As students across Oregon return to school facing growing mental health challenges and deep inequities in access to the arts, Caldera is stepping forward with renewed purpose — and new leadership. The Oregon nonprofit founded by Wieden+Kennedy co-founder Dan Wieden proudly announces the appointment of four new board members whose expertise spans creative leadership, equity-driven philanthropy, civic innovation and sustainable finance. Their leadership arrives at a critical juncture for Oregon youth — and signals Caldera’s deepening commitment to meeting the moment with bold imagination, mentorship and action.
This transition comes as nearly 38% of Oregon high school students report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and close to half of rural elementary students lack access to formal arts instruction — underscoring the urgent need for creative, community-rooted interventions. For many low-income youth — one in five children in Oregon — opportunities to engage in creativity are especially limited. Caldera’s tuition-free programs in the arts and outdoors offer a proven path forward, helping young people build confidence, connection and creative leadership.
Joining the board are:
Jae Goodman is the founder and CEO of Superconnector Studios, a management consultancy, brand entertainment producer and talent-led consumer product accelerator. In 2024, Fast Company named Superconnector Studios one of the “World’s Most Innovative Companies.”
Previously, Goodman was co-head and chief creative officer of CAA Marketing at Creative Artists Agency, where he helped brands like Coca-Cola, Mattel, Harley-Davidson and Dell harness entertainment to drive business success. He spearheaded Microsoft’s bing-a-thon, the first live interactive show on Hulu, the first brand films accepted into the Sundance Film Festival, and Mattel’s resurgence in entertainment, including the first-ever Barbie movie. Before CAA, he was SVP and executive creative director at Publicis & Hal Riney, leading branded entertainment for Sprint, Jamba Juice and Univision, and held roles at Wieden+Kennedy and Leagas-Delaney.
Goodman’s accolades include four Emmys, four Cannes Lions Grand Prix across four categories, 36 Cannes Lions total, 17 Webbys and five Gold Effies, including the David vs. Goliath award. He’s been named to Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, AdWeek’s Creative 100 and Ad Age’s Creativity 50, and is a two-time Cannes Lions jury president.
Currently, Goodman serves as board chair of Effie Worldwide, sits on the Board of Trustees for St. John’s Hospital and the Board of Directors for Ryff, and teaches at UCLA. He splits his time between Nashville and Los Angeles with his wife and two children.
Kaberi Banerjee Murthy is a passionate leader dedicated to transforming philanthropy to better serve and empower historically underserved communities. Since entering the philanthropic sector in 2000, she has championed social justice and systems-level change at local, regional and national levels, leading grantmaking, programs and advocacy efforts.
Before joining Meyer in 2018, Murthy held leadership roles at the Brooklyn Community Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies and several other philanthropic organizations. She serves on multiple national boards, including Neighborhood Funders Group and Philanthropy Northwest, and has been recognized through prestigious fellowships such as GEO Change Leaders in Philanthropy and Rockwood Art of Leadership.
Murthy holds a bachelor of arts from Carleton College and an Ed.M. from Harvard University, focusing on access and equity for students of color. Based in Portland, she is actively engaged in local and national philanthropic initiatives while enjoying life with her husband and two sons.
Matthew Claudel is a visionary urban strategist and the founder of Field States, a Portland-based firm shaping the future of cities through design and innovation. With a PhD in Advanced Urbanism from MIT, his work explores how urban experimentation can drive civic value.
A prolific writer, Claudel has co-authored two books, Open Source Architecture and The City of Tomorrow, along with numerous peer-reviewed articles and fiction centered on technology, art and urban life.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he played a key role as Strategic Design Lead at Curative, helping scale nationwide testing and vaccination efforts. His expertise has earned him roles as a Futures Fellow at the Purpose Foundation and a Juror for the Canadian Federal Smart Cities Challenge.
Claudel is also deeply involved in academia. He co-founded MIT’s designX program in 2016, leading civic innovation efforts and teaching for four years. He has been a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan’s Taubman School of Architecture and is currently an Affiliate Faculty Member at Portland State University’s Geography Department.
Casey Delaney is the senior vice president of Financial Operations at Equilibrium. In this role, she leads the accounting, financial operations and reporting for a portfolio of sustainability-focused funds and investments. In partnership with the CFO and executive team, Delaney manages accounting operations across both corporate and fund entities, focusing on financial strategy, cash flow planning, investor relations and reporting, fund administration and audit oversight.
Delaney also leads the valuation process for the funds’ portfolio investments, which include large-scale, high-tech greenhouses, renewable energy infrastructure and private equity investments in controlled environment agriculture.
She is deeply committed to working with inclusive, values-driven teams and aligning her efforts with a broader mission to contribute to a more sustainable and equitable future.
Before joining Equilibrium, Delaney was an accounting manager at Nike, where she focused on the transformation of global lease accounting, including a major system implementation and the development of an enterprise-wide risk and controls framework. Delaney began her career at Deloitte in New York City, managing corporate reporting and investment banking audit teams for large, multinational clients. At Deloitte, she also held a leadership role as the Chief of Staff for the Inclusion Council of New York, driving firmwide diversity and inclusion strategies.
Delaney holds a bachelor of arts in economics-accounting with a concentration in Women & Gender Studies from the College of the Holy Cross. She is an active Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
“As we enter a new chapter, it’s vital we center not only creative expression — but the systems that make it possible,” said Kimberly Howard Wade, executive director. “Our new board members bring the strategic vision and values-driven leadership Caldera needs to carry Dan Wieden’s legacy forward — and ensure Oregon’s youth are at the center of what comes next.”
With over 15,000 youth served since 1996 — 72% of whom identify as BIPOC — Caldera continues to be a national model for creative youth development. As it approaches its 30th anniversary, the organization is scaling its reach and reaffirming its role as a vital source of opportunity, equity and creative possibility for the next generation.
