The Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon is excited to announce two new partnerships.
Oxley & Associates, Inc., and Fertile Ground Communications, LLC, will help CACO advocate for policies and funding that will create a thriving environment for arts, culture, history, heritage, and humanities across Oregon.
Oxley & Associates, Inc.
Our new lobbyist firm is Oxley & Associates, Inc., an independent public affairs and government relations firm specializing in state and local legislative and regulatory issues. With over 30 years of experience, their team brings institutional knowledge, in-depth strategic thinking, and long-term relationships with elected officials and their staff. Those qualities have allowed Oxley & Associates to react nimbly and efficiently when navigating complex and critical issues on behalf of its clients.
The Oxley team has deep roots throughout the state and extensive expertise in the ways & means process, consistently securing funding for its clients. They have strong relationships with the co-chairs of Ways & Means and many of the subcommittee co-chairs. In the 2021 session alone, Oxley & Associates secured funding for several nonprofits, local governments, and higher education institutions. For example, on behalf of the Chehalem Cultural Center, they worked alongside CACO to secure the capital construction funding necessary for the center’s expansion. At the same time, they were while building awareness and an appreciation for the arts and humanities, especially outside of the Portland Metro area.
The Oxley team of Evyan Andries, Gary Oxley, Jordan Bice, and Samantha Siegner are interested in supporting Oregon’s diverse arts and culture scene. Each has their own personal connection to the sector. Evyan Andries’ family is full of musicians and performers, and she finds great joy in helping to bring arts opportunities and exposure to people of all ages. Gary Oxley enjoys supporting Oregon’s diverse arts and culture offerings, from theater to history and everything in between. Jordan Bice is a musician and accomplished trumpeter who played in the University of Washington’s band. Samantha Siegner comes from a family of artists, with a grandmother who is a painter and an aunt who produced short films and documentaries.
Fertile Ground Communications, LLC
Fertile Ground Communications joins CACO to manage our communications. Fertile Ground Communications is a certified women-owned business enterprise, disadvantaged business enterprise, and emerging small business, dedicated to creating a kinder, more sustainable, and just world. Marie Gettel-Gilmartin, founder and principal, loves to help clients communicate clearly and painlessly. She specializes in making the complex clear, using dynamic, accessible language to explain and communicate important issues.
Fertile Ground Communications’ corporate social responsibility statement states the company’s commitment to Black Lives Matter, centering the voices of people of color, providing pro bono services, and working toward racial justice. Marie hosts the Finding Fertile Ground podcast, a place for people from historically excluded populations to share their stories of grit and resilience and how they have found their own fertile ground. Her Companies That Care podcast features companies and business leaders who are working to create a better world for all.
Oregon born and raised, Marie has a lifelong passion for music, theater, books, history, and all forms of culture. Two out of three of her sons are theater kids, and all of them are musical. Marie is a musician and paper crafter and regularly volunteers at local theaters and The Immigrant Story nonprofit.
“Oregon’s arts and culture continue to attract top talent to help move our state into the category of states that invest the most to support this important work,” said CACO senior advisor Sue Hildick. “We are thrilled to add the Oxley team and Marie to our group of colleagues who want this sector to be as strong as possible.”