Q: What do you hope to see for our community?

Our community is in a period of transition.  As our generation take the mantle of leadership in Lane County, it is important both to continue the work of those who made Eugene a great place to live and to find space to further improve our community.  Over the next decade, our generation faces many challenges, including access to housing and healthcare, and childhood literacy and education funding.  While the issues are national, the solutions are local.  I hope over the next years we as a community are able to put political divisions aside and find common grounds to make Lane County a better place for all.

Q: What advice do you have for those people out there who want to step up and help lead our community?

Ninety percent of making a difference is showing up. Now, when social media dominates relationships, it is easy to disengage from the local community. But without active, personal participation, the Eugene we love slips away. Volunteer with a non-profit. Join a board. Attend local government meetings. Speak out. Our local service organizations are starved for young community members to take on leadership roles. The first step is walking through the door.

Q: What style of leadership do you think Eugene needs to leverage future opportunities?

Servant leadership. Servant leadership is the idea that the best leaders are those who put the needs of others first. In our increasingly diverse community, we require leaders who not only represent that diversity but also aim to improve the lives of the least privileged among us. Only by putting “Service above Self”, to borrow a phrase from Rotary, can our next leaders both leverage Eugene’s opportunities for growth and development AND ensure those opportunities inure to the benefit of our most susceptible community members.