Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Leaders

Unlike a traditional academic experience or conference, this program is presented by a combination of leaders – including business people, university professors, government officials, and not-for-profit directors.

In 2008, participants enjoyed dynamic discussions with 44 different experts. Click here to see the expert leaders and view video clips from the 2008 program. Many of these same leaders will be joining us this summer.

Ted Kulongoski, Govenor of OregonGovenor Kulongoski Joins Our Panel of Leaders

This year the Governor will lead a joint session to provide the senior policy perspective on the built environment, agriculture and food systems, and their part in the state’s broader sustainability strategy.

Featured Leaders Include:

Gail Achterman, Director - Institute for Natural Resources, Oregon State University and Chair, Oregon Transportation CommissionGail Achterman, Director - Institute for Natural Resources, Oregon State University and Chair, Oregon Transportation Commission

Before joining the Institute for Natural Resources, Gail served as Executive Director of the Deschutes Resources Conservancy, a non-profit organization dedicated to watershed restoration. She practiced law for 18 years with Stoel Rives, LLP, and served as Governor Neil Goldschmidt’s Assistant for Natural Resources. She is a leading state and national natural resource and environmental expert with policy making experience at the state, local and federal level enabling her to work across and within multiple interests and disciplines. Gail has served on the Oregon Transportation Commission since 2000 and became chair in December 2007. She also is a member of the advisory board of the Klamath Basin Rangeland Trust and serves on the Board of Directors of the Oregon Wave Energy Trust. Gail holds a master's degree in Natural Resources Policy and Management, along with a JD from the University of Michigan, and an AB in Economics from Stanford University.

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Dr. Robert BassDr. Robert Bass, Assistant Professor and Program Director, Renewable Energy Engineering - Oregon Institute of Technology

Dr. Robert Bass is an assistant professor at the Oregon Institute of Technology in Portland, where he directs the Renewable Energy Engineering bachelors degree program (BSREE), the first engineering program of its kind in North America. He is also a member of the Oregon Renewable Energy Center, OREC, where he participates in undergraduate research projects concerning microhydro power generation, solar thermal absorption chillers and electrochemical production of hydrogen.

In addition to running the BSREE program, Dr. Bass also specializes in teaching courses in electrochemistry, thermodynamics, electromechanical energy conversion, electric power, circuit fundamentals, photovoltaic systems, fuel cells, solid-state materials and power electronics.

Dr. Bass received his Doctorate in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia in 2004. His dissertation research centered on sub-micron semiconductor device fabrication methods, submillimeter-wave and quasi-optical circuit design, and unique fabrication technologies for superconducting terahertz heterodyne receivers. He got into renewable energy via good fortune.

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Duke Castle, Principal, The Castle GroupDuke Castle, Principal, The Castle Group

Duke was part of a group that introduced the Natural Step sustainability framework to Oregon in 1997. The group’s goal was to show business and community organizations how they could move toward creating a sustainable society while maintaining a healthy economy. Since then he has been prominent in teaching organizations how to effectively integrate the Natural Step sustainability framework into their business planning and strategic operations. He has conducted close to 400 sustainability trainings and briefings throughout the State of Oregon and other parts of the Pacific Northwest.

In 2000 he was asked to train Oregon state leaders on sustainability and The Natural Step as part of Governor Kitzhaber's sustainability executive order. Duke’s business experience includes ten years as a marketing manager at Hewlett Packard and fifteen years as a strategic planning and marketing consultant. He has a BS degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University and an MBA in marketing from Stanford.

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David Chen, Founder and Managing Director - Equilibrium Capital Group LLCDavid Chen, Founder and Managing Director - Equilibrium Capital Group LLC

Dave’s focus on sustainability is a result of his work in venture capital, regional economic development and energy policy. In 2007, he was a visiting executive at the Meyer Memorial Trust developing a investing thesis on mission related investing (MRI); this tool has since been adopted by several institutions. In late 2007, he formed Equilibrium Capital Group; an investment firm focused on growth equity investment opportunities in the area of sustainability.

 Most recently Dave was a general partner at OVP Venture Partners, joining the firm in 2001.  His investments at OVP include @once, Ambric, Intelligent Results, Net6, Tzero, and UXComm. He served on the board of @mobile prior to its acquisition by software.com, @Once prior to its acquisition by Info USA, Net6 prior to its acquisition by Citrix, and IR prior to its acquisition by First Data. Until 2002 he served on the board of HNC Software (NASDAQ:HNCS, now NYSE:FIC).

Prior to OVP, Dave founded GeoTrust & The Ascent Group; was Vice President Marketing Mentor Graphics; was an associate at McKinsey & Co; and was an early team member in 1978 at Solectron.

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Jay Coalson, President & CEO, Green Building ServicesJay Coalson, President & CEO, Green Building Services

As President and CEO of GBS, Jay is responsible for the creation and on-going development of a progressive, employee-owned sustainable development consulting practice.

Green Building Services, a leader in sustainable building, provides consulting services that help customers meet expectations for sustainable design, energy conservation, strategy, commercial building codes and green technology and environmental design trends.

With over 15 years of marketing, communication and strategic planning experience, Jay has a passion for understanding client needs, providing clear communication and delivering unique, high quality products.

Within the realm of sustainability Jay has taken a special interest in issues pertaining to social equity, especially around affordable home ownership and early childhood education.

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Kent Duffy, Principal, SRG Partnership, Inc. Kent Duffy, FAIA, LEED AP, Principal, SRG Partnership, Inc.

Kent Duffy is an award-winning design principal highly regarded for his innovations in sustainable design. In 2007, he was honored as a fellow with the American Institute of Architects for his achievements in working on high-performance green buildings. With more than 35 years of experience, Kent has an extensive background in learning environments, science buildings and campus master planning, driven by a passion to create distinctive projects that educate by example and promote public awareness. His recently completed Mount Angel Abbey Academic Center has garnered widespread recognition as a prototype of innovative daylighting, passive cooling and natural ventilation. In addition, his design of the University of Oregon Lillis Business Complex has received critical acclaim in the Wall Street Journal, High Performance Building, Metropolis, and Solar Today for its creative use of natural light and solar energy, and was the inaugural winner of the BetterBricks Award for Architecture.

Kent holds a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oregon. A frequent presenter at Project Kaleidoscope and The Council of Independent Colleges events and a close collaborator with the University of Oregon’s Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory, Kent advocates his design approach to local, regional and national audiences. He is a founding member of the Board of Advisors for Oregon State University’s College of Education and past Chair of the Board of Visitors for the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts, as well as current Chair of the AIA Portland Fellows Committee and past President of AIA Portland.

Jim Figurski, Technical Director and PrincipaJim Figurski, Technical Director and Principal, GreenWorks, PC

Jim has a total of over 28 years of professional experience -- 11 of those years in parks and recreation planning, community involvement, design and project management. Jim's responsibilities on projects include planning and land use permits, design and construction documents, and construction administration. Otherwise, he is just the 'answer guy' and a general foil for others. Jim is adept at public involvement and presentations before diverse citizen groups, business associations, and governing bodies.

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Christopher Forney, LEED®AP – Director, Sustainable Buildings GroupChristopher Forney, LEED®AP – Director, Sustainable Buildings Group

Chris has managed and provided oversight on more than a dozen LEED programs.  With more than ten years experience in design and construction in Portland, Oregon and Boston, Massachusetts spanning multiple project types, Chris applies his project management experience and knowledge of sustainable building practices to support project teams and develop clear strategies toward sustainability.  By working closely with developers, architects, engineers and contractors, Chris helps teams identify potential sustainable building strategies and then comprehensively evaluate the associated costs, benefits and challenges.  This process delivers clear goals and benchmarks for success.

Prior to Brightworks Chris was a project manager and designer for multi-family residential and high-rise development projects at Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects in Portland, Oregon.  Chris had a key role in establishing the AMAA “Green Team”, providing educational development and firm-wide integration of sustainable building and design practices.

Chris is an active member in the USGBC Cascadia Chapter, serving as the Portland branch steering committee co-chair from 2003 - 2008.

Chris has delivered workshops on successful LEED program management techniques, “Succeed At LEED” with Scott Lewis since 2006 and more recently, LEED-NC 2.2 exam preparation trainings.  Workshops have been presented in Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, Spokane, WA, Vancouver, BC, Honolulu, HI, San Francisco, CA and Los Angeles, CA.   “Green Your Specifications” was developed for integrating LEED documentation and sustainability requirements into the project manual and was presented at the regional CSI Conference in Portland, OR in 2006.  Chris is an experienced presenter and facilitator including LEED exam training, community charrette facilitation for the South Waterfront visioning sessions in Portland, Oregon and numerous eco-charrette facilitations for LEED-NC, LEED-H, LEED-CS and LEED-CI projects.

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Ted Gilbert, President - Baron Equities And Resources, Inc.Ted Gilbert, President - Baron Equities And Resources, Inc.

 For 26 years, Ted Gilbert has been a part of the Portland real estate landscape through his involvement in the acquisition, development, renovation, and marketing of investment real estate.  As a Portland native, he is passionate about the city and its emergence as a national leader in planning for sustainability; as well as being a part of the legacy today’s leaders will leave to future generations.

 Ted has a passion for community development.  He co-founded and serves on the Boards of five Portland community organizations, including two affordable housing non-profit’s–-HOST Development, Inc. and Portland Affordable Housing Preservation Trust—as well as Albina Community Bank, Albina Opportunities Corp., and Friends of Gateway Green—a prospective new bike and nature park for East Portland.  Ted is a member of the Program Advisory Committee for the Gateway Regional Center.  His dream for the Gateway area is to create one of Portland’s largest sustainable walking communities.

Under his leadership, HOST Development is creating the first LEED-certified subdivision in the country.

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Nathan Good, AIA, LEED AP – Principal, Nathan Good Architects PCNathan Good, AIA, LEED AP – Principal, Nathan Good Architects, PC

Nathan Good is a licensed Architect, certified Interior Designer and sustainable development consultant. He specializes in projects that bridge environmental performance with character and aesthetics. Nathan utilizes a collaborative design process for the majority his projects that actively engage his clients, contractors, consultants, and other key stakeholders into the design. All of his projects strive to reduce their environmental impact through thoughtful site planning, an aggressive reduction of energy consumption, water savings, the careful selection of materials, enhanced indoor air quality, and durability.

Since the launch of Nathan Good Architects PC in 2005, his firm has received design awards from the Portland and Salem chapters of the American Institute of Architects, Sunset magazine’s “Western Home Awards”, Environmental Design + Construction’s “Design Excellence” award, the National Association of Home Builder’s “Custom Green Home of the Year”, and Portland Spaces first “Root Award” in the House category. Projects designed by Nathan have been featured in a number of publications, including: Portland Spaces, Sunset, Alaska Airlines, Time, Environmental Design + Construction, NW Home and Garden, Solar Today, Ultimate NW and Fine Homebuilding.

Prior to forming Nathan Good Architects PC, Nathan served as a sustainable development advisor for CH2M HILL and contributed his expertise to a wide range of projects that included the redevelopment of the Toronto Waterfront, the US Air Force Academy, a new State Park for Oregon, and multiple LEED Certified projects for Gerding Edlen Development. From 1996 until 2001, Nathan managed the first commercial green building certification program in the US for Portland General Electric and was the founder and director of Green Building Services, one of the premier green-building consulting firms.

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Daniel D. Heagerty, Chief Strategic Officer - David Evans Enterprises, Inc. Daniel D. Heagerty, Chief Strategic Officer - David Evans Enterprises, Inc.

Daniel D. Heagerty is the Chief Strategic Officer for David Evans Enterprises, Inc. (DEEI), a Portland based holding company that includes four subsidiaries in 20 offices in the western United States.  His focus is on the emerging needs and technologies of the infrastructure of the built and natural environments. Mr. Heagerty serves on the Executive Committee of DEEI, leads strategic planning for the four subsidiary companies, and leads company start-up initiatives. Mr. Heagerty is the President of Momentum Renewable Energy, Inc., the DEEI business enterprise established to develop and own renewable energy facilities in the United States.

With more than 30 years of experience in science and engineering consulting, Mr. Heagerty has specialized in water and energy policies and emerging major shifts in technology and services. He serves as Co-Chair of the State of Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, a Board Member of the Oregon Business Association, and a Board Member of the Illahee Institute of the Northwest.

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Nicole Isle, LEED-Accredited ProfessionalNicole Isle, LEED-Accredited Professional

Nicole Isle is a sustainability advisor at Brightworks where she specializes in integrated design strategies for single and multiple building projects as well as for conceptual master planning programs. Nicole leads planning, design and construction teams through this creative process with the use of several sustainability tools including LEED, The Natural Step, Living Building Challenge and Biomimicry in order to help define and integrate sustainability goals into each project. Her focus and key strategy in realizing a more comprehensive level of sustainability is by engaging teams early in the development process to maximize project value and client satisfaction. 

With a degree in Fisheries Science and Watershed Ecology from Oregon State University and a Master’s in the Urban and Regional Planning at Portland State University, Nicole combines her educational background, prior environmental consulting experience, and wealth of enthusiasm on every project to help clients realize their project-related sustainability goals.  In her portfolio, Nicole has worked on a wide variety of building types including multi-family residential, hospitality, higher education and municipal as well as office buildings ranging from 15,000 to 1 million SF.  She has diverse experience with single and multiple building projects as well as university and community master plans in the U.S., Mexico and SE Asia. Nicole’s most recent project includes a 7,000-acre near-zero carbon community located in South Korea.

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Jason King, ASLA, LEED AP, Landscape Architect, GreenWorksJason King, ASLA, LEED AP, Landscape Architect, GreenWorks, PC

Jason is a landscape architect with 12 years of diverse experience. He has worked on large-scale park and recreation projects, system master plans, site design, healing environments, and innovative environmental design practices throughout the region.   This sustainable ethic has made him a leader for developing innovative stormwater management projects, and neighborhood approaches to watershed-based planning.  His focus on sustainable and ecological design aspects of landscape architecture includes a number of LEED projects, as well as site strategies for vegetated architecture, including award-winning ecoroof designs, rooftop gardens, and agriculturally productive landscapes.  Recent honors include leading the first-place winning team for Metro’s Integrating Habitats Competition in 2008, which re-envisioned the big-box as a habitat-sensitive and regenerative environment.

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Dick Loffelmacher, Director of Retail Development, Pacific Realty Associates, L.P.Richard Loffelmacher, Director of Retail Development, PacTrust

Richard (Dick) Loffelmacher has been with PacTrust since 1991 as Director of Retail Development. PacTrust is a Portland-based real estate development and investment company. It is a fully integrated real estate entity with site selection, design, construction, leasing and property management capabilities.

Dick's primary responsibilities are to lease and develop shopping centers and the retail portions of mixed use projects. Recent redevelopment projects include Gateway Shopping Center and International Corporate Center, both in Portland, OR. Current development projects are the Columbia Tech Center, a 402-acre mixed use project in Vancouver, WA; and Orenco Station, a 253-acre mixed use project in Hillsboro, OR, and a 28-acre retail development in Salem, OR.

Dick is currently is currently involved with the Board of Directors of the West Side Economic Alliance and International Council of Shopping Centers.

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Renee Loveland, Gerding Edlen’s Sustainable SolutionsRenee Loveland, Gerding Edlen’s Sustainable Solutions

Renee Loveland is LEED v2.2 Accredited Professional whose tenure at Gerding Edlen began when the company was founded in 1996. Before becoming a member of Gerding Edlen’s Sustainable Solutions group, Renee held the position of Sustainability Manager for six years. Renee began LEED project management in 2000 with the development of The Brewery Blocks in Portland’s Pearl District and across GED’s portfolio managed LEED budgeting and overall certification, securing financial incentives, sustainability marketing, green building education and outreach, and green building policy advocacy.

With direct experience focused in large part on energy analysis and commissioning coordination on over 35 LEED registered or certified projects from Portland to Los Angeles and Bellevue, Renee has helped Gerding Edlen build a track record of many firsts. Renee’s work currently focuses on assessment, strategic planning and execution of retrofits for portfolio real estate owners.

Renee is currently serving a three-year term on the City of Portland’s Development Review Advisory committee (DRAC). Renee graduated magna cum laude from the American University in Paris with a Bachelor’s of Arts in International Relations and a double minor in International Economics and French Language.

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Dr. Bradley Malsin, Principal, Beam DevelopmentDr. Bradley Malsin, Principal, Beam Development

For twelve years, Dr. Bradley Malsin was a practicing visual rehabilitation specialist. He anchored a large vision specialty practice with four partners, six associates and myriad staff and technicians in mid-town Manhattan. He taught, lectured and conducted research in pioneering techniques in restoration and rehabilitation of complex visual loss both in the United States and abroad often times in the capacity of humanitarian medical relief work.

It was in New York, that Bradley became involved in several groundbreaking projects both rehabilitation and new construction in nature. He was one of the owners and primary development partners in The Bindery Condominium, a 48-unit duplex live-work transformation of a vacant warehouse on Pearl Street in lower southeast Manhattan. He also participated in a 68 unit, eight story, new build cooperative project at West 80th in the upper west side of Manhattan. He was also involved in a 60-unit, mixed-use new condominium project at West 11th Street and Westside Highway St. in Manhattan. He was further involved with many smaller rehabilitation and new construction projects throughout Manhattan. Bradley’s experience in New York shaped his philosophy that there is inherent value in adapting older buildings and transforming them into something viable for the future.

He relocated to Portland, Oregon in 1992 and established a real estate construction, development and management company. He began his business working on a plethora of 1-4 unit plex projects that he restored and attained admittance onto the National Historic Registry. Utilizing the urban visionary skills acquired in New York, he soon put them to work in Portland. He acquired The Historic Fairmount Hotel in 1999, which is the last remaining building in its original position at the gate of the 1904 Lewis & Clark Exposition. After complete rehabilitation, the end result yielded 80 units of affordable housing in northwest Portland and another admittance onto the National Historic Registry.

In 2002 he turned his investment and development attention to industrial adaptation. Bradley undertook a groundbreaking project in the Central Eastside Industrial Sanctuary. This group of buildings are better known as the Eastbank Commerce Center andWater Avenue Commerce Center and boast retail, design and light production facilities, showrooms and office flex space. Both buildings were admitted onto the National Historic Registry and granted Landmark status in July of 2004. This previously vacant warehouse yielded 82 units of flex workspace spanning 142,000 square feet and now proudly serves as the home for over 275 new jobs.

In 2005 Bradley began his largest project to date; the 172,000 square foot B&O Warehouse located in the Central Eastside Industrial Sanctuary. Renamed the Olympic Mills Commerce Center, this 8 story high-rise was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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John McKee, Dean of Science and Engineering at Portland Community CollegeJohn McKee, Dean of Science and Engineering at Portland Community College

John McKee has long been interested in sustainability and the environment ever since his days growing up in the Columbia River Gorge where he hiked mountain trails as a teenager and recycled long before it was fashionable. John is currently the Dean of Science and Engineering at PCC Sylvania Campus where he is leading the planning for district green technology and sustainability curricula. John began his higher education career in earnest, several years ago, as an adjunct faculty member teaching a variety of courses and in a student services leadership role at a small private University. Since that time, he has gained a deep understanding and breadth of experience addressing many of the complex issues facing community colleges today, at both the institution and system level.

Barry Messer, Ph.D, Assistant Professor of Urban Studies and PlanningDr. Barry Messer, Associate Professor, Urban Studies – Portland State University

Dr. Barry Messer (B.A., Whittier College; M.A., University of Pittsburgh; Ph.D., Portland State University) currently holds the appointment of Associate Professor, Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University.  His professional experience includes nearly 20 years in public services as community development director for a NGO and chief administrative officer for county government.   As a faculty member, his teaching experience has included both graduate and undergraduate courses in community development, environmental management and civic leadership.  His research experience has included numerous sponsored research activities, publications and projects involving community based environmental management initiatives, sustainable community development and community university partnerships.  For 15 years, he has been the Principle Investigator and lead for the Community Watershed Stewardship Program, a partnership with the Bureau of Environmental Services, City of Portland and recipient of the first Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter National Award for Community/University Collaboration.

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Molly Murphy, Site Manager – The Gordon House Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

Molly Murphy is the Site Manager for the Gordon House, the only building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Oregon.  The mid-century modern house is a state treasure and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and designed by the greatest American architect according to the American Institute of Architects.  Molly came to the Gordon House in 2002 as the Curator’s Assistant and now serves as the Site Manager.  She graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science in Poultry Science degree in 1982 and a Master of Agriculture in Poultry Science, Animal Science, and Extension Education in 1984.

In 2001, Molly began working for The Oregon Garden.  The Gordon House began its move south to The Garden in Silverton that same year.  The new Gordon House Conservancy board hired a Curator for the historic site who needed an assistant.  Molly continued overseeing the Gordon House membership and donation programs while training as a tour guide and curatorial assistant.  Her work grew to include supervision of the tour and volunteer programs and administration of the historic site.  As liaison to the Gordon House Conservancy, Molly has worked closely with several Oregon heritage sites and organizations as well as the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and other Wright sites across the country.  Her work at the Gordon House has developed many rewarding personal contacts from around the world.

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Tom Osdoba, Director, Sustainable Economic DevelopmentTom Osdoba, Director, Sustainable Economic Development, City of Portland (Video Clip )

Tom Osdoba is managing Portland, Oregon’s sustainable economic development efforts, and has served as Acting Director of the Canada Carbon Trust, a collaborative effort to build an organization committed to action to fight climate change and foster sustainable development. The CCT has been conceived as a new economic model designed to mobilize and accelerate investments to reduce carbon emissions, and to establish the building blocks for future generations.

Tom was the Sustainability Manager for the City of Vancouver from November 2004 through March 2007. Prior to coming to Vancouver, he ran his own environmental strategy firm focused on eco-industrial development, sustainable building design, product stewardship programs, and recycling and resource efficiency. Tom served the state of Minnesota in several capacities, developing environmental policies and programs, and helped to create Minnesota’s sustainable communities program.

He has 20 years of experience in environmental policy development, and initiatives to promote and support sustainable development. He has extensive training and experience in process design and facilitation, as well as strategic planning and systems analysis.

M.A. in Public Policy, Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota. B.S. in Economics, St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota.

Dr. David Sailor, Professor – Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Portland State UniversityDr. David Sailor, Professor, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Portland State University

Dr. Sailor received his Ph.D. in 1993 in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley where he conducted research as part of the Urban Heat Island Project at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He then spent 9 years on the Engineering faculty at Tulane University as Assistant, then tenured Associate Professor. While there he also served as Director (1999-2002) of the South Central Regional Center of the National Institute for Global Environmental Change (NIGEC) - a Department of Energy-funded institute that conducts research into the regional impacts of climate change. In 2003 he joined the faculty at Portland State University, where is currently a Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering.

Dr. Sailor's research is in the general field of "energy and the environment", with applications in air quality, human health, energy, and climate change. Dr. Sailor's research encompasses scales ranging from energy analysis of individual buildings to measurements and modeling of the urban climate system. He teaches fundamental courses in the thermal sciences and applied courses in the building sciences. He is a LEED AP and applies his knowledge of green building design and performance in both his research and teaching. His research has resulted in numerous peer-reviewed publications and invited lectures within the US as well as abroad. He is a reviewer for a number of journals including Journal of Climate, Energy, Climate Research, Energy and Buildings, Climatic Change, and Journal of Applied Meteorology. He has been a reviewer for and contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), culminating in his contributions to the IPCC 4th Assessment report which shared the honor of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He has also served as a panel reviewer for various agencies, including the US Department of Energy, EPA and the NSF.

He is actively involved in several professional societies and is currently the chair of the American Meteorological Society's Board on the Urban Environment.

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Timothy W. Smith, AIA, AICP – SERA Architects Principal, Director of Urban Design and PlanningTimothy W. Smith, AIA, AICP – SERA Architects Principal, Director of Urban Design and Planning

Tim is an architect, urban designer and city planner with over 30 years of professional experience. He is the recipient of numerous awards for his work in Smart Growth and design and planning for sustainable communities. He has directed planning and design studies for transit-oriented development, new towns and villages, the revitalization of existing villages, corridor planning projects, land use studies, town center planning and design projects, and community involvement initiatives. Tim is currently developing and implementing a sustainability approach called civic ecology:  a community systems framework that empowers citizens to envision, design and manage their local soft flows by integrating social, ecological and economic capital. He is applying this framework in a number of Portland-area communities, and to the development and creation of an eco-district within and around the Portland State University campus in downtown Portland. Tim lectures widely on the topics of civic ecology and sustainable urbanism.

Tim has a Masters in City Planning and a Masters in Architecture-Urban Design from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a Masters in Architecture-Building Technologies and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Michigan. Tim has served as Vice President of the Portland Planning Commission, on the Portland Chapter AIA Urban Design Committee, and the Portland Mayor’s Central City Roundtable.

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Eli Spevak, Principal – Orange Splot LLCEli Spevak, Principal, Orange Splot LLC

Eli Spevak has been creating affordable, community-oriented housing developments in Portland since he came here in 2004 to volunteer as a construction site supervisor with Portland Habitat for Humanity. Since then, he has worked with community based non-profit organizations Human Solutions, Inc. and the Housing Development Center to develop over 250 units of affordable housing.

After taking a year off to work as a backcountry ranger, Eli launched a development and general contractor company, Orange Splot LLC, with a mission to pioneer new models of community-oriented, affordable, green housing developments in Portland - ideally within an easy bike ride of his house. So far, Orange Splot has completed two new cohousing communities in N/NE Portland and a single family community with a couple detached bedroom 'garden cottages.' Permits for the next project are nearly in hand.

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Kat West, Sustainability ManagerKat West, Sustainability Manager, Multnomah County

Kat West is the Sustainability Manager for Multnomah County. Previously, Kat was an enforcement attorney with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and an expert on revitalizing contaminated property. Kat is a graduate of Lewis & Clark Law School where she earned her environmental law degree. Kat's current favorite project is updating the 2001 Portland/Multnomah Local Action Plan on Global Warming.

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Dennis Wilde, Principal, Gerding EdlenDennis Wilde, Principal, Gerding Edlen Development (Video Clip )

Dennis Wilde’s passion for sustainable urban development runs deep. From his graduate studies in architecture and urban planning to his current role at Gerding Edlen, environmental responsibility and smart design are central to his philosophy. He first realized the possibilities of sustainability from a business perspective while attending a workshop on The Natural Step in 1997, the same year he joined Gerding Edlen. Dennis was drawn to the company because of the ethical standards that Bob and Mark articulated and employed in all of their dealings.

As Gerding Edlen’s designated “green guy,” Dennis has encouraged increased environmental stewardship in development projects while building a strong business case for the economic and social benefits of environmental responsibility. Dennis’ responsibilities include feasibility studies, management of the pre-construction process and overall project management and he is also an active board member of the Natural Step Network, the Cascadia Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, and the Oregon Built Environment & Sustainable Technologies Center (Oregon BEST).

Dennis is passionate about design as well, believing that it is an expression of man’s highest aspirations. He has more than 20 years of experience in urban planning and design, and has been active in construction and real estate development since 1967. He earned a degree in Architectural Engineering from Washington State University, as well as master's degrees in architecture and urban planning from the University of Pennsylvania.

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