As the new Bend 2030 Chair, I am very fortunate to follow the momentum established by our past chair, Betsy Warriner. Her leadership allowed Bend 2030 to establish strong ties with our community partners and our Leadership Alliance. My goal this year is to collaborate closely with organizations that align with the Bend 2030 Vision. Through these partnerships we can leverage our strength and better fulfill the Vision that was established by our community in 2006.

One of the benefits of the Leadership Alliance support is that Bend 2030 has been able to hire a part-time Interim Executive Director, Erin Foote Marlowe. With her direction, there’s a lot we will accomplish in 2015. For instance, we will continue with our Livability Series Forums. The first forum, on Housing Affordability, took place in the fall of 2014. The second forum, planned for April 11, will address transportation issues facing the future of Bend. Our third forum will focus on higher education and be held in the fall. All these topics are closely tied to a diverse and livable community—and the Vision. We will take our findings, adopt recommendations and present those recommendations to City and County decision makers. 

It is important that community members get involved at some level—whether it’s completing a questionnaire, spreading the word or volunteering for the Bend 2030 forums. Another way is to review the Vision Statement on our website, www.bend2030.org. Let us know what you think!