A champion of marginalized communities

Koski now focuses her efforts on serving the unhoused community in Eugene. She formerly served as executive director of nonprofit Love for Lane County and case manager at St. Vincent DePaul’s 410 Garfield Safe Sleep Site, and today, she works as homeless and community resource liaison for Lane Transit District.  

Her career in nonprofit management and service to marginalized groups has come with many lessons learned, humbling experiences, and opportunities to grow—not just as a professional, but as a person. Megan McKinney, UO associate director of the Duck Career Network, recently sat down with Koski to learn more about her path and what it’s taught her.  

Tell us about your path to a career in politics and public service. What and who inspired you to pursue a life of advocacy for marginalized communities?  

I grew up in Salem with high aspirations to work in the political field. In Salem, I was doing a lot of legislative advocacy for the League of Women Voters.  

I gravitated toward the league’s bright-minded liaison, Janet Markee, a woman who was passionate about the legislative process. She loved going to the Oregon State Capitol, and she ultimately introduced me to a tribe of amazing women. Janet opened the door for me to meet the dynamo, Kappy Eaton, MS ’52 (journalism), MS ’68 (librarianship). Kappy was one of the most successful women lobbyists at the Oregon State Capitol and was nominated for various lifetime achievement awards before her passing in 2018. 

During summers, I volunteered five days a week for the League of Women Voters of Oregon, writing voters' guides, coauthoring legislation, and following Kappy everywhere that she went throughout Salem. I ate at the Capitol Café, met legislators, and talked with the Oregon governor. I learned what it meant to lobby on behalf of something that I was passionate about.  

As a woman coming from a lower middle-class household, I was enamored seeing lobbyists with Prada bags and Blackberries grace the halls of the Capitol building. But Kappy always showed me that it wasn't all about the “glitz and glam,” but about your character, the content of the message you were trying to bring, and your passion to drive legislation. She inspired me to pursue political science at the University of Oregon. 

What were your biggest takeaways from your time as a student at the University of Oregon that have impacted you over the course of your career? 

Three professors in the Clark Honors College had an immediate impact on me: Louise Bishop, Francis Cogan, and Suzanne Clark. I practically lived in their offices just so I could be surrounded by their brilliant minds. I considered the female professors in Clark Honors College to be celestial beings. They were monumental in my life, supporting me during hard times and good, and making the school a home away from home.  

I was enriched by incredible individuals who saw something special in me at a time when I felt unpolished and struggled with my identity as a future professional. I gravitated toward a lot of things, wearing a lot of masks until I could truly understand who I was. The gift of the Clark Honors College was the fact that it was a safe base for me on campus. I can honestly say that the individual I am today is because of the incredible nature of creativity and exploration at Clark Honors College. 

While studying political science, my specialty was “political game theory,” and I received the opportunity to volunteer extensively for the Democratic Party of Lane County during my college career. Through this opportunity, I could appreciate what it meant to learn from creative minds, while participating in a lot of door-knocking in a time before digital crowdsourcing. Everything was grassroots campaigns and from the heart.  

As a Pioneer Presidential Scholar, I was blessed with the opportunity to spend two years as an intern in the Office of the President, working directly with then President Dave Frohnmayer and learning what it takes to be a leader at an academic institution. I was elected twice to the student advisory panel for the president and worked alongside him and his general counsel routinely, getting to peek behind the veil of running a university. 

After graduation, you worked in politics and fundraising roles for more than 15 years. What led you to transition to roles that focus on humanitarian crises and issues like homelessness?  

Upon graduating in 2006, I was hired by the UO as the major gift fundraiser for Clark Honors College. In that role I became immersed in philanthropy and fundraising, and it was an incredible experience to have at the age of 22. I began shadowing meetings with potential university donors, performing research on behalf of the UO Office of Advancement, and eventually transitioning into a career of philanthropy. What turned into a 15-year long career eventually led me to digital activism and humanitarian aid.  

I set my sights locally here in Eugene and became passionate about crowdsourcing aid and disaster relief. But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and I found myself isolated working remotely behind a computer screen and in need of human interaction. I became executive director of a local nonprofit called Love for Lane County to help steer the ship through the pandemic, pumping new life into the organization and guiding ideas from a global perspective that could have an impact in Eugene.  

Eventually I became chair of the Lane County Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD), and that's where I got the bug to help those in dire need. I co-ran Lane County’s first disaster activation solely for the unhoused in summer of 2021 during a significant heat emergency.  

In December 2022, I contacted a friend at St. Vincent DePaul. They were opening 410 Garfield Safe Sleep Site, one of Oregon’s largest, lowest barrier shelters, and that's when I became case manager. Suddenly, I found myself working under the federal poverty level in one of the hardest jobs I had ever been a part of—one that changed my life forever.  

In caring for vulnerable populations and working with individuals navigating traumatic situations, how do you prioritize self-care and your own work-life balance? 

Many times, at my safe sleep site I felt like I was working in a battle zone all by myself. This eventually led to burnout. I found myself waking up, going to work, witnessing trauma, then coming home, and falling asleep. I would attend my weekly church service and occasionally see a movie at the theater. That was all I could muster. It was during the Vital Voices Visionary Fellowship I completed that I realized I needed to take a break. I took some time for myself, did a lot of self-introspection and healing, and came back even stronger.

Vital Voices provided me a place to land after witnessing traumas at my safe sleep sight, allowing me to share my stories, fears, and wins with other women who understood my role.  

You now work for Lane Transit District as a homeless advocate and community resource liaison, supporting and training staff and bus operators who often handle situations that involve riders in distress. How does this work support the unhoused community? 

Bus operators in our city have more touch points with the unhoused than police, fire, medics, Cahoots, and case managers combined. In my role, I develop training to help our staff handle various situations that can arise. We’ve created brand new resource guides, including warming center resources, shelter guides, how to spot a possible victim of human trafficking, how to use Narcan, and more. Transit is a hub to get individuals to mental health centers, hospitals, doctor appointments, case managers, and more.  

To alleviate the housing crisis, there needs to be wraparound services for someone to become housed. A housing-first model only works if there's enough community backing.  

Each year, the Oregon Commission for Women awards three individuals a Women of Achievement Award. This year, you were one of the awardees, under the “Emerging Leader” category. Congratulations! What does it mean to you to be recognized in this way? 

My nomination is really special to me, because two letters of recommendation were required for this award. The first letter was written by my dear friend and cultural impact leader Heidi Bloodgood, while the other was written by one of my former residents at 410 Safe Sleep Site, Will Shindler.  

After working so closely with the unhoused, I realized how important digital inclusion and digital citizenship is for people experiencing poverty. Since Will had access to public Wi-Fi but no laptop, he wrote the content of the letter through a series of Facebook messages that were ultimately collected and submitted as a letter. I am always so grateful to work with him, because as a former off-Broadway actor and creative, his words are so poetic. He wrote so eloquently about perspectives on the street and what it means to be “seen.”  

Will writes, “One may say that I exist in a town that cares more about the green grass of a football field than my wellbeing. Statistics and scores are tracked closer than our homeless census. ‘Unhandsome souls’ are replaced with fresh green grass of home (sans tombstone) to serve for identification. Life is not easy. What I appreciate about Sarah is that by and large, few understand entitlement versus the reality of our life.” 

In honor of Women’s History Month, the awards ceremony took place in Salem alongside a bevy of statewide women leaders. I was so excited to bring the experiences and stories of Eugene with me and looking to build stronger partnerships across the state. 

—By Megan McKinney, UO Alumni Association associate director of the Duck Career Network and April Miller, UO Alumni Association assistant director of marketing and communications