Kate has spent two decades in public policy and strategic partnership roles within the public sector.  She began her career as campaign and Capitol Hill staff in Washington, DC.  Kate served as the Director of Federal Relations at Oregon State University (OSU) for seven years, where she developed and executed OSU’s federal program that included policy and budget and spearheaded OSU’s effort to enhance federal research awards. In 2014, Governor John Kitzhaber appointed Kate to serve as North Central Regional Solutions Coordinator, where she led the Governor’s Regional Solutions Team in North Central Oregon. Kate served as Governor Kate Brown’s Deputy Legislative Director and most recently as Innovation and Business Resources Director at Business Oregon. Kate now serves as Executive Director of Travel Oregon, where she leads the state’s destination management organization and works to strengthen Oregon’s visitor economy and communities across the state. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Washington and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University.

Megan serves as a Senior Program Officer for Economic Vitality & Housing at the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF). Megan’s work experience includes grantmaking and education initiatives in the field of corporate social responsibility. She has worked with high-tech companies to strengthen their community involvement through charitable giving and corporate foundation grants. She has also led numerous initiatives focused on improving K-12 education, from grant-making to program development and management.

Chris served as Executive Director of the Policy Consensus Initiative (PCI) a national, non-profit composed of elected leaders from around the country that helped initiate collaborative systems for addressing challenging issues in state governments. During that time, PCI sponsored the formation of the National Policy Consensus Center at Portland State University as well as the University Network for Collaborative Governance. Chris was the founding Executive Director of the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution. Prior to that, she served as a Program Officer at the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. Chris has also served as a local elected official.

Bruce Daucsavage is General Partner of Ochoco Lumber Company, formed in the 1920’s. He has served as president for the company the past 20 years. He was first hired as a CPA-Controller by the Shelk’s 43 years ago. Today, Ochoco Lumber Company employs about 75 people and owns a sawmill, bio-mass facility, timber lands, land development projects, and trading companies. The company also has years of experience operating in Lithuania and the Russian Far East. Bruce has been a member of the Federal Forest Working Group (formed to advance collaboratively active restoration of federal forest lands); Oregon Forest and Industries Council; Western Wood Products Association (an economic and grading services organization); Oregon Business Council (statewide organization of CEO’s); a state community board member of Regence Blue Cross; a former member of Economic Development of Central Oregon; and past member of the Governor’s Wildfire subcommittee program. For the past few years, he has been working on collaboration in the Blue Mt. Region to advance bio-mass projects utilizing forest restoration products. He has been asked to help, through collaboration with the U.S. Endowment of Forestry, in the construction of a torrefaction plant and has had the opportunity to publicly speak about our unhealthy forest plight in front of the Administration, Senate and Congressional committees in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Nikkel is Executive Director of the Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) and an Associate Clinical Professor in Psychiatry at Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU). She formerly served as the President and CEO of the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care, The Executive Director of the Association of Oregon Counties Mental Health Programs and has worked extensively in mental health and addictions policy, leadership and management, health care financing, development, and political advocacy. Gina also served as a Tillamook County Commissioner and as Vice-President of the Association of Oregon Counties, working with the National Association of Counties in Water Policy and Human Services.

Ernesto is the Chief Executive Officer of Hacienda, an Oregon Community Development Corporation and Social Enterprise that advances the livability, health, and economic progress of underserved communities in the Pacific Northwest. Ernesto has dedicated the last 16 years of his career to the development of high-quality, affordable housing and social services in Mexico and the United States. Ernesto brings ample experience in community development, housing, and energy access from his time working with the Housing Authority of Maricopa County and the City of Avondale, and Arizona State University. Ernesto holds an MS in Energy Performance and Climate Responsive Architecture, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Design and Planning from Arizona State University.

Whitney is a strategist, leader, and collaborator who has worked in education and public policy in Oregon for fifteen years and is the Executive Director of Foundations for a Better Oregon (FBO). She leads FBO’s program, policy, and strategy development; engages with Oregonians statewide to better understand community values and priorities; and forges public, private, and civic partnerships that pursue a more just future for children and families. Whitney previously championed strategic investments in children and schools as a senior policy advisor and Director of State & Regional Alignment for Governor John Kitzhaber, and as Chief of Staff and Legislative Director for the Oregon Education Investment Board.

In early 2021, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler appointed Bobby Lee to serve as his Chief of Staff. During that time Bobby focused on the city’s recovery efforts following the global pandemic. He played a crucial role in transitioning the city organization to a new form of government, ensuring alignment with public approval and establishing a precedent for advanced municipal governance. At the state level, Bobby served two Oregon governors, focusing on regional economic and community development issues. Additionally, Bobby has previously served as Director of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development and Director of Economic Development for Prosper Portland. Bobby has served on over 20 nonprofit boards, sat on the Eugene City Council, and was appointed to the Oregon State Board of Higher Education by the Governor. Bobby recently joined the public affairs and communications firm, Strategies 360 (S360), serving as Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for the firm’s Oregon practice.

Patty is currently serving as the Executive Director for the League of Oregon Cities (LOC). Prior to her appointment, she spent five years as General Counsel for the LOC. Patty previously worked as a City Attorney for the City of Bloomington, Indiana for twelve years, and she possesses a Juris Doctor (J.D.) along with certificates in Conflict Management and Effective Facilitation. She has spent over fifteen years working with cities on creating innovative solutions to solve complex problems in a way that still ensures all citizens have a voice in the process.

Jeremy is the Director of Legal Affairs and Public Policy for Oregon Association of Realtors, one of Oregon’s largest trade associations. Previously Jeremy was the Vice President at the Oregon Business Council, where he worked with executives at some of Oregon’s largest companies on public policy issues including education, health care, taxation, poverty reduction, and state budget policies. In that role, Jeremy managed the Oregon Business Plan and the annual Oregon Leadership Summit, a statewide collaborative effort to bring private and public sector leaders together around a common vision and set of policies for strengthening Oregon’s economy. Jeremy has a Law Degree from Lewis and Clark Law School and a Bachelor’s Degree in Politics and Government from the University of Puget Sound.  In 2019, Jeremy was named by the Portland Business Journal as a top “Forty under 40” professional.

Meghan Valley is the Community Affairs Manager for U.S. Bank, where she leads strategic community engagement efforts across the region. In her role, she builds and strengthens partnerships with nonprofit organizations, local leaders, and community stakeholders to advance economic opportunity, financial well-being, and equitable access to resources. Meghan directs philanthropic investments, manages volunteer initiatives, and cultivates partnerships that strategically align financial institutions with the needs of the community. Her work includes expanding support for rural and Tribal communities, strengthening partnerships across diverse sectors, and stewarding high-impact grantmaking portfolios. Prior to joining U.S. Bank, Meghan worked across mission-driven roles focused on community development, partnerships building, and equity-centered initiatives. She is passionate about helping organizations thrive and believes in the power of cross-sector collaboration to create lasting, inclusive economic mobility. Meghan is a longtime Oregonian now based in Portland where she lives with her husband, their daughter, and their Springer Spaniel, Finn.

Margaret is a former Oregon State Senator who served in the Senate for eight years where she acted as President Pro Tempore, and in the Oregon House of Representatives where she served for fourteen years. She is the first African American woman to be elected to the Oregon State Legislature, retiring as a State Senator in 2009. Margaret has served as President and CEO of the Urban League of Portland, and in 2006 served as President of the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women. She has also served as Deputy Director for Human Services Programs at the Oregon Department of Human Services. She holds many awards such as the 2006 Oregon Statesman of the Year Award from the Oregon Business Association, the 2010 Legislator of the Year Award from the Oregon Library Association, the 2010 OSU Alumni Fellows Award, and in 2020 was honored by USA Today and the Statesman Journal as one of ten Oregon “Women of the Century”. Margaret has a long history in supporting economic development in underserved populations and she is highly focused on enhancing community engagement. She serves on the Board of the Oregon Historical Society and continues to volunteer at the Albina DHS and at Portland Community College in their area skills center, now named the Margaret Carter Skill Center.

Margaret formed Trillium Advisors in 2019, a consultancy focusing on strategy development, organizational improvement, project management, and cross-sector facilitation. Her specialties are housing and homelessness, as well as wildfire recovery. Trillium Advisors is an Oregon-certified women-owned business. The firm is also named as a qualified professional services provider by the Association of Bay Area Governments/Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Portland area’s Metro Regional Government, and the Multnomah County Joint Office of Homeless Services. Margaret is a long-time public sector affordable housing leader who began her career in banking and commercial real estate finance. In Sonoma County, California, she oversaw the housing authority and redevelopment agency during and after the 2017 North Bay wildfires that destroyed 5,300 homes. She also led the team that created the housing recovery and renewal plan adopted by the County in the wake of the disaster. Previously, Margaret served under two governors as director of Oregon Housing and Community Services, led the City of Portland’s Housing Bureau, and served as Chief Operating Officer for the Housing Authority of Portland (now Home Forward).

Duncan Wyse served as president of the Oregon Business Council (OBC) for 30 years. OBC is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization whose members are primarily chief executives at some of Oregon’s largest enterprises. OBC focuses the knowledge and resources of its members on key, long-range public policy issues facing Oregon, such as economic development, education, health care, transportation, and public finance. OBC has launched many statewide initiatives, including the Oregon Business Plan and Oregon Learns. Prior to OBC, Duncan was Executive Director of the Oregon Progress Board, a state agency where he developed Oregon Shines, Oregon’s long-range strategy for economic growth, and Oregon Benchmarks, indicators measuring how Oregon is doing as a people, place, and economy. Previously, he spent eight years at the California Public Utilities Commission, serving as advisor to the President and Director for Policy and Planning. Wyse earned a B.A. degree from Pomona College and an M.A. in Business Administration from Stanford University.

John Miller is the President of Wildwood, Inc., a sustainable urban design and development firm based in Oregon. He is also the founder and owner of Mahonia Vineyards and Nursery, producer of premium wines and grower of Northwest native and ornamental plants, using sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. A graduate of Stanford University with a master’s degree in environmental design, John has long been active in regional conservation and community development. He is a founding member of the Willamette Partnership, served on the board of Ecotrust, and helped establish and fund Honoring Our Rivers, a youth anthology now managed by the Willamette Partnership. He also chaired the Willamette Basin Task Force, a collaborative effort that informed regional watershed planning and restoration strategies.