Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Coordinator Bio

Kiera Hansen, MSW

• Primary Campus Location: Southeast
• Title: Women’s Resource Center Coordinator
• Gender pronouns: they/them/theirs
• Contact Kiera
• Kiera’s PCC Page
• Click here to schedule an appointment

Hi! My name is Kiera (they/them) and I am so excited to meet you. Here is a little more about me:

My academic journey: As a non-binary, queer person, living with multiple disabilities and in a family where substance abuse was central, I very clumsily got myself through kindergarten to a Masters. I graduated from high school in Vancouver, WA in 2002. I am a first generation college student and graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and Women’s Studies (before many programs changed to Gender Studies) from the University of Washington. I lived in Seattle and San Francisco for some time where I spent my time providing sexual health education and helping LGBTQ people start families. I moved back to Portland in 2009 and completed my MSW at Portland State University in 2012.

My professional/ community-based activism journey: Prior to PCC, I did community-based work in many Seattle, San Francisco and Portland-based non-profits. Systems, including education, were not created for many of us. It has always been a passion of mine to make them accessible while also deconstructing and rebuilding them. Supporting people who carry/embody stories of trauma, addiction, gender-based violence, homelessness, racial violence, involvement in the prison industrial complex and the various forms of disenfranchisement requires creativity, humility and determination. I’m here for it and I look forward to meeting and working with you to make our lived experiences better and to thrive.

I also teach classes at PCC- Currently CG 145- Stress Management and AD 202- Trauma and Recovery.

When I’m not working, I like to: binge watch Netflix or Hulu, take my puppy, Sugar, to the dog park, cuddle with Sugar or Penelope (my elderly and toothless cat), cook 3-4 course vegan meals just for me, go to Estate Sales, garden or do some home renovation project.