User:Politics15/sandbox

Michelle Emmons
Michelle was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, and has subsequently served in both urban and rural areas throughout the Willamette Valley. She is pleased to be an Oregonian. She earned a BA in public relations from the University of Oregon, and over the course of her career, she has led numerous community development and advocacy initiatives. She has spent the past ten years working in the upper Willamette watershed as an entrepreneur, educator, and supporter of clean, healthy rivers while tying together social-environmental justice, economic development, and stewardship. She says it has been difficult to watch her two daughters suffer while living on a single average income that isn't enough to cover the rent, much less cover childcare costs or put food on the table without help. Their stability is still a struggle, but she is aware that many people are all too familiar with this tale—especially in light of the additional difficulties that come with living outside of cities. Working families shouldn't have to sacrifice access to affordable housing, reliable food, healthcare, or quality education. Michelle believes in PEOPLE BEFORE POLITICS. In 2016, Michelle and her husband temporarily relocated to Westfir. They eventually moved to Oakridge right before the pandemic began. They experienced snowmageddon, flooding, and landslides during that time, which prevented anyone from accessing basic services. She worked with her township and successfully fought off a sizable private enterprise that threatened to deplete nearby groundwater sources and exacerbate air quality problems for their entire community the year before when they had to flee their home due to a wildfire. No matter how bitter the politics, in each of these situations, her neighbors stood by each other and they continue to do so for the benefit of their neighborhood. This spirit of connectedness is what drives her to keep working toward positive change and solutions to help elevate our communities, starting with their most vulnerable and underserved populations, while maximizing public resources to work for everyone, despite the hardship and partisanship of the past few years.

Community Engagement
Michelle's professional experience spans more than 30 years of developing and executing communication strategies, community partnerships, and interactive events to aid in uniting people in celebration, education, or problem-solving. The culmination of this work, which ranged from real estate projects and business development to volunteer coordination and promoting non-profit causes like clean water and public lands stewardship, has been crucial in forming her leadership skills and creating space for viewpoints different from her own.

Education
Michelle was a late college graduate who earned her degree from the University of Oregon in 1999 while raising a child alone and working three jobs. She is aware of how difficult it is for underserved students to take this path. She has also worked as a non-profit education coordinator, delivering in-classroom and field trip curricula for several HD-12 school districts. She has seen firsthand the increasing difficulties that educators and students are having in attracting and retaining qualified teachers, specialized personnel, and the infrastructure required to support high-quality learning experiences at school, on the job, or at home.

Advocacy & Marketing
Michelle's first job led her to work as the marketing and advocacy director for downtown Eugene, where she promoted increased investment in public space, housing, and mixed-use commercial real estate while concentrating on "public safety and beautification" initiatives and company recruitment. She also worked for a national outdoor retailer, managing experiential marketing campaigns, community partnerships, and branding programs. A decade of outreach in support of environmental preservation and inclusive outdoor recreation on their public lands followed the establishment of her own business(es) and connections with many non-profit organizations.