Leadership & Team
Meet the Blackbird crew!
Kristen Cooper (she/her)
With over two decades of experience, KC has a mapmaker’s understanding of every twist and turn employee benefits present. She’s resolved to make a difference by serving clients with an oft-forgotten feature called ‘humanity.’
Her style combines a strong technical background in financial/data analysis, with a creative and heart- centric approach that fuels her to deliver awesome results, and develop lasting partnerships with her clients – across the organization – be it the CEO or production line.
Kristen holds fast to the belief that you can get your hands dirty, nimbly adapt to a change in course, and triumphantly overcome a challenge – with moxie, grace, and ideally, a sense of humor.
She will also feed you at any given opportunity.
Founder, CEO, Robohost
Jen Eswonia (she/her)
With eight years of experience in employee benefits, Jen developed her expertise as an Account Manager supporting small businesses and nonprofits. Known for her relationship-building and client care, she’s excited to bring that same passion to Blackbird’s team and clients.
A lifelong advocate for inclusion, Jen is an avid reader who loves recommending books and local indie bookstores. Her biggest fan is Juniper, her boxer dog and devoted "pupparazzi." Outside of work, she enjoys attending Portland Fire games, catching comedy shows, spending time with her favorite people, and traveling to experience new cultures and perspectives.
Senior Account Manager
Account ManagerM Downey (they/them)
M brings experience from across the healthcare industry – local community health centers, regional and national health insurance carriers, and state public health. M has a master’s degree in public health and is deeply passionate about making healthcare more accessible to everyone. When they are not working, they find joy in the garden, neighborhood walks with their pup, and spending time with their partner and the special young humans in their life.
Tracey Whitney (she/her)
We count on this visionary to define strategic priorities, allocate resources responsibly, and ensure every decision reinforces long-term value creation.
Fractional COO
Bryan Baker (he/him)
Bryan is dedicated to helping non-profits and small businesses create better workplaces. He believes that everyone has the right to a rewarding work experience, especially those who dedicate their lives to helping others.
Human Resources
Marketing + DesignChloë Miller (she/her)
Chloë brings a background in design, marketing, and project management (and a love of the B Corp community!), and helps keeps communications projects flowing at Blackbird. She’s inspired by helping values-aligned folks grow and thrive. When she’s not behind the computer, you can find her taking her poodle Cosmo to the park, cooking elaborate meals, or out supporting a neighborhood biz.
And don’t forget Sophia Cholula!
Chief Information Security Officer, Part-Time Model
With over eleven years of experience providing organizations with the highest standards of security and information protection, Sophia has a specialized focus on preemptive alerts for potential security breaches.