Army Reserve veteran opens Portland bakery after 18 years at Prosper Portland
Lené Hopson left a long career at the city’s development agency in 2024 to launch Lili Mae’s Confections, a business built on family recipes and her daughter's name.
By Chinedu Schneider ·
Lené Hopson quit her job at Prosper Portland in January 2024 to bake full time. The decision ended an 18 year tenure with the agency, formerly the Portland Development Commission, and marked the start of her new company, Lili Mae’s Confections.
Hopson, 56, served as a private in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1994 to 2002. She enlisted at age 21 while attending Prairie View A&M University because student loans were not an option. An Army recruiter visited her home in the spring of 1994, prompting her to join the Reserve to access education benefits.
"I have a tendency to sometimes just jump in and think nothing later," she said. She completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and specialty training in patient administration at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. Her service commitments were fulfilled at Fort Vancouver, Washington, over eight years.
Hopson described the physical demands of military service as challenging, particularly running. She noted that the experience taught her she was capable of more than she believed. She was honorably discharged in 2002.
After her military service, Hopson worked at the Portland Development Commission for nearly two decades. She grew up in Northeast Portland, where her grandparents lived through the displacement following the Vanport flood. During her career, she worked on equitable programs for businesses of color, a cause she described as personal due to her family’s history in the city.
The name Lili Mae’s Confections combines two personal milestones. Lily comes from her daughter, Liliana, whom Hopson welcomed at age 38 after medical challenges. Mae honors her three grandmothers, whose middle names all spelled that word. Hopson said her grandmothers taught her the value of feeding others and community.
Hopson started baking at age eight but delayed starting a business for years. She moved from farmers’ markets and individual orders to catering and wholesale deliveries. Her products include cakes, cookies, pies, peach cobbler, and pound cakes, many based on family recipes.
The business now supplies baked goods to Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Northwest Portland. Hopson is working to secure additional wholesale partnerships.
