited to now be working with human dignity groups across the state.

Send Sidra an email at sidra@rop.org.

Stephanie Hunter (she/her) joined the ROP team in early 2025 after serving on the Board of Directors since 2022. Her organizing experience began in 2005 when she navigated special education services in public schools as an advocate for her daughter. Through that lens, she gained a deeper understanding of systemic inequities in education and began organizing with families and community groups to influence district policies. She helped amplify the voices of those most impacted by exclusionary discipline practices that contribute to expulsion and the school-to-prison pipeline.

In 2020, inspired by an ROP workshop, Stephanie co-founded Redmond Collective Action, a community group focused on human dignity, mutual aid, and increasing civic engagement in the city and region. The group hosts a weekly street kitchen and mutual aid hub with their unhoused neighbors and advocates for building grassroots power in Central Oregon.

Prior to joining ROP, Stephanie focused on rural capacity-building and mentoring behavior specialists who support families and individuals served through county developmental disability programs. Disability justice is a core value in her life, and she is excited to bring that passion to her work at ROP.

A Gen X’er who grew up in the cornfields of rural Illinois, Stephanie moved to Oregon in 1999 and now lives in Redmond with her family and beloved dog, Christina. She loves coffee chats with local folks dreaming big, volunteering, karaoke, and traveling with her daughter.

Send Stephanie an email at stephanie@rop.org.

You may have seen a familiar name pop up again recently at ROP! Cara Shufelt (she/her), staff person for 17 years and former Director and Co-Director, has returned to ROP as Special Projects Coordinator. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have her back, especially in this time of transition. Cara has nurtured the leadership of many ROP staff over the years, including our new Co-Directors and other members of this current team, who wouldn’t be the organizers they are today without her support. She’s constantly saying, “I need to go talk to a local leader about this,” and coming back even more grounded. Cara’s enthusiasm and joy in the work are baked into the culture of ROP. Cara’s ability to see the larger strategies and how the many moving pieces of the organization relate to one another helps keep us centered.