Should Portland appoint members to the Portland Clean Energy Fund Committee?

​​​TO THE COUNCIL:​ ​The Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) Committee recommends the PCEF Climate Investment Plan to the City Council and evaluates the effectiveness of the PCEF program in achieving the goals described in Portland City Code Chapter 7.07. ​​The PCEF Committee has recommended the appointment of two new PCEF Committee members with 4-year terms through August 5, 2029. The Committee additionally requests the appointment of two Committee members to their second terms from September 26, 2023, through September 25, 2027. ​As Mayor, I request a Council motion and vote to confirm the following appointments to the PCEF Committee: AppointmentTermAnna AllenAug. 6, 2025 – Aug. 5, 2029 André Lightsey-Walker Aug. 6, 2025 – Aug. 5, 2029 Robin Wang Sept. 26, 2023 – Sept. 25, 2027 Megan HorstSept. 26, 2023 – Sept. 25, 2027 ​​These individuals bring a wide variety of knowledge and expertise to the PCEF Committee, including experience in transportation decarbonization, Native American history and issues surrounding the Urban Indian experience, regenerative agriculture and green infrastructure, financing tools for renewable energy and energy efficiency, and environmental justice. I look forward to working with this group of volunteers and the recommendations they will make to City Council in the coming years. ​Brief biographies and statements of interest for each individual are below: Anna Allen Biography: Anna Allen is a proud member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and currently serves as the Regional Government Affairs Director at the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC). In this role, she leverages 15 years of experience in advocacy, community engagement, and equitable policy development to strengthen relationships between tribal governments, public agencies, and community organizations. Prior to joining CRITFC, Anna served in several roles at Multnomah County, as the Policy and Engagement Advisor in the Chair's Office, Interim-Director of the Office of Community Involvement, and later as the County's first Tribal Affairs Advisor. ​Anna's commitment to Indigenous communities extends beyond her professional roles. She has been actively involved in volunteerism, serving on several boards and advisory bodies, including the City/County Homelessness Response System Steering and Oversight Committee, Portland Indian Leaders Roundtable Subgroup, and the US Commission on Civil Rights Oregon State Advisory Committee. ​Statement of Interest: ​I know the future environmental health of Portland and the global community that we're part of rests on the backs of tribal communities who have been successful stewards of the place we call home. If selected to serve, I hope to work with my colleagues on the Committee and PCEF leadership to identify ways the Climate Investment Plan can increase tribal partnerships on issues they've already identified, and contribute to already intentional work to ensure funds are allocated in a way that brings everyone to the table, including technically accessible grant opportunities for small or newly emerging nonprofit partners. Because it's going to take everyone to have a meaningful impact on our climate crisis. ​I seek to create lasting relationships and trust between government agencies and Native communities through leveraging my existing relationships and the ways I approach this work through transparency, candor, and care for everyone I engage with. I hope to bring new relationships to this work that influence institutional change that lives beyond my time on the Committee. ​​André Lightsey-Walker Biography: André Lightsey-Walker is a transportation planner and community activist with a deep commitment to climate justice, equity, and community-centered solutions. He currently serves as a Senior Transportation Planner with Oregon Metro, and previously as Planning and Program Manager at The Street Trust. With experience in regional planning, policy development, and grant management, André has worked to advance sustainable transportation and land use strategies that prioritize underserved communities, and improve the quality of life for all Portlanders. As a 4th generation Portland resident and advocate for inclusive decision-making, he brings a place-based perspective to his work ensuring investments drive meaningful and lasting community impact to be enjoyed today and into the future. ​Statement of Interest: The honor to sit on this committee, engage with other local leaders, and actively contribute to innovative decision-making aimed at healing the city and the people within it is extraordinarily inspiring and completely aligns with my personal goal of service to the community of Portland, a place my family has called home for nearly a century. I am particularly interested in the fact that PCEF stands in direct opposition to contemporary models of resource distribution and in a very prominent fashion shows that alternative ways work.​I hope to provide useful perspective, specifically in the field of transportation planning in decarbonization, that leads to large scale investment in community projects that not only lead to carbon reduction in the transportation sector but also alleviate the burdens of our transportation system from the populations most impacted. I want to contribute to discussion around investments that offer co-benefits and provide a human centered, holistic approach to municipal scaled problem-solving. ​Robin Wang Biography: Mr. Wang is a social entrepreneur and impact finance consultant with a passion for deploying catalytic capital to benefit communities. Having been the owner of an eco-friendly lifestyle media company, the Executive Director of a non-profit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), and having served on numerous non-profit boards, Robin brings a unique set of experiences that intersect climate change, justice-centered finance, economic development, and non-profit operations and governance. He is currently working with Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to establish and launch a Community Climate Investment Fund that will deploy comparable carbon reduction resources to benefit communities throughout Oregon. ​Statement of Interest: It has been an honor and privilege to serve on the inaugural PCEF committee and, in that capacity, working to help launch the fund, guide the first few rounds of climate action grants, and develop the Climate Investment Plan. But much work remains to be done. ​​2023 marked the hottest year on record and marginalized communities are still bearing the brunt of climate change. Humanity needs to double down on climate action. Compared to four years ago, we are very fortunate that PCEF has additional resources that can be deployed. But simply “deploying more” is not the answer. Additional challenges have and will continue to arise in deploying these resources and we need to be strategic, creative and intentional in how we deploy them. ​​Since my initial appointment four years ago, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many other impact funds encompassing affordable housing, consumer justice, economic development, educator wellbeing and other climate initiatives. In my second term, I am eager to apply those many lessons learned to help broaden and maximize the PCEF’s impact while ensuring that its funds are properly stewarded. ​​Megan Horst Biography: Dr. Megan Horst is a Senior Associate in Climate Equity planning at Cascadia Consulting, where she helps local municipalities plan for climate equity and resilience. She was previously an Associate Professor in the school of Urban Studies & Planning at Portland State University and the Director of the Masters of Urban and Regional Planning program. She brings substantial urban planning, urban agriculture and local food systems expertise that is recognized both locally and nationally. Dr. Horst also brings a strong equity lens and experience in food justice work. ​Statement of Interest: ​I am excited to work with other committee members to steward the Portland Clean Energy Fund and ensure funds advance climate action and resilience, with a focus on benefitting communities that are often on the so-called frontlines of climate change. As a professor, I specifically bring expertise and enthusiasm in the areas of Regenerative Agriculture and Green Infrastructure, operationalizing PCEF commitments to equity, and in program evaluation. I hope to strengthen ties between PCEF and Portland State University, to help build the capacity of local residents and PSU students to benefit from green jobs and lead climate action work. ​I think it is possible for a green city to also be a just city, and I see PCEF as part of that. I am proud of the first 5 years of PCEF, and look forward to the future.