Cailee Cunningham is a recent transplant to Portland. Born and raised in Pocatello, Idaho; Cailee has long looked to Portland as the place to be.

“Portland has that artistic, historic, and chill vibe that I have always been drawn to. All it takes is one genuine conversation with a Portlander or a trip through the gardens to feel that vibe.”

As the Communications Manager for the AHC, Cailee wants to share that passion and feeling. While she will be the first to tell you that she wasn’t always a history buff, she contends that history, and learning from it, is a big part of what drives her work.

“It’s one thing to hear about history and to know the dates, but it's another thing entirely to understand its context. That’s one thing about the AHC that I really adore, is that we’re talking about history in context. We have people engage with spaces and places that matter for Portland, and we teach them about why it all matters.”

Cailee graduated from Idaho State University with a Bachelors of Communication and a Bachelors of Arts in December of 2018 and soon started work for her city’s local government to spark interest in their local river. She eventually moved on to work as an Administrator for the History department at Idaho State University.

“I love to learn and I love to be in an environment where people are encouraged to learn. Then, I love to share what I’ve learned with anyone who will listen.”

As a new person to Portland, she’s excited to learn all she can and show it through her marketing, so that others can engage with Portland and find what’s to love about it. She looks forward to taking as many of AHC’s walking tours as she can. 

You can expect to find her work on the AHC’s website as well as through the AHC’s social media pages. A recent highlight of her work was the 2024 Gala: the Party for Preservation. As well as her usual marketing duties, she designed all of the outreach materials as well as the video for Mr. Bill Hawkins.

“This year’s gala is a perfect representation of what I hope to do for the AHC. I want to highlight every part of Portland, from the spaces, buildings, places, to the artifacts, stories, and people. Getting to know Bill and his work just inspired me even more.”