Four community Action Teams, composed of 57 residents appointed by the Envision Bend nonprofit, have been working since April to develop a five-year Action Plan for the greater Bend area. Their work includes screening, selecting and developing strategies meant to move greater Bend in the direction of the community&’s long-term vision. The Action Teams are working from an initial list of potential strategies provided by 2,450 community members who participated in Envision Bend’s outreach work in 2022. The teams have been meeting biweekly since April in spaces provided by The Haven Co-working business in Bend.
Each team is attached to a focus area and includes key stakeholders, people with subject expertise, and people with lived-experiences that come from groups that have been historically underrepresented in community-planning work. Envision Bend offered a small stipend to team members to help cover the cost of childcare, transportation, and time away from work. The five-year Envision Bend Action Plan is scheduled to be released this summer. The work is being supported by numerous public, private and nonprofit sector organizations. The Action Plan will include an overall community vision, strategies listed under each of the four focus areas, and the names of lead partnering organizations who have agreed to champion the strategies. Members of the Action Teams include:
Guiding Our Growth Action Team
David Abbas, City of Bend
Kelly Cannon-Miller, Envision Bend Board, Deschutes County Historical Society
Leigh Capozzi, Envision Bend Board, Protect Our Winters
James Dorofi, Envision Bend Board Past-Chair, Old Farm District Neighborhood Association
Kaitlin Greene, Bend Bike
Jeff Heilman, Central Oregon Landwatch
Eric Lint, Cascade East Transit
Ian McLuskie, Bend writer
Timothy Moore, Integrated Environmental Solutions
Erica Nelson, Monte Vista Homes
Nicole Potter, The Environmental Center Board, Bend researcher
Henry Stroud, Bend Parks and Recreation District
James Teeter, Bend structural engineer
Cultivating an Inclusive Community Action Team
Summer Baird, Bend school psychologist
Zavi Borja, City of Bend, Latino Community Association, Bend Parks and Recreation District Board
Emma Fried-Cassorla, Council on Aging of Central Oregon
Blair Garland, Oregon State University-Cascades
Avery Grace, Bend writer
Jenny McGee, Bend Parks and Recreation District
Cassandra Kehoe, City of Bend
Maggi Machala, Bend retired community health director
Penny Pritchard, Mosaic Community Health
Presley Quon, Envision Bend Board Secretary, Mount Bachelor
Katy Segura-Whitman, Deschutes County
Holly Sereni, Cascade Academy
Ray Solley, Tower Theatre
Nancy Steves, Central Oregon Disability Support Network
Sara Q. Thompson, Deschutes Public Library
David White, Envision Bend Board Chair, Tech Soft 3D
Ensuring a Safe Healthy Environment Action Team
Michelle Abbey, Bend community and donor relations
Grace Andrews, The Environmental Center
Donna Burklo, Family Kitchen
Elaine Cole, Bend environmental educator
Kate Fitzpatrick, Deschutes River Conservancy
Jacob Fritz, Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project
Alex Hardison, Central Oregon Landwatch
Wesley Heredia, Vamanos Outside
Jessica Jacks, Deschutes County Health Services
Elaine Knobbs-Seasholtz, Mosaic Community Health
Cassie Lacy, City of Bend
Cynthia Maree, St. Charles
Ted Schoenborn, Envision Bend Board, Retired Bend Parks and Recreation District Board member
Emily Tompkins, Envision Bend Board Vice-Chair, Forest Futures
Steve Van Dyke, Bend environmental education specialist
Building an Economy for Everyone Action Team
Darrion Cotroneo, Bend Redmond Habitat for Humanity
Andrew Davis, Central Oregon Community College
Sienna Fitzpatrick, Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council
Peter McCaffrey, Envision Bend Board Treasurer, William Smith Properties
Lisa Merritt, Central Oregon Community College
Don Myll, Economic Development for Central Oregon
Madelyn Nasser, Bend business owner
Gary North, Bend Economic Development Advisory Board
Deb Schoen, Bend Parks and Recreation District
Kelsey Schwartz, Bend Parks and Recreation District
Forrest Smith, Oregon Employment Department
Michelle Solley, Envision Bend Board, St. Charles Foundation
Ben Weber, Bend urban planner
Envision Bend wishes to express gratitude to the following food sponsors who are keeping the volunteer Action Teams energized: El Sancho Tacos, Backporch Coffee Roasters, Café Yumm, Taco Del Mar, Little Pizza Paradise, and Big Island Kona Mix Plate. Envision Bend is a nonprofit organization that works with government, business, community groups, and people of all backgrounds and perspectives from across the Bend area to help shape the community’s future, making Bend a better place for everyone. To learn more, please visit the nonprofit’s website at envisionbend.org, or its Facebook page at facebook.com/EnvisionBend.
