MORE ABOUT MICHELLE EMMONS

Let's bring it down to earth.
I'm running this race because like you,
I care about our quality of life, our freedoms, and our future.

I grew up in Eugene, Oregon, and have lived and worked in urban and rural areas throughout the Willamette Valley. I am proud to be an Oregonian - there's no place else I'd rather call home! I earned a communications degree in 1999 from the University of Oregon. Over the course of my career, I have led numerous community initiatives working in the upper Willamette watershed as an entrepreneur, educator, and supporter of clean, healthy rivers while tying together efforts to address rural economic development, public lands stewardship, and outdoor recreation access.

I am a mother of two, and a grandmother of three. I also have two daughters by marriage. I walked in the shoes of single parenthood while putting myself through college and saving enough money to buy my own home, while trying to survive the high cost of living and supporting a family on my own. I understand the struggle. Access to healthcare, education, childcare, transportation, food security, and safe communities mattered to me back then, and are even more of a priority now.

Currently, I serve on the Oregon Trails Coalition Advisory Council and Oregon State Parks Recreation Trails Program Grant Committee. I am the executive director of the Oakridge Trails Alliance, and deputy director of Willamette Riverkeeper. I just finished a term as president of the Oakridge-Westfir Chamber of Commerce, and serve on both the Transportation and Economic Development Advisory Committees for the City of Oakridge.

I believe deeply in PEOPLE BEFORE POLITICS. In 2016, my husband and I temporarily relocated to Westfir part-time, eventually moving to Oakridge right before the pandemic began. We experienced heavy snow, flooding, and landslides during that time, preventing us from accessing electricity, food, gas and other basic goods and services. However, our community came together to ensure all our residents' well being and safety.

A couple years later, I helped our community successfully appeal a land use decision that would have prioritized a sizable private enterprise over the health of our township, threatening to deplete nearby groundwater sources and exacerbate air quality problems. And just last year, many of us evacuated our homes due to a wildfire, now working collaboratively with neighbors and agencies across our region to proactively implement climate resiliency and public safety efforts. No matter how bitter the politics, in each of these situations, our neighbors stood by each other and we continue to do so for the benefit of our greater community.

This is what LEADING OREGON TOGETHER looks like, and it is this connectedness that drives me to keep working toward positive change and solutions to help elevate our communities. This is also the spirit in which we must adapt and support policies that protect our basic freedoms, starting with body autonomy and protecting our most vulnerable citizens, ensuring that every voice has a place at the table to help shape our future together.

Please join me in this journey.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

My professional experience spans 35+ years of developing and executing communication strategies and facilitating community partnerships, including interactive events to aid in uniting people in celebration, education, or problem-solving. The culmination of this work, which ranged from real estate projects and small business development to volunteer coordination and promoting non-profit causes like clean water and public lands stewardship, has been crucial in forming my leadership skills and creating space for viewpoints different from my own.

PUBLIC EDUCATION

I was a late college graduate who earned my degree from the University of Oregon in 1999 while raising two children as a single parent and working three jobs. I am aware of how difficult it is for underserved students to take this path. I have also worked as a non-profit education coordinator, delivering in-classroom and field trip curriculum for several HD-12 school districts. I have seen firsthand the increasing difficulties that educators and students are having in attracting and retaining qualified teachers and specialized personnel. I am also concerned about the integrity of public education and the lack of resources necessary to support high-quality learning experiences to adequately prepare our children for a viable future.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

In my first professional career experience, I served as the marketing and advocacy director for downtown Eugene, where I promoted increased investment in public space, housing, and mixed-use commercial real estate development. My work also concentrated on public safety, beautification initiatives and business recruitment. Later, I worked for a national outdoor retailer, managing experiential marketing campaigns, community partnerships, and branding programs across the West Coast and beyond. Eventually, I established my own consulting, hospitality and events businesses, as well as dedicating the last 15 years of my career in support of economic development, legislative advocacy, and public lands stewardship. I founded the Oakridge Trails Alliance to address capacity issues affecting recreation trails in our area, and now serve as the Deputy Director for Willamette Riverkeeper, engaging communities across the watershed in clean water, environmental policy, safe river recreation, and on-the-ground watershed restoration.

LET'S CONNECT!

Learn more about our campaign progress, get connected to important policies and issues, and join us for special events and opportunities to support and celebrate our HD12 communities together!