Board of Directors
Brendan Barnicle is a research analyst at Pacific Crest Securities, specializing in software and software-as-a-service. In his role, he helps institutional investors determine where they should make their software investments. He makes frequent appearances on CNBC and in the financial press. Brendan is also Chairman of the Board of the Oregon Bus Project and serves on the City of Portland’s Investment Advisory Committee. An active mountaineer and skier, Brendan has summited Mt. Elbrus, Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Blanc.
Nancy Becker is a registered dietitian who for 30 years has specialized in the politics of food, food policy, cooking low on the food chain, and health education.
Most recently Nancy has focused on nutrition policy to address the obesity epidemic. She currently chairs the Oregon Nutrition Policy Alliance, the group that in 2007 put forth legislation to set nutrition standards for snack foods in Oregon schools, and in 2009 helped institute statewide menu labeling in chain restaurants.
Nancy serves on the board of directors of ADAPAC, the national political action committee of the American Dietetic Association (ADA); last year, she won the association's Award for Grassroots Excellence.
Nancy also teaches nutrition as an adjunct professor in the chemistry department at Portland State University, and is a dietitian consultant at Community Health Partnership, Oregon’s Public Health Institute. She lives in Portland with her husband and has two grown sons.
Steven Berman is a lawyer in private practice at Stoll Berne, a Portland, Oregon law firm. He has an extensive background in Oregon politics and has provided counsel and representation to many progressive and environmental organizations on statewide initiatives and referenda.
In 2008, Steven took a break from private practice and served as legal counsel and research director for Defend Oregon, which won all nine of its ballot measure campaigns. In 2009, as counsel for Our Oregon, he successfully lobbied the Oregon Legislature for reforms to protect Oregon’s initiative and referendum process from fraud and corruption. In 2010, Steven acted as in-house counsel and research director for the campaign to pass Measures 66 and 67.
Steven also serves on the board of directors of Economic Fairness Oregon. In his free time, he’s running the trails of Forest Park, surfing the Oregon coast or backcountry skiing in an undisclosed location.
Steven lives in North Portland with his wife--local artist Suzy Root--and their dog, Frankie.
Jennifer Bragar is a Portland-based attorney at Garvey Schubert Barer focused on land use, municipal and environmental law. She represents business, community, and government entities in matters unique to land use planning and municipal matters. She has appeared before the Land Use Board of Appeals and is a frequent lecturer and author on Oregon land use law.
Before entering private practice, Jennifer founded JB Associates (1999-2003), a land use and political consulting firm in the Monterey Bay area providing services to clients around the central coast of California. She has managed campaigns for the district attorney, other elected officials, and a variety of local Santa Cruz ballot measures.
Now, Jennifer brings her passion for advocacy to the table in her community service activities where she is President of a non-profit organization, the Housing Land Advocates, and serves on the Board of the Portland Chapter of the Women of Wind Energy with a broad reach to promote all types of renewable energy sources.
Jennifer rounds out her days at Wallace Park where she meets up with her husband Don, and daughter Viviana. Weekends are spent frolicking around Forest Park - at least until we grow out of nap time!
Charlie comes to OLCV from Edelman, the world’s largest independent public relations firm. At Edelman, Burr manages public involvement for Oregon Bridge Delivery Partners, a major statewide infrastructure client.
Prior to working with Edelman, Burr served as spokesperson for Gov. Ted Kulongoski. He helped promote the governor’s clean energy agenda & sustainable economic development efforts. Burr has also managed numerous political campaigns, including a targeted state senate victory in 2002 that resulted in a pro-environment majority in the Oregon Senate.
In 2004, Burr was an architect of a successful effort to defeat a tort reform measure amending Oregon’s Constitution. He was especially proud to earn OLCV’s “Volunteer of the Year” award in 2001 for his county organizing work.
Burr lives in northeast Portland with his wife Libby Upham and daughter, Marigny McCall Burr. His dog Eads has served as mascot for many local grassroots campaign, but currently is known for his singular ability to produce his own body weight in saliva every 38.2 hours.
Nicole Cordan is the policy and legal director for the Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition (SOS). She lobbies on Capitol Hill and practices environmental and natural resource law, with an emphasis in Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act issues.
Prior to joining SOS, Nicole was the acting director and attorney in the Western Natural Resource Center of the National Wildlife Federation. From 1995-1997, she worked as a staff attorney for the Pacific Environmental Advocacy Center, the environmental law clinic at Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College, and held the Natural Resource Fellowship position at the law school in 1995. Nicole has written and lectured on various topics including hydroelectric operations and their effects on salmon, Clean Air Act, global climate change, federal and state water rights, and water quality standards.
She received her B. A. in 1988 from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College in 1995.
Walt Gorman is a retired Intel software engineer who has earned awards, including the Harold M. Haynes Citizen Involvement Award and OLCV's Volunteer of the Year Award, for his longtime involvement in Washington County politics. Walt's local involvement includes the Clean Water Services citizen advisory committee and the Washington County planning commission. Walt has also been appointed to budget committees for the Clean Walter Services, Tualatin Valley Water, and Urban Road Maintenance Districts. He also serves on the OLCV Washington County Steering Committee.
Robin Hartmann is a consultant with expertise in project management, communications, and government affairs as they relate to natural resources management.
She is currently serving as the Ocean Program Director for Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, as well as on the state of Oregon's Ocean Policy Advisory Council and the board of the Oregon Wave Energy Trust.
Robin lives in Roseburg, where for eight years she was the executive director of The North Umpqua Foundation, a native fish and river advocacy organization. Prior to that, Robin directed the Umpqua Land Exchange Project, served as natural resources legislative assistant to Rep. Larry LaRocco of Idaho, and was the communications program director for Intermountain Forest Industry Association.
Ken Hayes joined OLCV’s board in 2011. He grew up in Santa Barbara, CA and found a passion there for land-use issues. He got involved when he saw that local laws were not being enforced by politicians, shifting the burden of growth from developers to taxpayers.
Ken graduated from Sonoma State University with a degree Business Management and Economics in 1991. He then worked as a manager for a Fortune 500 company for six years in the San Francisco area. That experience was followed up by working as a health club manager for four years in his hometown.
In 1999, Ken moved to Oregon, and he was inspired to get involved here after seeing the important protection the Metro Regional Government provided to preserve the environment and quality of life for all Oregonians. He has since been active in many local campaigns, including helping Bob Stacy run for Metro’s Presidency, supporting Measures 49, 66, and 67, and helping Jeff Merkley get elected to the U.S. Senate. His passion is to bring land-use issues to the forefront of public policy and fighting to protect the special place we call home: Oregon.
Stephen Kafoury is a lobbyist representing several clients concerned with protecting Oregon’s environment.
Stephen served in the Oregon House of Representatives and the Oregon Senate for four sessions in the 1970s, and had a 100 percent voting record on the environment there.
After leaving the legislature he served as chair of the Portland School Board and president of the Oregon School Boards Association. Stephen is currently past president of the Northwest Children’s Theater and School.
Jessica Keys leads the Oregon office of Strategies 360, a strategic positioning firm. Jessica returned to Oregon in July of 2012 after a stint in Washington D.C. as a Senior Policy Advisor for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Reporting to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, Jessica worked closely with White House staff and diverse federal entities to implement the National Ocean Policy.
Before working inside the Beltway, Jessica built an impressive record in Oregon working on natural resource and environmental issues. She worked five years as a policy advisor to Governor Ted Kulongoski, focusing on ocean science and conservation, ocean renewable energy, environmental justice, and public lands protection. Working for Governor Kulongoski was the one thing that could lure her away from the job she held here at OLCV! Jessica served as OLCV’s first lobbyist in Salem, and helped to coordinate the Oregon Conservation Network.
Jessica and her husband CJ live in St. Johns, home of the best bridge – and the best community -- in Portland.
Eric is founder of Lemelson Vineyards, which produces some of world's finest Pinot Noir. An Oregonian since the late 1970s, Lemelson's first career was not as a farmer, but as an environmental lawyer with a strong commitment to "green" principles.
Christine Lewis has been engaged in public interest advocacy and elections at the local, state, and national level since getting involved as a student. A graduate of Reed College, Lewis has held positions with Our Oceans/Pew Environment Group, SEIU Local 503, and numerous progressive ballot measures and candidate campaigns. She volunteers her legislative, fundraising, and campaign expertise to a number of organizations, including the Sierra Club, Grand Aspirations, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, and The Oregon Zoo Foundation. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, supporting Portland’s performing arts, reading, and preparing her West Linn home for the dog she hopes to adopt sometime in the future.
Andrea is a co-founder and principal at SHARP Strategies Consulting, LLC where she helps clients navigate policy, politics, and people in the legislative and policy arenas. Before forming SHARP Strategies in 2012, Andrea served as the legislative director for the Oregon Environmental Council successfully lobbying OEC’s low-carbon fuel standard, deca-bde, IPM in schools and greenhouse gas planning bills. Andrea’s legislative career also includes two years as Congresswoman Darlene Hooley’s district aide. In addition, she brings ten years of legislative experience working in our nation's Capitol as a lobbyist and legislative aide in both chambers. Andrea holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley.
Bing Sheldon is the retired chairman and founder of SERA Architects. His experience in master planning, mixed-use facilities and adaptive reuse of historic structures has shaped the City of Portland since the 1970s. Bing received a Bachelor of Economics from Tufts University in 1956 and a Master of Architecture from Harvard University in 1961. Bing is a recognized authority in dealing with preservation and renovation challenges and is the recipient of a plethora of awards for community service, with local publications hailing him as a "visionary." As former Chair of the City Planning Commission, he led the state's largest citizen-driven planning effort to produce the Portland Downtown Plan, which encouraged density and reduced sprawl.
Bing continues to be actively involved in community boards and advisory committees. He believes that Portlanders have a moral obligation to actively participate in the civic infrastructure which reflects our community values.
OLCV EMAIL SIGNUP
In my role on the Clackamas County OLCV steering committee, I am presented with new and exciting avenues of personal engagement in environmental conservation and political action.