Heather Sheppard (she/her) brings nearly ten years of varied field experience to her role as Equity and Collaborative Impact Project Manager at SWACH. She is a Master of Social Work graduate from Portland State University and a previous employee at Council for the Homeless where she managed the agency’s Pathways program. Heather is also a recent graduate of the inaugural cohort of Vancouver Community Leadership Institute.

Heather has come into the field with varied lenses of lived experience and social identities, which drive her passion for change and empathy for those navigating their own struggles and barriers. Heather is excited to learn more from CLI and how she can develop her advocacy skills on a higher level, ultimately perusing policy reform and increased systemic access for those communities that are most disenfranchised and underinvested in.

Outside of Heather’s passion for social justice, she enjoys being outside, traveling, eating delicious food, fitness, and attending live shows of any kind. She has 3 children, one energetic Pit Bull named Luz, and a very fluffy cat named Rufolo.