Who We Are

Our Board of Directors


Lauren Guynes

Lauren GuynesDuring Lauren’s childhood in Southern California, she grew up dancing, which led to working with youth as a dance instructor. Over the years, she has owned an enrichment program and served as a Childcare Director at the YMCA. After moving to Oregon in 2015, she became a 5th grade teacher serving students in Gresham.

While learning about the Oregon foster care system, she found PWI and fell in love with its mission and the impact it has on the community, so she decided to volunteer! Lauren has since joined the Board of Directors, and she’s excited to support PWI’s mission.

Currently, Lauren lives in Portland with her husband, Adam, and her Boston Terrier, Lloyd. They enjoy camping, attending soccer matches, the Portland food scene, and spending time with family and friends.

Royal Harris

Royal HarrisRoyal Harris is a Portland native, Franklin High School graduate and Warner Pacific University alum. Royal currently works for the Multnomah County Health Department as the Father Involvement Specialist for the Healthy Birth Initiative program. In this role he works with fathers and families to reduce maternal and infant mortality by educating and empowering fathers as protective factors. For over 30 years Royal has worked to improve the life outcomes of Portlanders, focusing on the African American and inner Northeast communities. His work includes mental health counseling, violence intervention, work with at-risk youth, mediation, program development and pre-apprenticeship workforce development. Recently, Mr. Harris has led a city-wide effort called “March Against Murder.” This effort looks to address and redress the root cause of lethal violence, the the belief that murder is a legitimate form of conflict resolution.

Royal’s previous board experience includes being a member of the Family Care Insurance board of directors and as the vice-chair of the Multnomah County Public Health Advisory Board. Royal is currently a member of the Portland Black Male Achievement executive committee. Royal is a qualified mental health associate (QMHA), certified community health worker (CHW) and trained mediator.

Royal identifies being a father as his greatest accomplishment.

Denetta Monk

Denetta MonkAssociate Vice President of Programs at the Urban League of Portland

Denetta was born in Portland, Oregon, and has lived here most of her life. She graduated from Concordia University in 2013, with a Bachelor of Science in Social Work, and has been employed at Urban League for 6 years. Her aspirations are tailored towards impacting policies and strategies to support the Black Community. Denetta provided years of social work service to her community while working at various local Black nonprofit organizations in direct service, administrative and leadership capacities. She focuses on uplifting people and building upon their strengths to activate change. She has a clear understanding and belief in the strength and resilience of the community we serve but will overcome any barriers with steadfast determination.
She recently joined the boards of local nonprofits hoping to bring her expertise with a cultural equity lens and commit to the intersectionality of vulnerable communities experiencing domestic violence or in foster youth systems.
Finally, Denetta has five siblings and is the mother of three (Tahj, Egypt, and Harmony). She has committed herself to being the best mother and a strong presence in the lives of her children. Her personal hobbies include spending time with friends and family, yoga, and the study of Natural Medicine & Herbology.

Robert K. Carus

Robert CarusBob was a CPA for 43 years before retiring in 2020. He worked for a global accounting firm, a local family-owned group of businesses, and happily operated his own public accounting practice starting in 1997. He presently serves on the PWI board and the Finance Committee of Serendipity Center, as well as volunteering for various community organizations. In his leisure time, he enjoys bicycling, hiking, cross-country skiing, meditation, and playing the piano.