ᎣᏏᏲ - Osiyo (hello)!

We are the official Mt. Hood satellite community of the Cherokee Nation and act as the official point of connection between the Cherokee Nation and its Mt. Hood Cherokee citizens.

CHAIR, MT. HOOD CHEROKEES

Abby Hall is a Citizen of the Cherokee Nation, was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and attended Oologah-Talala schools. Abby then moved to California and earned a master’s degree in Anthropology from Stanford University with a focus on land use and environmental policy. Abby has lived in Brooklyn, NY; Washington, DC; San Francisco, CA; and now lives in NE Portland. She is a mom of three kids, aged 3, 5, and 7 years old. She works for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where she works on disaster planning and climate adaptation. She is currently working on a project to retrofit schools to be safer during extreme heat and wildfire smoke events, and two projects with Tribes (in Montana and Michigan) to help them design green infrastructure projects that will protect them from floods and create more land for growing traditional foods. Abby has also been working with Allen Buck this past year on the Advisory Council to help plan the Center for Tribal Nations project with OMSI and the Affiliate Tribes of Northwest Indians.

MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR

Oweta Smith is semi-retired and enjoys working two days a week for a dermatologist.

She enjoys volunteering with the Corvallis Greenbelt, Willamette Riverkeepers, and as a wood carver for the Albany Historic Carousel.

She is proud to be a Citizen of the Cherokee Nation and said, “I am grateful for the Mt. Hood Cherokee group who are so welcoming and have taught me so much about my Cherokee Heritage. I enjoy working with, and getting to know, the current and new members!”

ASSISTANT SECRETARY/ALTERNATE RECORD KEEPER

My name is Angie Koehler. I am honored to have been your membership coordinator the last three and a half years and this year for the Alternate Record Keeper position in order to continue my work with the council. I grew up and still live in the Portland metropolitan area. I enjoy gardening, reading and walks in nature.

SECRETARY/RECORDS KEEPER

Emma Barrow is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation who grew up in Portland, Oregon. Emma is a writer and filmmaker with a BFA in Acting from California Institute of the Arts. Her writing often centers complex intergenerational family dynamics and her goal is to tell compelling stories centering Native people.
Emma has been a volunteer on the Mt. Hood Cherokees Meeting Committee since 2021 and recently redesigned the Mt. Hood Cherokees website. As a citizen who grew up at-large Emma is grateful to be in community with other Cherokees. She is excited to join the MHC Council as Secretary and is excited to continue assist in planning engaging meetings that deepen our cultural connections and hopefully grow our community.

VICE CHAIR/MEETING COORDINATOR 1

Dr Cynthia Prater, PsyD recently returned from working six years on the San Carlos Apache reservation and is now working for PeaceHealth’s Young Adult Behavioral health team and is a board member of the Oregon State Hospital Museum of mental health.

MEETING COORDINATOR 2

TREASURER

Elizabeth Ebensteiner was born in Houston, Texas and moved to Oregon when she was seven. She is Cherokee from the Farmer and Reynolds families and is proud to be a member of the Mount Hood Cherokees along with her aunt and uncle. She works as a speech-language pathologist for Clackamas ESD and is passionate about helping children find their voice—verbally or with machines. She has two children who are 6 and 9 and the whole family enjoys spending time in water, playing board games, and doing crafts.