Portland City Admin & Mercy Corps Rebrand: Straight Talk Interview

Portland City Administrator Raymond Lee is navigating the complexities of the city’s relatively new government structure, while humanitarian organization Mercy Corps prepares for a rebrand as Prosper Global. The updates were discussed this week on KGW’s “Straight Talk” with Tim Gordon.

Lee, appointed in December, is tasked with managing an expanded 12-member city council alongside the mayor’s executive agenda. He described the role as “a balancing act” in an excerpt from the interview. “It’s a balancing act in how we communicate, what are the things that we really truly say are priorities for us as an organization, and making sure that I’m creating the environment for those conversations to happen,” Lee said. “And making sure that I’m being very communicative to our organization regarding what those priorities are and what that North Star is for the organization.”

Portland’s current form of government is unique, Lee noted, and the city is essentially serving as a “case study” as it learns to maneuver within the new system. “Not many governments have this form of government the way that we have it,” he explained. “So this is a conversation that is constantly happening with our group to attempt to figure out our paths and what is that dichotomy of government for us.”

Also featured on “Straight Talk” was Mary Stata, chief development officer for Mercy Corps, which is rebranding as Prosper Global. Stata explained the decision stemmed from a need for a name that better reflects the organization’s evolving mission, and values. According to Stata, the name Mercy Corps presented challenges in translation and carried unintended connotations.

“We are so proud of the work that we have done as Mercy Corps for the past four-plus decades, work in crisis zones all around the world,” Stata said. “But over the past 10 years, we have really identified that our name was increasingly at odds with our values, with how we were working in the world.”

Specifically, Stata cited difficulties in translating the name into various languages, as well as perceived militaristic and religious connotations. “Prosper Global really speaks to our deeply held belief that every community, no matter where you live in the world or the circumstances you were born into, deserves the opportunity to prosper,” she stated.