OEN NewsMeet Clara Gilbrough, OEN’s new Marketing & Events Coordinator
OEN’s network is ever-growing and so is our team! This year especially, OEN has gone through a staff reformation which has resulted in new staff members, new board members, and exciting in-office promotions.
One of our newest staff members is Clara Gilbrough, OEN’s first Marketing and Events Coordinator. Starting out as an intern in 2017, Clara now uses her organizational skills and mind for creativity to execute event planning tasks and digital marketing initiatives at OEN that include social media marketing, event marketing, and email marketing.
Clara graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Portland, where she served as Vice President of the Student Alumni Association and attended a semester at Global Education Oregon in London. Before moving to Portland for college, she resided in the other PNW city of Seattle where she gained experience working in customer service and consulting, including designing a peer mentorship program and conducting case studies.
Here’s more from Clara:
What about your new job makes you most excited? The mission of OEN. The fact that I get to work for a nonprofit that exists for the sake of helping entrepreneurs is pretty awesome. I love being able to interact with individuals who are excited about taking risks and creating new things and challenging the norm all the while having an unstoppable drive to succeed.
Are you a morning or night person? Morning. My brain is most awake in the AM and my energy hasn’t been drained from the day. This said, I can turn into a night person if there’s dancing involved!
What’s your favorite Portland coffee shop? Two Strokes coffee in St. Johns. The atmosphere is warm, the staff is friendly, and the coffee is top notch. Pro tip: order the Vermont. It’s a delicious blend of espresso, white chocolate, maple and cinnamon. A bit sweet but so good.
Favorite Portland food cart? Since I’ve started working downtown, I fight my urge to order a chicken quesadilla from Don Pedro almost every day. The St. John’s Beer Porch is also a favorite. The Beer Porch is not necessarily a food truck, but the mason-jar serving bar sits at the heart of the St. John’s food cart pod. As a former UP student, the Beer Porch was an awesome place to try a new cider after class with friends.
When it comes to snacking, do you trend sweet or salty? I have a major sweet tooth, but I’m also a sucker for salty snacks like potato chips, french fries and goldfish crackers. That said, I could go for some Ruby Jewel ice cream or an Elephant Delicatessen cookie any time.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Probably either to fly or to teleport. Flying would be pretty fun, but teleporting would be more useful. North Portland to downtown without traffic? Yes, please!
Which bad habits drive you crazy? When someone does not say please or thank you. It’s a simple notion that can make a huge difference.
List 5 goals on your life’s to-do list:
1) Find my passion
2) Get a rescue dog
3) Learn and master a new skill
4) Keep as many strong relationships as possible
5) Never stop learning
Name one thing you miss about being a kid: Boundless energy
What’s your favorite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon? Meal prepping
What would choose as your last meal? A Dick’s Drive-In hamburger, fries and a chocolate shake.
If you were to start your own company, what would it be? If I had the creative brain of an entrepreneur, I would want to create and grow a business around an innovative product that solves an everyday problem. For what this product would be? I have no idea. That’s why we need entrepreneurs!
