1. Why do you want to be on the SEN board?

I have enjoyed the community connection and involvement since joining the board in late 2020. I appreciate facilitating communications between SEN residents and both our elected and non-elected city and county officials as well as other public entities, such as EWEB. I strongly believe the service we provide as a Board is valuable and I wish to continue as a member of the SEN Board. I am grateful for and wish to continue my relationships with fellow board members.

2. What experiences do you have that make you a good candidate and how would those experiences benefit the board?

In 2023, I was appointed to the City of Eugene’s Sustainability Commission where I currently served as Vice Chair. The Sustainability Commission in conjunction with Office of Sustainability staff, works as an advisory body to both the Mayor and City Council. My position requires outreach to the greater community regarding topics related to sustainability, as well as monthly Commission meetings and quarterly meetings with both the Mayor and the Assistant City Manager.

In addition, I have previous board experience serving on a K-8 public school board for a three-year term, on my neighborhood association board and architectural review committee for four years, and first as Vice-Chair and now Co-Chair of the SEN board for nearly four years. Not unlike the SEN board, the school board was governance in nature (as opposed to a managerial board); this similarity helped prepare me for the information curation and distribution role of the SEN board.

Professionally, my skills as a career science educator (having taught biology courses at both middle and high schools, community college, and the U of O) bring a unique and evidence-based perspective to the board. I am also currently a volunteer educator for OSU Sea Grant education programs at the Hatfield Marine Science Center. My personal experiences as a Eugene native and alum of South Eugene HS and U of O as well as parent of an SEHS student are assets.

3. What do you believe is the role of the SEN board?

As alluded to above, the role of the board is to collect and distribute information regarding issues, ranging from the local to federal, that potentially affect SEN residents as well as foster a greater sense of community whenever possible.

4. Participation in board committees is a requirement; as a member of the board, which committee(s) do you plan to join? Why?

I plan to continue the work of the Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) which, among several things, is currently focused on tracking the process and progress of the Recycling Modernization Act and the City of Eugene’s Cap 2.O program. Last year, the ESC spearheaded a joint project with Park’s and Open Space restoring the SEN portion of Amazon Creek.

1. Why do you want to be on the SEN board?

While serving on the SEN Board as an At-Large member for the past two years, serving as the Friends of Tugman Park Co-Lead for several years, being active on the SEN Environmental Stewardship Committee and the SEN Annual Picnic Committee, I remain interested in serving our neighborhood as a contributing SEN Board member. I continue to search for opportunities to make a difference in the civic life of our Southeast Neighbors community. Being retired, I feel I have the time, energy, and passion to take on such opportunities in a leadership role.

2. What experiences do you have that make you a good candidate and how would those experiences benefit the board?

My professional career in sales management wherein I lead successful teams (regionally & globally), my time spent serving in SEN roles the past several years, and my other current volunteer activities (Mt. Pisgah Arboretum – Nature Guide, Oregon Track Club – Hayward Field Official, TrackTown USA) continue to allow me to further explore my values of and passion for making a difference in my community. These experiences, whether in a leadership role or serving on committees, make me a good candidate to continue serving on the SEN Board. More specifically, my pursuit of active listening and ability to build alignment, not necessarily consensus, will suit me well in this role. Getting behind a decision so we can authentically move forward together is a trademark of my leadership style.

3. What do you believe is the role of the SEN board?

I believe the role of the SEN Board is to be a conduit for information to flow from neighbors to the City and conversely from the City to neighbors. Just as important, its role is to facilitate neighbor to neighbor interactions through projects and activities. The board acts as a vehicle whereby information is shared and connections made through a Committee model made up of interested neighbors. I don’t see the role of the Board as a platform for its own agenda or agenda of specific board members. Rather, it serves as a facilitator for the various committees to communicate their plans, activities, and positions to the community and local government.

4. Participation in board committees is a requirement; as a member of the board, which committee(s) do you plan to join? Why?

As a current co-lead of the Friends of Tugman Park (an SEN Committee), I plan on continuing in this leadership role. We meet bi-weekly for two hours and are involved in various restoration and beautification projects at the park. This volunteer opportunity is very fulfilling not only in what we accomplish at the park but also in the new friendships with neighbors that continue to occur. I would like to explore the possibility of establishing volunteer park adoption groups at some of the other parks located within the Southeast Neighbors boundaries.

 I have served on the SEN Annual Picnic Committee for the past two years and will be doing so again this year. This picnic is typically held at Tugman Park. Therefore, I feel my involvement and experience with Friends of Tugman is beneficial to this committee, especially in an operational role.

Finally, I have been very active on the Environmental Stewardship Committee and plan to continue being so. My major involvement has been in organizing and leading our community efforts in restoring the stretch of the Upper Amazon Creek (within the SEN boundaries) in conjunction with the City Parks & Open Space personnel. We have hosted several work parties in the past two years to assist in the realization of the P&OS – Amazon Creek Shading Plan whereby hundreds of trees have been planted and maintained to enhance this riparian habitat and increase biodiversity. We hope for this endeavor to continue as a legacy activity.