Ivy Major-McDowall

Ivy Major-McDowall serves as the Care Advocacy Manager for For All Families Oregon (FAFO) (formerly Family Forward). From a young age, she learned that families do not all look the same. Adopted from China and raised in Beaverton, Oregon, by white parents, Ivy struggled with her identity and sense of belonging. Her adoption taught her early on that state policies can have profound, personal impacts for families and the choices available to them.

Ivy's career has been rooted in grassroots organizing, beginning with APANO. She then moved to Texas and joined Texas Rising, a youth advocacy group where she worked with young people of color to fight for the issues they care about in their local communities and at the ballot box. These experiences deepened her passion for advancing justice and building the power of underrepresented groups through organizing and advocacy.

Now back in Oregon, Ivy is excited to be part of FAFO and APANO because she believes we need to advance gender, racial, and economic justice to achieve a more compassionate and equitable society. Ivy is committed to building people power and ensuring that Oregon is the place where not only care is valued, but all families are valued so they can live and thrive in our state.

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