About the Collaborative

James Metoyer he/him
FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

As the Executive Director of ECC, James is a driving force in making the clean energy industry more inclusive and accessible. He is committed to breaking down barriers for BIPOC communities by creating career pathways in weatherization, residential energy auditing, deep-energy retrofitting, and net-zero building. Through partnerships with community organizations and nonprofits, he works to ensure that historically underserved communities have the same opportunities to thrive in the green economy — and access to healthy, energy-efficient, and durable homes.

Before founding ECC, James led transformative workforce development initiatives at Earth Advantage, a Portland-based nonprofit. As Workforce Development Training Manager, he developed and delivered training programs designed to empower underrepresented workers in the construction industry, including the Green Building Trainee Accreditation and a customized Sustainable Homes Professional program for minority contractors. His work has helped minority contractors and aspiring professionals gain critical skills, earn industry credentials, and build successful careers in energy efficiency.

Deeply connected to his heritage as a son of the Cane River Créole community of Isle Breville, Louisiana, James has spent nearly 20 years working in the energy sector while actively championing equity within it. He holds multiple industry-recognized certifications — including BPI, PTCS, Home Energy Score, HERS Rater, and LEED Green Rater — and is passionate about educating future generations, connecting public health with the built environment, and ensuring that underserved communities have access to safe, sustainable, and affordable housing.

Victoria James she / her
OPERATIONS MANAGER

Victoria James serves as the Operations Manager for EnerCity Collaborative. In this role she makes sure that the day-to-day administrative needs of the collaborative are met and that good work goes unimpeded by minutiae. Victoria has a background in local government and finance, as well as a Masters Degree in Information and Library Sciences. She understands that knowledge is power and centers her work in racial equity practices that address the unique challenges of racialized and indigenous people.

Liz Feldman she / her / ella
PROGRAM MANAGER

Liz Feldman serves as the Green Workforce Training and Development Program Manager. She combines her systems thinking, management, and economic development background with her desire to dismantle embedded racist and oppressive structures. It is important to her to use her abilities to develop and cultivate positive relationships cross culturally to support healthier communities. Liz has been working in the Portland Metro ecosystem since 2010. For ten years she worked as a business advisor at Livelihood NW (previously PSU Business Outreach Program), serving typically and historically underserved business owners. She had the opportunity to put her business skills directly to work as the Director of Strategic operations at Lara Media Services.

Her experience with people and systems has led her to continually work to help others better use their resources. Whether working as a volunteer with families and farmers in Paraguay in the Peace Corps, as a wilderness guide with struggling teens, as a business advisor with emerging women and minority run businesses, with Peruvian entrepreneurs in the Amazon, or directly from within an organization, she believes that helping people hone their understanding and skills while building their own capacity gives them a chance to realize their dreams.

Cuathemoc “Cesar” Ruiz he/him
PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Cuathemoc “Cesar” Ruiz serves as the program coordinator dedicated to fostering access to public programs, workforce development, and sustainable resources. His professional background includes five years of leadership at Tepeyac Inc. and Espiritu School District, where he managed federally funded programs and supported cross-department teams in achieving state and federal compliance. Driven by his academic focus on environmental systems and professional work in community policy impacts, Cesar approaches workforce development as a fundamental part for long term community well-being. He is currently focused on leveraging his logistical expertise to support clean energy training and residential energy initiatives that empower working people in their neighborhoods.

The Board

Dr. Derron Coles

PRESIDENT
Nakisha Nathan

TREASURER
Tearea Turner

SECRETARY

Principal Consultant, DRC Learning Solutions and former Executive Director, The Blueprint Foundation
Dr. Derron Coles is a Learning strategist with over 14 years experience designing learner-focused competency development training. Derron has a wide-ranging portfolio that runs the gamut from learning solutions for technical topics, like a globally utilized online training on river system analysis, to interpersonal skills training, such as his award winning diversity training curriculum. Upon completing his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Derron moved to Oregon to complete a masters and doctorate in civil engineering at Oregon State University. Derron spent eight years managing the mathematics program for the OSU Educational Opportunities Program. In this role, Derron lead culturally responsive efforts to recruit and retain underrepresented science and engineering students. Through DRC LS, Derron develops and evaluates project-based curriculum for technical and social justice-oriented education programs, including school districts in Portland and Salem.
Director of Strategic Partnerships and Operations at Neighbors for Clean Air
Nakisha Nathan is dedicated to co-creating spaces where people can enhance their sense of belonging and their capacity for leadership. She is inspired by memories of playing, learning, and photographing flora and fauna during her formative years when she lived in Panama, Canada, and throughout the United States.
Her life experiences combined with her work organizing communities to advocate for laws and programs that protect people, wildlife, and the environment continue to inform her philosophy and practice of education, leadership, and movement building. She is the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Operations at Neighbors for Clean Air. Previously she served as the executive director for an environmental non-profit and spent years as a community organizer, garden educator, and legal assistant for a public interest environmental law firm. Nakisha believes that many of us who have the expertise to transform our communities and cities are the same ones who face the most significant barriers but are often granted the fewest opportunities to do so. She also believes that principles of environmental justice and deep democracy are vital to helping build communities that enhance our ecological and social well-being.
She has lived in Portland for nearly 10 years and enjoys working with her hands, being outdoors, and her quest to find and meet every member of the Araucaria Araucana species in the Portland metro area.
Tearea Turner is a dynamic leader and strategic consultant with extensive experience in nonprofit development, grant writing, and community-driven initiatives. As a Board Member of EnerCity Collaborative, she brings a deep commitment to advancing equitable access to clean energy solutions, sustainable housing, and workforce development opportunities for underserved communities.
With a track record of securing funding for nonprofits and mission-driven organizations, Tearea specializes in business development, grant management, fundraising strategy, and policy advocacy. Her work spans affordable housing, environmental justice, education, and economic empowerment, with a focus on ensuring that Black and Brown communities benefit from emerging energy technologies and sustainability initiatives.
Tearea’s background includes serving as the Executive Director of Central Community Development Corporation in Washington, DC, where she led fundraising efforts, community engagement, and program development. She currently works as a Grant Writer and Development Consultant for REACH CDC in Portland, Oregon, where she manages federal and foundation grants, oversees donor relations, and supports affordable housing initiatives. Additionally, she consults with organizations like Dream Big Books and Sunspan, a clean energy technology company, where she has developed policies and helped create efficient business processes.
As an entrepreneur, Tearea is driven by creativity, purpose, and a dedication to making a meaningful impact in every venture she undertakes. Since 2014, she has embraced the entrepreneurial journey, engaging in diverse ventures—including owning an adult care home, teaching holistic wellness, producing documentaries, developing products, and working as a licensed natural stylist. While her career has been anything but conventional, the common thread through all her endeavors is a deep commitment to fostering growth in both businesses and people.
As a Board Member of EnerCity Collaborative, Tearea is dedicated to leveraging her expertise to expand energy equity, support workforce development in clean energy careers, and advocate for policies that create lasting impact in historically marginalized communities.