Over the last 10 years, Oregon Solutions has worked with nearly 100 community leaders as conveners of projects. Conveners are appointed by the governor to provide impartial leadership for community projects based on their status and reputation in their regions. On Friday September 7th, Governor Kitzhaber and Oregon Solutions hosted a thank you lunch for current and past project conveners. The event took place at Portland State University, and was attended by over 35 conveners.
The lunch included words from Governor Kitzhaber, and a panel of conveners spoke of their experiences with projects and with Oregon Solutions:
“Oregon Solutions has worked for more than 10 years to respond to community issues that require cross-sector collaboration. What we have found is that leadership is key to the success of these projects.” Governor Kitzhaber
“Getting information on the table, hearing other people’s interests has a snowballing effect.” Mike McArthur, Executive Director, Association of Oregon Counties
“The intangible is how much conveners care about their projects.” Senator Betsy Johnson
“We would still be beating our heads against the wall if we didn’t have Oregon Solutions bringing the right people to the table.” Pendleton Mayor Phil Houk
“Vernonia may never have happened without Oregon Solutions — it was magical.” Tom Kelly