Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang appointed to Oregon Transportation Commission

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Phil Chang, a Deschutes County commissioner with a long career in natural resources management, is joining the Oregon Transportation Commission. 

The Oregon Senate confirmed Governor Tina Kotek's appointment of Chang to the five-member body on Wednesday, Sept. 25. 

“We’re fortunate to have someone with Phil’s experience and insight join the Commission,” said Commission Chair Julie Brown. “He’s spent his career in public service and protecting what so many Oregonians value most about the state: Its natural resources. So much of what we do in transportation is focused on accommodating growth, being strategic about the impacts of our transportation system, and preserving that system, which is vital to everyone who lives, works and plays in the state.” 

The commission is the state’s transportation governing body, guiding statewide policy and strategic direction to improve and maintain Oregon’s comprehensive transportation network.  

“Commissioner Chang will bring a unique focus to the Commission,” said ODOT Director Kris Strickler “He has worked at the local and federal levels of government and seen firsthand the good that government can do.” 

Chang moved to Deschutes County in 2004 and became a commissioner in 2020. He spent nine years at the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, which serves three Central Oregon counties and their communities and focuses on finding collaborative regional solutions for issues. He also served as Senator Jeff Merkley’s Central Oregon Field Representative, helped create the Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project and managed Oregon’s Federal Forest Restoration Program. 

Chang also has served on the boards of Bend 2030, the Deschutes Chapter of Trout Unlimited, and the River West Neighborhood Association. He has a bachelor’s from Columbia University in New York and a master’s from University of California, Berkeley.  

“Giving back to the community has always been important to me whether that means volunteering for local non-profits or serving in elected office,” Chang said. “Public service is a calling for me, and the work that the Oregon Transportation Commission does is vital to everyone in the state, and is particularly important in growing regions like Central Oregon.” 

Chang will fill the vacant position previously held by commissioner Sharon Smith, also from Bend, who stepped down in August.  

Smith, who joined the commission in September 2019, served as Chair of the Continuous Improvement Advisory Committee and the Commission liaison to the Equity and Mobility Advisory Committee.  

“We’re so thankful to Commissioner Smith for her years of service,” Chair Brown said. “I appreciated the insight she brought to the table and how carefully she weighed the issues before us. She really understands the importance of transportation and has spent her career working to better Oregon.”  

The Oregon Transportation Commission is comprised of five commissioners from around the state who are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Oregon Senate. 

To read bios on all five commissioners, go to the OTC members page on ODOT’s website.