causeit, inc. is an organization committed to the greatness of both the individual and the community. we’re comprised of committed professionals in the areas of coaching, management and sustainable business, and we offer events, services and products which cause love, joy and community in the world.


causeit, inc. is queer-owned and -operated, and is the portland metro area’s premier small business developer for minorities, social enterprises and small technology companies. we draw on the disciplines of transformation, queer theory, feminism, diverse eastern and western spirituality, ontology, business, sociology and anthropology to cause success in love, work and life.

causeit, inc. founder mj petroni started causeit in order to support the vision of business making a difference. a graduate of portland’s lewis & clark college, petroni has extensive training in leadership, communication and team development, and wrote a thesis on intention and its effect on everyday life. petroni has been interviewed in the oregonian, just out and has been published in echelon magazine, the lgbtq business resource. petroni is a board member for the portland area business association, pdx’s lgbt/queer chamber of commerce. petroni has led numerous ‘queer 101’ courses, 101-level small business conferences, and has been a facilitator and panelist in the queer housing forum and northwest gender alliance’s trans employment conference.


causeit, inc. associate jill nelson, mba, m.div holds an m.b.a. from drake university and a masters of divinity from saint paul school of theology. she has worked as a management consultant, the director of operations of a restaurant chain and for an international computer software company in training and development. as a life coach she works with individuals, groups and organizations to create powerful lives and dynamic relationships whether at work, in life or just for fun.  she leads retreats, seminars and workshops which empower individuals and groups to create potent relationships and a passion for life as an expression of who they are and what they are causing. in the corporate arena she brings a focus on creating strong relationship-based systems which deliver value and meaning to the world.


[previous] causeit, inc sustainable business intern kevin havice graduated from portland state university with a master’s in international management to complement his bachelor’s in computer science, awarded from uc berkeley. he brings his diverse education in business and technology to bear on the needs of the business community and their desire to thrive in personal and business endeavors. kevin now works for tropical salvage—a tropical wood furniture company using reclaimed waste wood.