In the season finale of the All In: Student Pathways Forward podcast, host Marc Goldberg facilitates a panel discussion with leaders in Oregon who were instrumental in landmark legislation that funds Benefits Navigators at all 24 public community college and universities to help students access benefits and resources that will support them to complete college and gain careers with economic mobility. The panelists include: Venus Barnes, Organizer-Community Food Justice at Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, Elizabeth Guzman Arroyo, Statewide Pathways to Opportunity and Community College STEP Consortia Director, Dan Haun, Director of Self Sufficiency Programs at the Oregon Department of Human Services, Emma Kallaway, former Government Relations Director at Portland Community College and Kate Kinder, State Strategies Director at the National Skills Coalition.
These colleagues share their reflections on what led to the passage of Oregon House Bill 2835 highlighting the role student voices and broad-based coalition had in compelling policymakers to pass this inclusive, student-centered policy. Panelists also describe the implementation of the Benefits Navigators bill to date and related wins from Oregon's 2022 short legislative session.