Mauri Matsuda

TPN Board President

As someone who studies and teaches about the criminal justice system, I see TPN as an example of how we can begin to shift toward models that result in positive outcomes and mitigate harm for people involved in systems. I love that TPN has partnered with researchers to try to explore some of the questions we have about justice system involvement, and develop programming based on that research. When I returned to Portland to teach at Portland State University, a colleague of mine who had previously collaborated with The Pathfinder Network told me they were looking for Board members. I joined the board in 2017, and became Interim Board President in 2020 before transitioning to Board President in 2021.

In my 6 years on the Board, it’s been amazing to witness the growth at this organization. Leticia (Longoria-Navarro, Executive Director) has been such a leader in terms of making connections with other organizations, and creating incredible new partnerships. On the other side of that, there has been this huge effort to make sure that we have the capacity to do all these new things. It’s been wonderful to see some of the structures that TPN has created to make sure that the health and wellbeing of staff are centered. It can be challenging to implement something like a shared leadership model, but the changes that have come from that shift have been so beneficial.

For me, an important part of my relationship with TPN has been thinking about how the real lives of people are impacted by systems, and the need for services and programs that help us do better at caring for those individuals and families. As an academic, it can be easy to get stuck in the statistics and the research articles, and TPN has connected me with so many real people and real stories that I will carry with me going forward. As we celebrate our 30th year, I see such a positive trajectory for the future of TPN, and I’m really hopeful about what is to come.