2016 Conference Speakers

2016 Recipient of the Ed Sullivan Award for Housing Advocacy: Cameron Herrington, Living Cully
Cameron Herrington got his start in advocacy with fair trade and immigrant rights issues in Seattle, first as a campus organizer and later with the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador. From this work he experienced firsthand how critical housing stability is to the well-being of immigrant communities. Later, in the graduate Urban Studies program at Portland State University, Cameron focused on alternative, non-market based models for housing that solidified his understanding of housing as a human right, not a commodity.

For the last three years Cameron has worked with Living Cully, a community development coalition composed of Verde, Hacienda CDC, the Native American Youth and Family Center, and Habitat for Humanity. In his role as Anti-Displacement Coordinator, Cameron works to prevent further displacement and expand affordable housing in Northeast Portland’s Cully neighborhood.

Cameron led organizing and policy efforts for Anti-Displacement PDX, a coalition of over 40 community organizations that successfully advocated for the inclusion of measures addressing gentrification and displacement in Portland’s Comprehensive Plan. He also created the Cully Housing Action Team, whose 40 active members meet regularly to learn about and advocate for affordable housing. Recent efforts include lobbying the City of Portland for funds to purchase the Oak Leaf mobile home park and canvassing in support of the Yes for Affordable Housing bond measure.

Cameron received his degree in International Studies and Spanish from the University of Washington. His work on the link between bicycle ridership and gentrification was included in the recent publication Bicycle Justice and Urban Transformation.

Keynote Speaker: Josh Lehner, State of Oregon
Josh Lehner is an Economist with the State of Oregon’s Office of Economic Analysis. He develops the quarterly Oregon Economic forecast, including outlooks for employment, income and housing. Additional responsibilities include the Oregon Index of Leading Indicators, tracking international developments in Oregon’s export markets and forecasting revenues for the Oregon Lottery, Oregon Judicial Department and state tobacco taxes.

Josh’s economic research has been cited by Calculated Risk, The Economist, Financial Times, National Public Radio, The New York Times, The Washington Post and other local media. Prior to joining the state, he worked as a research analyst for a local economic development organization and published a paper on the border tax effect between Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Josh earned a B.A. in Economics from the University of Colorado and an M.S. in Economics from Portland State University.

Tyler Bump, City of Portland
Tyler Bump is a planner and economic development professional with over 10 years of experience in large and small communities and in the public and private sectors. Tyler is currently the project manager for Portland’s Inclusionary Housing Zoning Code Project and works as project staff on the Residential Infill Project, the Mixed Use Zones Project and Central City 2035. He also supports neighborhood business districts across Portland through long range planning efforts. Prior to joining the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, Tyler worked at Strategic Economics in Berkeley, CA and Progressive Urban Management Associates in Denver, CO. Tyler served as a visiting scholar on sustainable development to the European Commission in Copenhagen and Aalborg, Denmark in the fall of 2014.

Karen Chapple, University of California, Berkeley
Karen Chapple, Ph.D., is a Professor of City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Chapple specializes in housing, community and economic development, as well as regional planning.  She has most recently published on job creation on industrial land (in Economic Development Quarterly), regional governance in Peru (in Journal of Rural Studies), and accessory dwelling units as a smart growth policy (in the Journal of Urbanism).  Her recent book (Routledge, September 2014) is entitled Planning Sustainable Cities and Regions: Towards More Equitable Development. In Fall 2015, she launched the Urban Displacement Project, a research portal examining patterns of residential, commercial, and industrial displacement, as well as policy and planning solutions. Dr. Chapple holds a B.A. in Urban Studies from Columbia University, an M.S.C.R.P from the Pratt Institute, and a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley.

Corky Collier, Columbia Corridor Association
Corky Collier has been Executive Director of the Columbia Corridor Association since 2004, combining his eclectic business, environmental and political experience. Corky works on a wide variety of issues affecting the economic prosperity of the largest economic corridor in Oregon, including transportation, land use, natural resources and equity. He helped establish and manages two business education programs: ResourceFull Use and the Groundwater Protection Program.

He serves on the Portland Freight Committee, Columbia Slough Watershed Council, and Brownfield Redevelopment Coalition. Corky holds degrees in Biology and Geography from the University of Texas. Old awards include Eagle Scout; new awards include the Columbia Slough Watershed Council Leadership Award. He lives in North Portland within view of the St. Johns Bridge and Forest Park with his wife Sara and son Henry. 

Kevin Cronin, City of Astoria
Kevin started as the Community Development Director for the City of Astoria in July 2015. He manages a portfolio of two urban renewal areas, economic development, historic preservation, housing, city planning, building codes, and code enforcement. He has worked in the city planning and development field for close to twenty years. He most recently spent 9 years working for the Portland Development Commission as a senior project manager and business development officer for the Lents area, a predominantly lower income neighborhood in Outer Southeast Portland. He has also worked in the local government sector for the cities of Sherwood and Talent.

Kevin serves as VP on the Board of the Lower Columbia Youth Soccer Association where he also coaches his son. When not attending countless meetings, Kevin can be found on local fields coaching youth sports, on the trail hiking the area, or exploring the North Coast community on bike and foot.

Carolyn Eagan, City of Bend
Carolyn Eagan serves as the Economic Development Director for the City of Bend.  As director, she is responsible for the Bend Municipal Airport, Affordable Housing, Downtown, Urban Renewal, Parking Management, Tourism and the Business Advocacy program. She took this position in May 2015 after serving as the City’s Business Advocate for three years.

Prior to joining the City, she was the Regional Economist for the Oregon Employment Department for Central and South Central Oregon, where she was responsible for the unemployment rate for three and half years during the Great Recession. She has worked in both the private and nonprofit sectors in community and economic development for nearly 20 years. A Philadelphia native, Karen has been in Oregon since 1999. She has a degree in Economics and Mathematics from LaSalle University in Philadelphia and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from Portland State University.

Chad Freeman, Strategic Economic Development Corporation, Mid-Willamette Valley
Chad Freeman is the head of Strategic Economic Development Corporation (SEDCOR), the lead economic development organization for the Mid-Willamette Valley of Oregon. Chad previously served as an Executive Officer with Oregon Business Development Department, an organization focused on the creation, retention, expansion and attraction of business in Oregon. While there, he worked primarily with companies within Clackamas and Washington Counties.

With broad experience in real estate, economic development and workforce organizations, Chad has a strong understanding of industry and public/private projects. He earned an undergraduate degree in Finance and a Masters in Business Administration from Colorado State University.

Felisa Hagins, SEIU Local 49
Felisa Hagins has 11 years of experience at International Union Local 49 (SEIU 49), which represents 10,000 private sector workers in health care, property services and light manufacturing in Oregon and SW Washington. In her current role as Political Director she engages in lobbying, public policy, and electoral work at the presidential, state and local government levels. Felisa’s primary focuses are health care reform, commercial real estate, and worker’s rights.

Felisa has a passion for health care reform. She helped to pass legislation creating the Oregon Health Policy Board and has served as a board member since 2009. She also sits on the board of Quality Corp, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality and affordability of health care for all Oregonians. Felisa is Secretary of the Portland City Club and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon where she studied history, Japanese, and English and gained a passion for social justice that carries forward in her work today.

Bill Hall, Lincoln County Commissioner
Bill Hall has served as a Lincoln County Commissioner since 2005, and housing and homelessness have been one of his key policy focus areas. He is active in the Oregon Housing Alliance and the housing subcommittee of the Oregon Association of Counties. He served as co-chair of the Oregon Ending Homelessness Advisory Council and spearheaded creation of Lincoln County’s ten-year plan to end homelessness. He is chair of the Lincoln Community Land Trust and the Samaritan House family shelter in Newport. Prior to his election to public office, Bill spent twenty-five years in broadcast and print journalism. He was born in Portland and has lived in Newport since 1987.

Sarah Joannides, New Seasons Market
Sarah is the steward of New Seasons Market’s social cause and mission-related practices, including community engagement, operational sustainability and public policy. Sarah ensures that business is used as a force for good, serving staff, communities and our planet, all while running a thriving and profitable company. With that in mind, she led the charge for New Seasons Market’s B Corp certification and recertification—a test the company passed with flying colors. Sarah has also been instrumental in helping New Seasons Market champion causes aligned with its values — for example, being a leading voice for progressive business in support of raising Oregon’s minimum wage. Sarah also serves on the board for Meals on Wheels, a local organization committed to ensuring that no senior in the community goes hungry or suffers from social isolation.

Lorelei Juntunen, ECONorthwest
Lorelei specializes in land use and redevelopment finance, policy, and planning. She has worked with clients throughout the Pacific Northwest and across the country to identify creative and coordinated public-private funding strategies for projects ranging from major infrastructure investments to neighborhood-scale mixed-use development. She has worked with clients to help them understand the interactions between policy options (such as changes in zoning or new incentives) and development outcomes. Lorelei has extensive experience relaying complex technical information in written form and in presentation to diverse audiences, ranging from elected bodies and policymakers to neighborhood advisory groups and business owners. She is an owner and Partner at ECONorthwest.

Alex Karner, Georgia Tech
Dr. Alex Karner is an assistant professor in the School of City & Regional Planning at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His work aims to quantify the social equity, environmental, and public health implications of planning efforts by using emerging data sources and developing new, open source methods. A deep commitment to practice undergirds his research and teaching. He routinely collaborates with community members, non-profit organizations and public interest law firms to identify pressing research needs and improve conditions in underserved communities.

Prior to joining the faculty at Georgia Tech, Dr. Karner was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Transport Engineering and Logistics at Universidad Católica de Chile and the Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University. His work has been funded by nonprofit foundations including the California Endowment, University Transportation Centers, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Federal Transit Administration.

Joel Madsen, Mid Columbia Valley Housing Authority
Joel serves as the Executive Director of Mid-Columbia Housing Authority and Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation. Together they promote adequate, affordable housing and economic opportunity in Hood River, Wasco and Sherman Counties in Oregon, and Skamania and Klickitat Counties in Washington.  Joel is driven by his passion to see affordable housing for everyone and is dedicated to working for the greater good of the community.

Joel received a B.S. in Family Resource Management and Consumer Sciences & Housing and the Near Environment from Iowa State University.  His professional experience in housing began with an internship at the Des Moines Municipal Housing Authority and an AmeriCorps VISTA term with Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs.  Over the past 12 years, Joel has worked in various capacities with housing non-profits, management agents, and investors leading to a keen understanding of affordable housing’s complexities. He resides in White Salmon, WA and spends as much time as possible enjoying the outdoors with his wife and two daughters.

Carla McClane, Morrow County
Carla McLane has served as Morrow County’s Planning Director for nearly 14 years. Her experience as an adjacent landowner led to a multi-year appointment to her city’s planning commission, then her planning career. During her 15-plus years with the Planning Department, Carla has worked on a variety of complex and routine rural planning actions including permitting for Oregon’s largest composting facility and the Pacific Northwest’s largest wind farm. Most recently, issues around available and affordable housing have become paramount in Morrow County and its communities. Carla has worked on this issue as the Morrow County Planning Director and also in her capacity as the Manager for the Columbia River Enterprise Zone. Under her direction the County has completed a natural hazard mitigation plan, a solid waste management plan and ordinance, and a code enforcement ordinance. She holds a BA in Business and an MBA.

Heather Staten, Hood River Valley Residents Committee
Heather Staten is Executive Director of the Hood River Valley Residents Committee, one of Oregon’s oldest local land-use watchdog groups with a history nearly as long as Oregon’s statewide planning system. Founded in 1977, the Hood River Valley Residents Committee has a mission to protect Hood River’s farmland, forests, special wild places and the livability of its urban areas.

Lorelei Williams, City of Bend
Lorelei Williams is a native of Bend, Oregon who is working toward a degree at the Oregon State University Cascades campus. Her ultimate goal is making a positive impact in her hometown through public service. Currently, she is fulfilling this goal by working as a Program Coordinator for the City of Bend, coordinating programs that include Special Event and Noise Permits, Short Term Rental Operating Licenses, Liquor Licenses and now tackling Marijuana Licensing. Working for the City of Bend has been her first experience with the public sector and she looks forward to continuing her career as a contributing member, bringing fresh perspective, ideas and input to an already progressive organization.