Meet OJTA’s new communications manager

Ally Harris is an educator turned communications specialist with over eight years of experience teaching college-level English and Communications classes in Portland, OR.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she transitioned from education to doing communications for an affordable housing organization. There, she monitored eviction court and reported important findings to keep people housed.

How would you describe your role at Oregon Just Transition Alliance? 

As communications manager, I’m at least a little bit involved in every aspect of our work so that I can communicate our goals to all kinds of people, from legislators to frontline community members. I attend meetings, talk comms strategy, keep the trains moving on time, as well as create a lot of our digital content. If you see a post on our Twitter or Instagram, you can bet it was me noodling, tinkering, and pressing send. 

What does a just transition mean to you?

Without a doubt, a just transition is intersectional, which is why I was so excited to be hired at OJTA. With my background in affordable housing, I think it’s so important OJTA recognizes resilient, affordable housing as an environmental issue. 

What does showing up for frontline communities mean to you? 

I just started at OJTA a few weeks ago, but I can tell you about an affordable housing win I had with another organization during the pandemic. While I was watching eviction court, I noticed that a lot of justices of the peace (JPs) would evict a tenant while they were waiting for the federal aid to be deposited into their account. While the rules of the pandemic aid stated that a tenant must not be evicted while waiting for their aid, many JPs forgot to ask this crucial question.

At some point in my work, a lawyer called me to ask for advice on an emergency order. I told her what I was seeing in court and she put it into an emergency order that all JPs must ask tenants whether they had applied for pandemic relief during an eviction hearing. The JPs were much more willing to listen to an emergency order than a nonprofit organization, and I believe my input kept vulnerable people off the streets.

What’s your favorite place in Oregon? 

Gifford Pinchot National Forest, for its lobster mushrooms and chanterelles, its ice caves and snow parks, for its moss, all the moss. 

What is one fun fact about you? 

I have a secret social media account of very minor fame but I will never tell you the name of my secret identity or its social media handle.