nhjohnson21@nul.org

For more than six years, Nkenge [pronounced “na-kin-gay”] Harmon Johnson has led the Urban League of Portland, which serves Oregon and Southwest Washington. Under her leadership, the organization enhanced services to the community five-fold. During the COVID-19 pandemic, her team hired more direct service staff to meet the growing needs of community members and began operating a new shelter for the houseless. She is also an architect of The Oregon Cares Fund for Black Relief and Resilience, which manages a total of $62 million in grants to help individuals, families, and businesses survive the pandemic. Harmon Johnson is also a co-founder of the Reimagine Oregon Project, dedicated to dismantling Oregon’s systems of white supremacy. Harmon Johnson earned a law degree from Howard University.