Bend 2030 names first director, appoints new board members

Building on the momentum of its Livability Series and the support of the Leadership Alliance, Bend 2030 has hired an interim executive director, elected a new chair and appointed five new board members, each with broad knowledge of key sectors and strong networks across the community.

Erin Foote Marlowe—a former journalist, administrator at Central Oregon Community College and owner of a local communications, political and fundraising consulting firm—has been tapped to serve as the organization’s first executive director while Marika Yuma will continue to serve as the group’s project manager. Foote Marlowe served as Vice Chair of Bend 2030 in 2014 and took a leadership role in the group’s recent housing affordability initiative.

“That housing affordability work demonstrates the value of an independent organization devoted to civic engagement,” said Foote Marlowe. “In this new role, I’ll work closely with the board to chart a new strategic path for Bend 2030 and find the critical funding to support our initiatives.”

Foote Marlowe was to have served as the group’s chair in 2015. On Jan. 9, Vic Martinez, an insurance broker with Insurance Partners, LLC, was elected to that role upon unanimous approval from the board. Martinez serves on three other community boards including the Bend Chamber of Commerce, Opportunity Knocks and Rotary Club of Greater Bend.

“As chair, I’ll focus on how to bridge the previous foundational work of the organization with our new expectations for what we can accomplish,” said Martinez, who replaces former Bend 2030 board chair Betsy Warriner. “This is a critical time in the future of the organization and we are ready to lead the community in truly meaningful and relevant conversations.”

Bend 2030 is also pleased to announce the appointment of the following five new board members, who will each serve two-year terms:

Victor Chudowsky—Bend City Councilor
Bob Gomes—CEO of Bend and Redmond Hospitals of the St. Charles Health System
Melanie Grandjacques—Vice President of Information Services and Project Management at BendBroadband, former board member of Central Oregon Trail Alliance and past president of Bend Bella Cyclists
Kelly Sparks—Associate Vice President of Finance and Strategic Planning at Oregon State University-Cascades Campus, board member of Oregon Olympic Athletics Booster Club
Jillian Taylor—Business consultant and executive coach with Jillian Taylor Consulting, member of the City Club of Central Oregon marketing committee, board member of Looking Forward, and member of the Leadership Bend steering committee

Funding for Bend 2030 is provided by the generous support of the 2015 Leadership Alliance, including BendBroadband, Brooks Resources, Central Oregon Community College, the City of Bend, St. Charles Health System, US Bank, Harcourts The Garner Group, Sunwest Builders and NorthWest Crossing. For more information about Bend 2030 visit Bend2030.org and Facebook.com/Bend2030.