Noni Causey is a native of Portland. Her family settled in the NE Portland community in 1902 and Noni has remained in the community to this day. For more than 60 years, she has worked with families and youth through local community-based organizations, all while raising her four sons in the public school system. She has centered her work in advocacy for youth at risk of falling through the cracks of our public education systems, on those youth and families who need our assistance in overcoming systemic barriers in their lives. 

After fifteen years in social services, Noni Causey returned to college after to expand her knowledge base.  She discovered that many of the problems faced by families were the result of embedded institutional racism, oppression, and discriminatory practices and policies.

She graduated from Linfield College in 2007 with a BS in Social Behavioral Science, and received her MS degree in 2012 from Portland State University, with a concentration in Educational Leadership and Policy. 

In 2013, Noni was elected co-chair of a special task force for equity and inclusion in the workplace at Portland Community College (PCC) Cascade Campus.  In 2017, she was selected to the Portland State University’s (PSU) President’s African American Black Student Success Task Force. In 2017, Noni also came the 1st Vice President of the local NAACP Chapter, 1120B, and served as the chairperson of the Educational Committee, where she established the chapter’s first youth council. Noni was reappointed to serve as the Educational Chairperson in 2020 to present

Noni designed and implemented the Black Student Success Summit, “BSSS”, while teaching at Portland Community College.  The BSSS is an annual full day college to career summit that brings hundreds of Black students together from the across City of Portland, SW Washington, and outlying communities as far south as Eugene, OR.  

Each year, Noni expands her reach by collaborating with student leaders, local schools, community-based organizations, and Black professionals in both public and private sector, higher education institute, and parents to insure the BSSS provides the social capital, foundational networking skills, information and learning experiences needed to thrive. 

An educational entrepreneur, Noni Causey continues to dream, design and implement culturally-specific and informed programs that increase Black students’ access to resources and opportunities to allow them to be successful on their educational journey and better prepared to compete in our global marketplace. She is dedicated to building unity in our community, has an extreme passion for quality education, and works hard for social, racial, and environmental justice. 

When time permits, Noni can be found camping, traveling with her friends in their recreational vehicle club, spending quality time with her four sons, and trying to keep up with her five grandsons and one granddaughter, as well as listening to audio books, and pursuing scrapbooking and other crafts.