Talk A Mile ensures youth voices are heard by those who have the power to impact their sense of safety, well-being and belonging.
— Erika Fogarty, Founder
We were concerned that many conversations about community, education and public safety lacked youth voices.
— Justin Fogarty, Founder
We founded Talk A Mile to translate all of the incredible activism that we experienced in the summer of 2020 into action. At that time, there were a lot of conversations happening about public safety and policing, which led us to a simple idea. If we could bring people together to walk and talk alongside one another, they might better understand each other.
Talk A Mile connects students with local police, civic leaders, and educators to improve the community one conversation and one mile at a time. Building connection and community is an ongoing effort that takes time and practice—but there’s power in conversation. When we walk, talk, listen and learn together, we recognize our shared humanity and the desire we all share for everyone to live, work and thrive.
We hear a lot these days about the need for more conversations, empathy, and understanding regarding the challenges we face in the United States. But who should have those conversations that lead to positive change? Elected officials? Community leaders? Advocates? Voters? Sure.
But if we had to pick who should have those conversations, whose faces are seen, whose voices are heard, and most importantly, who will take words and turn them into action.
Co-Founder and Board Chair
Erika’s career demonstrates her passion for causes and brand engagement. Her experience includes leading marketing campaigns at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Issuu, Virgin America, and ChargePoint. Her work in philanthropy and for non-profits also includes Planned Parenthood, The Clayman Institute at Stanford University, and KIPP (The Knowledge is Power Program). Erika is a proud alumnus of the University of California, Berkeley, and the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Co-Founder, Board Member and Executive Director
Justin has spent his career in communications. Before focusing full-time on Talk A Mile, Justin led the marketing and production teams for a non-profit in elementary math education. Prior to that, he worked for a number of Silicon Valley start-ups and tech companies, including BloomReach, Ariba, and Wipro. The common thread in all of Justin’s roles is his natural curiosity and desire to understand people. Justin earned a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a master’s from the University College London.
Co-Founder and Board Member
Liam is a senior at the University of Oregon where he is studying Accounting has been interning at KPMG. He previously attended Central Catholic High School, served as Treasurer for Black Students United and Talk A Mile’s first Student Engagement Coordinator. He also volunteered for ESTCAP.org, an organization that helps students and foster youth in Los Angeles achieve their dreams of going to college. He previously worked as a tutor and mentor at Woodmere Elementary School for at-risk youth in fifth grade and was a kids’ basketball league referee.
Board Member
Melissa is a wife and mother who lives in Hillsboro, Oregon. She is an Equity and Liberation Strategist, and Director/Producer of the Documentary film, Black Girl In Suburbia. Melissa seeks to create better and equitable environments that honor the human dignity of each person through storytelling and dialogue. Melissa currently works at Central Catholic High School in Portland as the Director of Equity and Community Engagement.
Board Member
Blaire epitomizes dynamism and impact. With a robust background in sales, revenue enablement, and executive coaching, she’s honed her skills at tech giants like LinkedIn Salesforce, AWS, and ZoomInfo. Transitioning to entrepreneurship, Blaire founded HHLX Strategy Group, a thriving consultancy firm specializing operational health and excellence. Ever the learner, Blaire pursues continuous growth as an MBA candidate at Willamette University, embodying her commitment to lifelong education and growth.
Board Member
Devin is a Youth Specialist at Youth Guidance. He formerly worked as a Legislative Aide for State Representative Russell Holmes of Massachusetts and was a My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Boston Advisory Board member. While volunteering for MBK, he also worked for the City of Boston Health and Human Services Cabinet. Previously, he was a health and human services executive assistant. He was born and raised in the South End neighborhood of Boston. Devin attended Cristo Rey Boston High School and Bunker Hill Community College, majoring in human services.
Co-Founder and Public Safety Liaison
Sean is a Portland Fire Department Captain & Paramedic. He led the development of a Crisis Intervention for Firefighters course, a new training for city firefighters to learn crisis communication and de-escalation concepts and techniques for use in the field. He has also served in many volunteer roles, currently as a Trustee for the local firefighter memorial board and as a founding member of the Portland Fire Fighters Pipes and Drums. Sean has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.
Find out how you can host or participate in upcoming events. We are currently hosting programs in Portland, Denver, Seattle, Hillsborough, Vancouver, Gresham. Give us a shout if you're interested in joining or if you'd like to bring Talk A Mile to your community.
Help us expand our programs and impact to more communities. We have a simple, science-backed, scalable program. We'll provide toolkits and training to support hosts that want to try our model for stronger and more connected communities.
