History

Founded in 1989 by Dr. Michael W. Finigan, NPC Research (Northwest Professional Consortium, Inc.), focused its research efforts initially at the community level, primarily in the form of evaluations of Multnomah County programs. The consortium model developed during the early 1990s as Dr. Finigan collaborated with experts in the fields of crime prevention, substance abuse, and adolescent risk behavior, among other areas.

In 1997 the permanent staff began to grow. Additional research staff, including Dr. Beth Green, Dr. Juliette Mackin, and Dr. Shannon Carey were hired in 1998 and 1999, and the growth warranted a move from West Linn, Oregon, to historic, renovated offices in the Johns Landing area of Portland. NPC remained in the area when it moved in 2004 to a new location in the River Forum 1 building, located on the Willamette River.

The number of projects has increased in recent years to include numerous county, state and federal grants. NPC specializes in research and evaluation pertaining to crime prevention, drug courts, child welfare, substance abuse treatment, substance abuse prevention, co-occurring disorders, jail diversion, domestic violence, juvenile justice, adolescent risk and behavior pertaining to substance abuse and violence, mentorship, early childhood intervention, and program cost/benefit analysis.