Tiffany Koyama Lane is a public school teacher, union organizer, Japanese American (Yonsei), activist, and mama of two. She is running for Portland City Council in District 3 (inner SE and parts of NE Portland), where she is proud to live and work. Tiffany earned her BA and MA in Education at the University of Oregon (go Ducks!), and has spent her entire professional life in public education, teaching kindergarten through fifth grade in schools ranging from under-resourced Title 1 schools to magnet programs. Tiffany is currently a third-grade teacher at Sunnyside Environmental School, and an active member of the Sunnyside community. In the classroom, Tiffany loves supporting students of all backgrounds, encouraging kids to bring their full selves into learning. She received the 2022 “Teachers Rock” Award and was a 2023 runner-up for OnPoint Educator of the Year for the energy and care she brings to her teaching. You can read about her policy priorities for the new Portland City Council here, and see her list of endorsements from organizations and elected officials here.
MEET TEACHER TIFFANY
District 3 Candidate
As City Commissioner for Portland Council in District 3 (inner SE and parts of NE Portland), Tiffany Koyama Lane will bring her values and leadership to lift up all Portland communities and fight for a safe, connected, housed city where everyone can thrive.
A proud union member, Tiffany has served as the Lead External Organizer for the Portland Association of Teachers, and is currently a member of the Steering Committee, where she supports the bargaining process for over 5,000 members fighting for vibrant, safe classrooms for Portland students. She was proud to volunteer for Measure 26-214, Preschool for All, as “Teacher Tiffany,” gathering over a thousand signatures to bring universal preschool to the ballot, and eventually securing the most progressive free preschool program in America for Multnomah County kids. Inspired by seeing what Portlanders accomplish when they work together, Teacher Tiffany is now a City Council candidate for Portland District 3,
Teacher Tiffany is for the people, and she’s fighting for a safe, connected, housed Portland where everyone can thrive. As a fourth-generation Japanese American, Tiffany stands on the shoulders of generations of people working for change. Her approach to teaching and community work is informed by her family’s experience in WWII-era Japanese incarceration camps. In the summer of 2020, Tiffany became a community organizer for child- and family-centered anti-racist events, co-hosting student-led marches and bringing in speakers, musicians and artists, to share their experiences with Portland’s youth. An engaged member of the local AAPI community, Tiffany has served on the Teacher Advisory Councils at the Portland Art Museum and the Japanese American Museum of Oregon. Through the National Endowment for the Humanities, she’s participated in powerful landmark programs at the Japanese-American National Museum and the Wing Luke Museum.
Tiffany loves Portland and the beautiful Pacific Northwest. In her free time, you can find her biking around the city, dancing, thrifting, and adventuring outdoors with her husband, Tim, and their two boys.
EDUCATION
Tiffany’s union work happens alongside her teaching, and she has been frequently recognized for her excellence in the classroom, where she fosters an atmosphere of trust, safety, and respect. She was a 2022 recipient of the “Teachers Rock Award” and a 2023 OnPoint Educator of the Year runner-up, receiving a cash prize and additional funds for her school. She is an active member of the Social Studies Advisors on Instructional Resources Committee, a Teachers of Color affinity space member, and a mentor for new BIPOC educators. She is on the Teachers Advisory Council of the Portland Art Museum, and is a founding member of the Japanese American Museum of Oregon’s Education Advisory Board. She has been awarded grants from the National Endowment of the Humanities and the Japanese American Citizens League to research and develop nuanced elementary school curricula around the Japanese American and AAPI experience.
COMMUNITY ACTION
Tiffany got the nickname “Teacher Tiffany” during the Measure 26-214 Preschool for All ballot initiative process, which won universal preschool for every three- and four-year-old in Multnomah County in 2020. Teacher Tiffany was a highly visible member of the process that led to Preschool for All appearing on the ballot—personally securing more than 1,000 signatures to bring the measure before voters. She spent hours canvassing, often with her young kids playing next to her, sharing why preschool matters for families and communities and gaining Portlanders’ trust in this groundbreaking ballot measure.
LABOR
Tiffany Koyama Lane is a proud union leader in the Portland Association of Teachers, where she has served as both Lead External Organizer and as a member of the Bargaining Steering Committee. As a union leader, Teacher Tiffany is united with all Portland teachers in their fight for safe classrooms and school buildings, smaller class sizes, and smaller caseloads for school social workers and other specialists. Teacher Tiffany celebrates the power of collective action and is in solidarity with every Portland worker fighting for better conditions and fair pay.
ANTI-RACISM
As Yonsei, a fourth-generation Japanese American, anti-racism is one of Teacher Tiffany’s core values. Teacher Tiffany supported a child who started the Kid-Centered March for Black Lives, a youth-led series of marches and events that took place in the summers of 2020 and 2021. In all, the marches brought in over dozens different Black speakers, performers, and vendors, and activated thousands of people across Portland. She is a founder and administrator of Raising Anti-racist Kids PDX community group, which shares resources for parents and kids around anti-racism and equity.
Paid for by Teacher Tiffany for the People PAC ID 23208
Dominant Contributors: Working Families Party of Oregon (Political party).
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