Board Member Candidates for Election
Lin Harmon-Walker
Lin Harmon-Walker is the director of the newly-formed Ethical Future Institute. She recently retired from a 14-year career as an environmental law and conflict resolution professor in both Portland and New York, most recently as dean of the environmental law program at Pace University. Prior to her academic career, she was the executive director of Friends of Trees and the Oregon Mediation Association. A licensed lawyer in Oregon, she practiced law for five years before deciding that her heart was in nonprofit work. She is currently the Governance chair of the the Greater Portland Sustainability Education Network GPSEN).
Thoughts from Lin about joining the CLF board
In transitioning back to my beloved hometown of Portland, I thought long and hard as to where I might most effectively donate my volunteer time and organizational development skills. The organization that immediately sprang to mind, and stuck there, was Coalition for a Livable Future. I have known CLF since its inception in the 1990s and have been interested to see its evolution over time. I helped to develop a robust program in environmental justice at Lewis & Clark, and am very interested in policies to protect public health and the environment, so I would bring those perspectives to my board work. I look forward to helping Mara, the board, and volunteers achieve CLF's goals.
Bandana Shrestha
Bandana Shrestha is the Director of Community Engagement for AARP Oregon where she is the staff lead for staff lead on livability issues (age-friendly communities, housing, transportation, and mobility options), caregiving, hunger and at-risk population initiatives. Before joining AARP, Bandana served as Director of Model Programs and Partnerships for the Points of Light Foundation and lead its family strengthening program. Originally from Nepal, Bandana spent her early career focused on empowerment-based sustainable development programs. She has a Bachelors degree from Linfield College and a Masters from University of Oregon. She serves on the Statewide ADRC Advisory Council and the board of the 211Info.
Thoughts from Bandana about joining the CLF board
I admire the work the coalition is doing to change the conversation about equity and livability in our region. It is important work and I would like to be part of it and support it further.
Board Member Candidates for Re-Election
Mary Kyle McCurdy
I am the Policy Director and Staff Attorney for 1000 Friends of Oregon. I have been on the CLF Board for many years, and served as the Board President for 3 years. I have presented at workshops at the CLF Summit on several occasions, including most recently on integrating equity and climate change in Metro' s land use and transportation planning. I believe that CLF plays a unique and indispensable role in the Metro region, by bringing together the related but often "siloed" issues and organizations around affordable transportation options, natural resources, affordable housing, food security, land use, and access to the region's opportunities, all with an equity perspective. I value the contribution I can make to this effort through service on the CLF Board.