About: 

I'm a Central Oregon native having just returned from 10 years of living abroad as well as various West coast cities (SEA/PDX). I work remotely for Nike, enjoy photography as a hobby/part-time profession and am also cultivating my own embroidered clothing business. I genuinely enjoy working in leadership roles to help improve the quality of life for everyone involved. Having previously attended DBBA meetings, I'm confident in both the organization's ability to make impactful changes as well as my ability to contribute to those improvements.

What are downtown's three greatest assets?

1) Our communities' interest in holistically and healthy activities and our local business' ability to cater to those.

2) The youthful energy present, regardless of biological age, that continues to compel people out of their homes and into the community to live and experience all that Bend has to offer, especially downtown.

3) Geographic location, accessibility, proximity to natural spaces like Drake and the Deschutes.

What are downtown's three greatest opportunities?

1) Cultivating consistent foot traffic/economic stimulus in the quieter/shoulder seasons.

2) Developing a wider range of year round(particularly shoulder season) outdoor events centered around the hub of downtown that draw on the communities strong interest in music, art and food all while encouraging foot traffic.

3) Lighting the ACTUAL big Christmas tree, it's happening this year, mark my words.

What are downtown's three greatest challenges? 

1) Balancing growth with historical community character: As our downtown develops, there's tension between growth (new developments, high-rise buildings, modern architecture) and preserving the historical or cultural character of the area.

2) Downtown sees a surge in visitors during the summer and winter tourist seasons, but slower shoulder months (spring and fall) are leading to inconsistent revenue. Businesses that rely heavily on foot traffic struggle to maintain steady income year-round.

3) With Bend growing in popularity, especially with high-salaried remote workers, commercial rent prices downtown have risen. This is difficult for small/locally owned businesses trying to compete with larger or better-funded companies.

Why do you want to be on the DBBA board of directors?

I've found I have an intrinsic motivation to participate in my community and I think I have a keen sense of how to approach nuanced issues diplomatically & with a unique perspective. It's important to me to both listen to and empower the voices of the folks courageous enough to endeavour on their own business venture––and I believe that is where the best insight into meaning/positive change can be found.