Staff
Marc Kochanski, Executive Director
Originally from Baltimore, Marc has been doing nonprofit work in Portland since 2006. For over ten years, he served in the areas of HIV/AIDS activism, LGBTQ rights and organized labor advocacy. In 2017, Marc received the SHINE Award for Outstanding Service to the LGBTQ Community from Portland’s Q Center. He’s been with Guardian Partners since 2018. In his life outside of work, Marc is a supporter of the arts and a musical theatre writer. His show The Little Guy premiered in Portland in 2019.
Hannah Maerowitz, Monitoring Specialist
Hannah is excited to transfer her background in marketing and communications to recruiting, training, and supporting volunteers at Guardian Partners. Due to personal experiences in her own family, advocating for vulnerable populations and connecting families with resources is important to her. Hannah has a BS in Psychological & Brain Sciences and a BA in Film & Media Studies from UC Santa Barbara and enjoys volunteering, reading, and running in her spare time.
Jeni Bennett, Monitoring Program Manager
Jeni comes to our organization from the nonprofit world and volunteer management. Working with volunteers has always been her passion as well as advocacy towards the most vulnerable populations. From working with adolescents in dual diagnostic treatment facilities, foster children involved within the dependency courts, to creating youth empowerment and yoga education, she is exciting to expand her roots within Guardian Partners. An avid traveler, you will catch her when she is not galivanting across the globe.
Liz Gatti, Education Coordinator
Liz came to Guardian Partners as staff after interning as a volunteer monitor. She was drawn to the monitoring work based on experiences with vulnerable members of her own family. Liz uses her background in communication and training and interest in Estate Planning and Vulnerable Persons Law to manage our education program. She has a B.A. in Health Policy and a A.S. in Paralegal Studies.
Morgan Hunnicutt, Education Assistant
Morgan comes to Guardian Partners with a lengthy history of non profit work supporting vulnerable Oregonians, including work in affordable housing and advocacy for survivors of domestic violence. She is excited to be part of Guardian Partners. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the outdoors, cooking, and playing board games.
Wynter Nichols, Finance Manager
Wynter is a life-long Oregonian who has supported non-profits in many different roles for over 25 years. She brings experience from the education, non-profit management, and taxation fields to her position at Guardian Partners. In her outside of work-life, she enjoys caring for her family, working with her various animals, and volunteering with her teen daughter’s feral cat rescue non-profit.