I am a planner, designer, and arborist working in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. My work focuses on the conditions that allow people, communities, and natural systems to flourish—and on translating research into policies and practices that strengthen those conditions.

 

My path to this work began in community organizing and public policy. From 1995 to 2017, I worked for nonprofit organizations addressing inequality and barriers to democratic participation. As president and executive director of Project Vote, I brought together research, advocacy, litigation, and community-based programs to advance voting rights.

 

That experience shaped my professional expertise: integrating research and practice to achieve public-interest goals. It also taught me that understanding a problem is only part of the work. Progress requires institutions, strategies, and people capable of putting knowledge into action.

 

In 2018, I co-founded the Mission Street Parks Conservancy in Salem and served as its full-time president during its first two years. Working in Bush’s Pasture Park brought those interests into a new setting, combining institution-building and community involvement with garden design and landscape stewardship.

 

My growing interest in ecological systems led me to become an ISA Certified Arborist and earn a master’s degree in Community and Regional Planning and a graduate certificate in Ecological Design from the University of Oregon. I wanted to understand how decisions about individual sites connect to the larger landscapes, waterways, and ecological processes that sustain them.

 

Since 2020, I have also served on the Salem Planning Commission, including as president in 2024 and 2025. My work has included the comprehensive plan update, tree-preservation policy, and efforts to improve the city’s riparian maps and policies.

 

Today, my practice brings together planning, landscape design, and arboriculture. I work across scales, from individual trees and gardens to public spaces and community planning. The question connecting this work is how to plan, design, and manage places that sustain ecological life while meeting human needs.