Onora is executive director of Northwest Healthcare Response Network. The nonprofit, in cooperation with public health and governmental agencies, leads hospitals and other health care organizations in preparing for disasters. Its purpose is to ensure health care organizations can continue to provide care during emergencies.

Onora grew up in a low-income family, primarily raised by a single father. Throughout her childhood, her immediate family dealt with food insecurity and often lived month-to- month at risk of eviction if the rent wasn’t paid. Multiple members of her immediate family have experienced extended periods of homelessness at different points in their lives.

“I’m excited to support North Helpline in the board capacity,” which she sees as a translation of her childhood experiences to helping others facing similar challenges today.

“I come to the work and North Helpline’s mission with a deep appreciation of how hard it can be to ask for help and the importance of treating people with dignity. I know personally how fragile the line can be between being OK and not being OK and I understand the challenge for parents making extraordinarily difficult decisions about what bill to pay.”

Her work helping coordinate health care organizations during the pandemic has underscored her conviction that “we’re only as strong as our most vulnerable whether it’s access to food or housing or homelessness prevention.”

Her Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and German is from Pacific Lutheran University. Her Masters of Arts degree in sociology is from Johns Hopkins University. She and her husband live in the Haller Lake neighborhood in North Seattle. She enjoys cooking, challenging herself to use ingredients grown locally ”and as fresh as possible.”