Envision Bend hires new executive director, names board chair, sets Feb. 7 Community Vision Summit

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Envision Bend, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, announced this week the hiring and naming of key leadership positions and event details for the upcoming Community Vision Summit on Feb. 7.

Envision Bend is looking forward to an impactful year with new leadership, the unveiling of research themes from broad community input at the forthcoming Vision Summit, creating new community vision and values statements, creating the first five-year vision action plan, and commencement of work with the community to begin vision plan implementation.

Envision Bend welcomes Matt Muchna as the new Executive Director, effective Jan. 2. Matt joins Envision Bend with experience working most recently as a manager for Northern Arizona University’s Office of Sustainability and leading outreach and engagement efforts for the National Center for Women & Information Technology.

Matt has experience in community development, user research, and team management. He will be working alongside our outgoing Executive Director, Laura Fritz, through early March to ensure a smooth staff leadership transition. 

David White has been named the new Board Chair for Envision Bend after serving on the Envision Bend board since May 2022. David has worked at Tech Soft 3D for the past six years, a global software company headquartered here in Bend.

Many years ago, as an employee of the City of Bend, David supported the city’s work to create the Bend 2030 vision. He has extensive nonprofit volunteer experience and most recently served as Board Chair for the Humane Society of Central Oregon, of which he is an active supporter and outreach volunteer.

Community members are invited to Envision Bend’s Community Vision Summit:

• All ages are welcome. Save the date! The Community Vision Summit will be hosted at COCC Wille Hall from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 7.
• The Community Vision Summit’s event focus will be to present the results of community input for the new greater Bend area Community Vision.  Community members will have the opportunity to ask questions, provide feedback on vision strategies and projects, and learn more about how to get involved in the vision planning and implementation process in the months ahead.
• Vision Summit insights resulted from the Bend Vision Project community survey, which included 2,045 community surveys. Survey respondents represented our diverse community within the greater Bend area with focused additional outreach to traditionally underserved and underrepresented community members.
• Additional insights came from the Bend Vision Project community input sessions. 68 interviews were conducted with community leaders and connectors, and 17 focus groups were held including numerous sessions that were open to the general public as well as specific sessions designed to reach underrepresented communities and groups that have a finger on the pulse of critical aspects of our society such as business, food insecurity providers, teachers, healthcare workers, Latino residents and more.
• The Bend Vision Project is our community’s first large-scale visioning project since 2005-2006. Envision Bend has a core belief in bringing all voices to the table, and with dramatic change in our community over the past decade, it was time to rethink and reposition Bend to ensure we are a resilient, inclusive and innovative community for the next generation and beyond.

Learn more about Envision Bend and Community Vision Summit event details at envisionbend.org/envision-bend-community-summit/ or email info@envisionbend.org.

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Envision Bend is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works with government, business, community groups, and people of all backgrounds and perspectives from across the Bend area to help shape our future, making Bend a better place for everyone. For more on the Bend Vision Project, visit the Envision Bend website at https://envisionbend.org/ or its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/EnvisionBend.