Aaron grew up in Austin, TX and has called Portland home since 2011, landing in the Cully neighborhood in 2019. With a background in live broadcast, video editing, and photography, he has had the opportunity to work in multiple countries and connect with all kinds of people and communities along the way.

As Chair of the Cully Association of Neighbors (CAN), Aaron is passionate about bringing neighbors together, creating welcoming community spaces, and helping turn good ideas into action. He loves the energy, diversity, and strong community spirit that makes Cully such a special place to live.

A big passion outside of community work is gardening and bike riding, and being able to grow roots — literally and figuratively — in Cully has made the neighborhood feel even more special. Whether it’s organizing events, supporting neighborhood projects, advocating for the future of Cully, or simply helping people feel more connected, Aaron is proud to be part of such a respected neighborhood association and excited about where CAN is headed next.

Drawn to the nature and energy Portland, Oregon offered, Brooke moved from Southern California in 2011 to make it her home. For the first 10 years in Portland, Brooke worked with children and families as a preschool teacher and nanny. She eventually became a teacher at a preschool in Cully, where she fell in love with the neighborhood. It wasn't until 10 years later that she moved to Cully with her husband and two little brown dogs.

She now spends her days working as a Creative Director and finds joy in making messes with various hobbies, walking the pups, going for slow jogs around the neighborhood, and hanging in the yard. As someone who enjoys creativity and community, she is very excited to be a part of the Cully Association of Neighbors and looks forward to finding where her curiosity and creativity can contribute to the neighborhood.

In 2014, Meghan came for what was supposed to be an extended visit from her life in Brooklyn NY, but quickly discovered Portland offered everything she needed to truly thrive so made it official in 2015. Since settling in Cully in 2017, Meghan has laid down strong roots in the neighborhood while growing her business, MKBK.llc - a full-service bookkeeping and consulting firm. In 2025, she joined the Cully Association of Neighbors board as Treasurer, bringing with her a wealth of experience in finance, grant writing and community organizing. Meghan has also dedicated her time to furthering arts organizations, sustainability projects, bike advocacy efforts and financial education programs like Assets to the Resistance.

She resides in East Cully with her dog Bruiser (he’s the life of every party!) where she curates a sidewalk joy called the Happen/Stance, a mini art gallery. Check all the happenings out here: https://www.happenstanceminigallery.com/

Scott(y) is a science teacher at Franklin High School in SE Portland. As an excessively extroverted individual, he’s always wanted to live in a community of friends. After years of searching, the right multi-family property showed up in his wife’s favorite neighborhood: Cully, where friends already live!

In the summer, Scotty will be disc golfing multiple times a week and working on this newly-acquired space (buy-day: July 3rd, 2025), which includes 2 houses and a triplex. He loves hosting events and when friends become friends with each other. Let’s make it happen!

Abbey lives and works (from home) in Cully where she moved in the summer of 2023. She was drawn to the neighborhood's walk and “bikeability”, accessible green spaces, active business areas, and bountiful urban farms. After volunteering at Cully Fest where she met and worked alongside many friendly and passionate neighbors, Abbey decided to join the board of CAN.

When not gardening or turning the front yard into a native landscape, Abbey can be found exploring Portland by bike, attending her nieces and nephew’s sports and music activities, knitting or other various craft projects, or cooking meals with her family.

Nick moved to Cully in late 2022 from NYC with his then very pregnant wife, a few belongings, and an N-95 mask. Portland has always been a home base, most of his extended family resides here, including many relatives in the nearby Japanese Cemetery.

Recently, he purchased the home he had been renting, welcomed a second girl into this world, and joined the board to get more connected to his neighbors.

He joined the board because he believes in building a more affordable, livable Cully for everyone. He is a trained mediator, wrote a thesis on regional governance, and is a data practitioner. He believes that a healthy, thriving democracy starts with strong community ties and equal access to leaders.

A Midwesterner by trade, Maximo has called the Pacific Northwest home for 15 years, NE Portland for 7 years, and settled in Cully in 2024. He is often found thinking about food, reading, and spreading perennial plants. Maximo loves the character of Cully, and is especially passionate about connecting with neighbors and supporting EVERY resident to feel empowered to be a part of their neighborhood and beyond. It's fitting that his favorite animal growing up was the shark - nowadays he keeps the spirit alive by thinking about watershed democracy and always being on the move, staying active and curious as part of his world.

Rachel Milbauer grew up in Brooklyn, NY before moving to Portland in 2010, and finally to the Cully neighborhood in 2019. She's a marketing director by day, planning events, partnerships and campaigns for the Portland Mercury. In her free time, you'll probably find her making zines, helping out at Misplaced Screen Printing (her husband's shop on NE 42nd Ave.), gardening, seeing live music, or cooking up something good. She was the vendor coordinator for CullyFest in 2025, which led her to join CAN!

Austin grew up in Hillsboro, OR, studied at the University of Oregon, and eventually made his way to NE Portland. He moved to Cully (from the Roseway neighborhood) in April 2025 with his wife and their dog. As runners, he and his wife have spent a lot of time weaving through the neighborhood's streets, getting to know the Cully neighborhood block by block and falling for all the small farms and front-yard gardens along the way.

Austin works in music tech during the day, and when he's not songwriting you'll most likely find him outside digging around in his backyard garden.

He joined CAN because he believes that positive change starts in your own neighborhood. He wants to be a catalyst for a stronger and more resilient neighborhood, and believes the only way to do that is to actually show up! Joining CAN is his first step towards that goal.