Our Team

Chris Wallace Caldwell

Founder & Principal Consultant

Bringing calm, compassion, and honesty to her work, she helps individuals and teams meet their most urgent challenges.

Since founding Catalysis in 2011, Chris has worked throughout Oregon, the U.S., and internationally. Chris provides customized support to organizational leaders, management teams, non-profit boards, and foundations. She brings a background and a commitment to mission-driven leadership. 

Chris is passionate about supporting mission-driven leaders and leadership teams. She serves as faculty for the Institute for Equity-Centered Coaching and is a certified Equity-Centered Coach and Leader. She holds a Masters in Speech Communication.

She is a past commissioner on the Portland Human Rights Commission and currently serves as a volunteer facilitator for Portland’s chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice.

Chris is an avid reader of visionary fiction, loves being outside year round, kickboxing, and is an artist. She is continually working on her Spanish language skills and hopes to be bilingual someday.

Lauren Moreno

Senior Consultant & Director of Community Impact

She enjoys creating space and systems that unleash the power of a group to envision and realize the future they want to see.

Lauren centers the needs of communities her clients serve. By adeptly synthesizing diverse perspectives, stakeholder input, and research, she often reveals critical insight to help clients make data-informed decisions and address complex problems. A lifelong learner, Lauren is committed to the ongoing practice of centering equity across her work and cultivating a culture of belonging within teams.

Lauren has deep experience in non-profit leadership, fundraising, program evaluation, and project management. She holds expertise in science communication and STEM education. Lauren has served as Principal Investigator or in leadership roles for several National Science Foundation education grants. She served on the board of the Institute for Learning Innovation from 2015 – 2021 and is a Senior Advisor to the Association for Science Communicators.

An Oregonian since birth, Lauren enjoys the rain as much as the sunshine and loves adventuring outdoors with her two young kids and husband. She makes 5-star weekend pancakes and savors moments of stillness with her morning coffee.

Kyle Yoshioka

Project Manager

A technician at heart, Kyle bridges high-level analysis and precise attention to a project’s constituent parts. They also foster a deep commitment to anti-oppression work. Kyle is a founding member of Influential Point, a social venture health justice organization that advocates for structural change in the medical field. As a grant writer, they have helped numerous mission-driven organizations and individuals alike win funding for community-based projects. Kyle brings a capacity for deep listening and a grounding presence to all they do. 

Away from work, Kyle is a ceramicist and creative writer.

Alison Allen-Hall, PhD

Coach and Organizational Consultant Collaborator

In addition to her teaching responsibilities, she is Managing Director of LynxSE, an organizational equity coaching consultancy based in Portland, Oregon. 

With Catalysis, Alison provides coaching, facilitation, and expertise on organizational equity, bringing a research perspective and a customized approach to understanding and nurturing organizational and individual change.

Jamila Aurora Dozier

Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Collaborator

In all the work Jamila does as an educator, Human Rights Commissioner, and CORE member, she utilizes targeted universalism, centering populations who are most marginalized and vulnerable when making decisions and providing support to individuals. They have extensive experience in equity work, strategic planning, education, youth and community engagement, domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy, and data and assessment.

In the Portland community, Jamila has served on the City of Portland's Human Rights Commission, is the co-chair of Metro's Committee on Racial Equity (CORE), and was recently appointed to the Multnomah County Supportive Housing Services (SHS) Advisory Board. As a commissioner and CORE member, they serve as an advisory board to elected officials including, Metro Councilmembers, City of Portland Commissioners, and the Mayor of Portland on a variety of equity issues including racial equity, houselessness, policing, immigration, and discrimination based on race, gender, sexuality, and ability.

Jamila is an aspiring bassist, artist, and recently reconnecting with her Puerto Rican indigenous roots.

Adam Segal

Coach & Facilitator Collaborator

Adam provides support through coaching (including one-on-one male accountability work), group facilitation, stakeholder interviews, and strategic planning both individually and alongside the Catalysis team.

Adam is active in the Portland chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), facilitating small groups of white people learning to work against white supremacy and challenge systemic racism.

Adam has spent years in myriad roles throughout the culinary service industry. This experience has informed his understanding of power, and deepened his commitment to building just systems based on compassion and care, rather than on privilege and dominance.

Shirell Hennessy

Marketing & Storyteller Collaborator

She is known in the marketplace for her expertise in defining an audience and driving marketing and business development strategies that deliver results.

With 15+ years experience, Shirell delivers results through innovative targeted marketing campaigns and leads with exceptional communication skills. Known for keeping stakeholders engaged at all levels while moving projects forward on time and on budget. Shirell is fluent in both traditional and digital marketing methodologies and strategies. Her track record includes creating successful marketing and communication strategies for B2B and B2C organizations.

An avid reader, foodie, and lover of the arts, Shirell enjoys exploring Portland’s diverse entertainment scene. She also has a fondness for travel and spending time year-round at the Oregon Coast.

Niko Swanson-Brownell

Administrative Assistant

Their focus on community building has enabled more efficient systems as well as fostering interpersonal relationships that support equity. With Catalysis, Niko provides thoughtful support for a variety of client projects, including materials management, meeting support, and research.

In their work, Niko finds joy in the details - the unique and important interconnected small parts that make things function smoothly when carefully attended. In their free time they enjoy writing poetry, spending time with goats and wise trees, tending to their numerous houseplants and other important creative projects.