Dr. Steve Nakana

Portland General Electric

Steven is the Community Outreach Manager at Portland General Electric. Before joining PGE, he served as the Shared Prosperity Strategy and Enterprise Management Senior Manager for the Port of Portland. During his time at the Port, he created an enterprise wide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office and brought a Port-wide cultural shift for the organization toward diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

Prior to joining the Port, he worked for Mercy Corps, an international Humanitarian Organization as a Peacebuilding advisor, and as an Adjunct Instruct at Concordia and Portland State University.

He holds a PhD Degree in International Studies from the Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, which obtained Summa Cum Laude recognition. He also holds two masters’ degrees in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, and International Relations and a Graduate Diploma in African Studies from the University of Cape Town in South Africa and a Municipal Administration from Peninsula Technical College as well as numerous traineeships in conflict management and negotiation from numerous organizations and universities including the Harvard University-based Program on Negotiation.

Steven attended primary and high school in Zambia, Tanzania, South Africa, and his university career expands three continents including Africa, North America, and Europe. Through his education and professional careers, he has traveled to over 15 countries and he speaks five different languages.