Appoint voting members and reappoint ex-officio members to the Portland Utility Board (2024)

Office of Mayor Ted Wheeler

City of Portland

July 3, 2024

As Mayor and Commissioner of Finance & Administration, and in consultation with Commissioner-in-Charge of the utility bureaus Commissioner Mingus Mapps, I request Council confirmation of the following appointments to the Portland Utility Board:

Respectfully submitted,

Ted Wheeler

Mayor

Biographies and Interest Statements for Appointees:

Voting Member – New Appointments

Kyle J Chipman (he/him) -with over a decade of experience in project and program management, Kyle brings visual thinking and actionable solutions as Chief Process Officer to Chipman Design Architecture. In his time at the firm, he has overhauled the technology stack, defined the knowledgebase, led a company-wide rebranding and directlysupported the firm's clients as they structure their own solutions. Kyle excels at tackling abstract obstacles that elicit solutions for the beleaguered with best practices for the whole. He's amember of Smartsheet Overachievers, was nominated to the Miro Hall of Fame for Design, and has spoken at Smartsheet Engage,MiroDistributedand Bluebeam Extreme in addition to multiple webinars and user groups. In service to the environment, Kyle has volunteered with the Sierra Club (Oregon Chapter), serving on its Political Committee, and Citizens' Climate Lobby (Portland Chapter), serving on its Communications Committee. For a more complete window into his body of work, visit kylechipman.info/resume.

Statement of Interest – Kyle Chipman:

I love living in Portland and am intrinsically motivated to start giving back at a structural level, using the skills I've refined during my time in the private sector to support our local city government. I am also deeply passionate about sustainability and the environment and am excited to collaborate on solutions that not only elevate the voices of those least often heard, but help ensure clean drinking water and healthy watersheds are delivered to all members of our community.

Lauren Rosenkranz (she/her) is an environmental scientist specializing in environmental compliance and impact assessment for water resource development projects. With a background in industrial engineering, Lauren's journey has led her from Texas to NYC and Colorado before settling in Portland. She has been active in the music industry across the country, and you can often catch her out enjoying live music or comedy. She is passionate about her community, and always aims to contribute to making the world a better and more sustainable place to live, work, and play. Her hands-on approach to environmental stewardship often finds her knee-deep in cleanups and habitat restoration efforts. Passionate about advocating for environmental justice and equitable access to resources for all humans, Lauren brings a blend of technical expertise and a commitment to sustainability in her work.

Statement of Interest – Lauren Rosenkranz:

Eager to embark on a new chapter of service, I am enthusiastic about the prospect of joining the PUB. With a diverse backgroundspanning nonprofit board service, volunteer work, and professional experience in environmental science, I offer a unique perspective and a passion for positive change. Through my involvement with other organizations, I have honed my commitment to hands-on environmental activism, advocating for equitable resource access and sustainability. As a member of the PUB, I aim to bring my open-mindedness, positive attitude, and unwavering dedication to environmental and economic equity to the table, striving to contribute to a more just and sustainable future for the planet.

Maly Haghshenas (she/her) has experience working for drinking water providers and specializes in water resources and watershed management. Her work focuseson source water protection and works with various community members to prevent water quality impairment. Maly believes that all people should have access to safe, reliable, and affordable drinking water. Maly holds a BA in Geography from UCLA and is beginning her law school studies at Lewis & Clark Law School during Fall 2023.

Statement of Interest – Maly Haghshenas:

I have always been interested in serving my community and believe that local governmentholds impactful opportunities to do so. I would like to bring my experience in the drinking water and natural resource realm to the PUB. I believe that equitability is a necessary framework of public service, and would like to bring my experiences, values, and knowledge to the PUB to advance equality in water and environmentalmanagement to benefit the community members and environment at large.

Ex-Officio Members – Reappointments

Joanne Johnson (she/her)Serves on the Water Bureau’s Equity and Policy Team. She’s been with the Water Bureau since 2021 and with the City of Portland since 2016.

Her current role focuses on developing and implementing systems to integrate language access and disability access into bureau operations, including policy and strategy development, technical assistance, facilitation, and project management. Previously, she spent five years coordinating the city’s Disability Program and founding Adapt to Impact within the Office of Community and Civic Life. Here, she developed and facilitated leadership programs and provided citywide guidance on accessibilityand equitable community engagement.

Joannehas lived and worked in the Midwest, and East and West Coasts. With experience in government and non-profit roles, she’s well versed in the challenges and opportunities of each sector. In past roles, she advocated for policy change with nonprofit organizations and governments, developed and facilitated technical and culture-centered trainings, and organized for change. She is a Licensed Master Social Worker and a certified Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator.

Joanne considers her dedication to advancing equitable outcomes and acting in anti-racist, anti-ableist ways as core to who she is. Each of her roles has offered unique ways to bring this dedication to life.

Joanneis honored to continue to bring her knowledge of government systems, experience in authentic community engagement, and deep commitment to advancing equity to the Portland Utility Board.

Statement of Interest – Joanne Johnson:

I’m a systems thinker who loves to learn. Serving on the Portland Utility Board (PUB) has been a unique opportunity to serve with passionate community members committed to Portland’s people and infrastructure. It is a privilege to continue to learn alongside the PUB about the many ways in which the Portland Water Bureau and Bureau of Environmental Servicesserve our region.

As a City employee for eight years and a Water Bureau employee for three, I’ve developed policy and guidance, managed programs and projects, and created curriculum and facilitated trainings. Prior to my work in the public sector, I spent 10 years educating communities and advancing more equitable policies and practices through partnerships with business, nonprofit, and local government agencies. My cross sector experience, diverse skill set, and dedication to advancing equity initiatives aligns well with the board’s purpose and ongoing commitment to keep equity at the forefront of their efforts.

I appreciate the opportunity to continue to bring my skills and perspectives to this board, a space dedicated to serving as a bridge between government stewardship and community perspectives.

Joseph Spada (Joe) is a Customer Service Center Supervisor for the Portland Water Bureau. Joe started his journey in public utilities in 2013 at Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative on the Oregon coast. In 2015, he joined the Water Bureau Call Center first as a Customer Accounts Specialist I then a Water Service Inspector II. For seven years he interacted with customers in the field before promoting to a supervisor role in 2023. His combined experience allows for a broader, more in depth understanding of how the Water Bureau’s customer service operates and interacts internally and externally. Joe feels honored and privileged that he is able to work for the city in which he lives and strives to provide quality, efficient service to Portland’s residents, businesses, and communities.

Outside of work, Joe has previously served as a Chapter chair and Trustee for his former labor union AFSCME 189. In his personal life, on a regular Sunday morning, you can find Joe in his online tutoring sessions learning Romanian so that he can better connect with his wife and in-laws, and make new connections with the Moldovan/Romanian communities here in Portland.

Statement of Interest – Joe Spada:

It’s a beautiful thing to be part of providing some of the best water in the world to our community. I feel that being a customer and a representative of the Water Bureau is unique and I hope to continue to use my experiences from both aspects to provide better understanding about the work that we do. Being a part of PUB has allowed me to understand better the innerworkings with the internal and external stakeholders. And I hope to continue to provide a strong, transparent voice for my colleagues and community members.

Roslyn Gray (BES) joined the Portland Utility Board as an ex-officio member in 2023, stream restoration designer, team manager, mother of 2, citizen of Portland. She believes deeply in public service, government leadership, and environmental stewardship. When solving problems, Roslyn applies an engineering approach of breaking complex challenges into smaller pieces, seeks diverse perspectives, and grounds solutions in reality. She is excited to dive into the work of supporting this next chapter of Portland governance.

Statement of Interest – Roslyn Gray:

The PUB ex-officio service is an opportunity to facilitate communication between public representatives of Portland and City leadership – an exchange of values, counsel, and business planning to support bureau decision-making and service delivery. It’s a privilege to support this work!

The Portland Utility Board (PUB) is a 14-member oversight body consisting of 11 voting members and 3 ex-officio members. The PUB provides oversight to ensure accountability and transparency of the two public utility bureaus: The Bureau of Environmental Service and the Portland Water Bureau. The creation of the board was subsequent to a recommendation by a Blue-Ribbon Commission made of public members that took considerable public testimony in identifying issues and solutions.

The voting members were selected after an open application process. Outreach for candidates included a range of public notice, social media outreach and personal contacts through board members and staff. The recommendation for the three voting members was formed through a subcommittee consisting of PUB members and staff from a representative of the utility bureaus and the Commissioner's office responsible for oversight of the utility bureaus. The recommendation was approved by the subcommittee and board at public meetings where public comment was solicited. Staff from the City Budget Office provided oversight and coordination of the application process ensuring confidentiality of applications throughout the process and alignment with goals identified by the board and subcommittee.

The seat designated for an employee of BES or PWB in a represented bargaining unit is already filled and was not recruited as part of this process. The Bureau of Environmental Services and Portland Water Bureau select the employees for the ex-officio appointments and were determined by the bureaus as eligible reappointments of existing members.