Board Members
Chair - Rex Burkholder, The Oxalis Group
Trained as a biologist, Rex Burkholder worked as a science teacher and in the Northwest forests. He helped launch the bicycling revolution in Portland, Oregon as a founder and policy director of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. An early leader in sustainability and equity, Burkholder also co-founded the Coalition for a Livable Future, bringing together over 100 diverse NGOs in the greater Portland region. He was a member of the Metro Council from 2000-2012, where he led efforts to reform regional transportation policy and to integrate climate change into the decisions of all levels of government in Oregon. He has served on key task forces as well as national boards including Rail~volution and the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations. Recipient of numerous local awards, his work has been recognized internationally as well, being invited to speak in countries throughout Latin America on sustainable transportation and climate change. He was honored in 2010 as a Global Ambassador for Ciclovia, an international movement to reclaim cities from the automobile. His book,
The Activist's Toolkit (2017), is highly praised for its creative approach to leadership, helping many around the world be more effective community activists. As a volunteer, Rex founded the Oregon Outdoor Education Coalition in 2014 and led the successful statewide campaign to fund Outdoor School for All kids in Oregon.
Rex currently consults with nonprofits and candidates on strategy and messaging as a partner in The Oxalis Group. He is board chair of the Mount St Helens Institute and member of the board of Unite Oregon Action. A resident of Portland for 46 years, he lives in inner city Portland, rides his bike everywhere, and tends his native plant garden.
Johanna Anderson, US Environmental Protection Agency
Johanna has over 15 years of experience working in sustainability with a deep passion for leveraging the purchasing power of large organizations to create a more sustainable world. She currently works for the US Environmental Protection Agency supporting programs to reduce the sustainability impacts of goods and services purchased by the Federal government. Previously, she worked with the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC) helping public sector, private sector, and academic institutions develop and implement strategic sustainable purchasing programs designed to drive market transformation. Prior to joining SPLC, Johanna coordinated the State of Minnesota's Sustainable Procurement Program for 10 years, assisting the state with making purchases that demonstrated the highest level of environmental, social, and economic responsibility. Johanna holds a B.S. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.S. from San Francisco State University. After living in many places across the US, she finally found her perfect fit in Portland, OR. In her free time, she enjoys running, hiking, camping, and backpacking with her husband, two school age boys, and young dog in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. She also spends copious amounts of time watching (youth and professional) and coaching (youth) soccer.
Webly Bowles, New Buildings Institute
Webly is a licensed Oregon architect with 20+ years of experience; she applies a systems thinking approach to decarbonizing buildings. She began her career in architecture, transitioning to sustainable building consulting during the recession, later she worked as an energy analyst aiding affordable multifamily housing in Oregon. Webly currently works for WAP Sustainability. She has spearheaded carbon lifecycle research, shaped building policy strategies, and supports jurisdictions in meeting their GHG emission goals. Her research extends to embodied carbon in codes, extreme heat mitigation policy, and energy benchmarking for cultural institutions. She also coordinates with national non-profits to collectively reduce building emissions.
Taneea Browning, Councilor, City of Central Point
Taneea Browning is a lifetime Oregonian, born and raised in Southern Oregon, and is the Co-Founder of CraterWorks MakerSpace, the executive director for Direct Involvement Recreation Teaching (DIRT), and has served as an elected official for nearly a decade. As an elected official for the City of Central Point, Taneea has served her community by participating in the Budget Committee, Rogue Valley Council of Governments Board of Directors, liaison to a Jackson County Fire District, and the Transportation district. Her service continues beyond her local community as the League of Oregon Cities President in 2022, the Governor’s Regional Solutions team and the Chair of the Western Municipal Association in 2023 and 2024.
With an emphasis on social impact work, Taneea leverages creativity, capital and resources for the betterment of communities. Taneea has a talent for finding commonalities in outcomes, and has an ability to weave an entrepreneurial mindset with effective problem solving for both policy-making and implementation. Her approach and experience is complementary to addressing sustainability opportunities throughout the state, with participation from Southern Oregon.
Serena Dietrich, Oregon Outdoor Alliance
A seasoned Sustainability Professional with over 15 years combined experience in the transportation, project management and beverage industries implementing operational efficiency strategies, new product development, strategic business planning, and sustainable organizational road mapping. Currently positioned as the Operations Director for the Oregon Outdoor Alliance, an organization that unifies and inspires the outdoor community with events, resources and advocacy while supporting the vibrant and growing outdoor industry in Oregon. Serves as a board member for several initiatives at industry, state, local, and non-profit levels. Committed to making the world a better place one day at a time, both professionally and personally, and helping organizations do the same in areas that matter most to them.
Cheyenne Holliday, Advocacy Manager at Verde
Cheyenne Holliday is a born and raised Oregonian who grew up on a small farm outside of Portland where her family rescues and rehabilitates horses. She has a background in Conflict and Dispute Resolution and has worked as a conflict resolution specialist, facilitator, and mediator. She works at Verde as the Advocacy Manager to focus on policy development, education, and outreach around economic, environmental, and racial justice issues at both the statewide and national level. In 2020 Cheyenne collaborated on and co-authored the Oregon Water Futures Report which facilitated a series of conversations with Native, Latinx, Black, and various migrant communities across the state. In her spare time, she also coaches competitive cheerleading to Oregon and Washington youth.
Tom Kelly, Neil Kelly Company, retired
Tom, retired from his role as President of Neil Kelly Company in 2022, the company which was founded by his father in 1947. He remains active in the company as board chair for the company’s board of directors. The company is one of the largest design/build remodeling firms in the US, and employs more than 200 people at its locations in Portland, Bend, Eugene, and Seattle.
In addition to awards and recognition related to its remodeling and home improvement services, Neil Kelly Co. is proud to have developed the first LEED certified commercial building in the Western United States (the company’s Lake Oswego center), and to have built the first LEED certified residence in the west. Neil Kelly Cabinets was also the first US cabinet manufacturer to offer a DECLARE labeled collection – spotlighting sustainably sourced materials including Oregon Juniper.
Neil Kelly Company earned a B-Corp certification in December of 2013 and was registered as a State of Oregon Benefit Corporation on January 1st, 2014 – Oregon’s first official day for such recognition. The B Corp certification recognizes Neil Kelly Co.’s commitment to people – both inside the firm and in the outside community, to the planet through its efforts toward environmental sustainability, and to profit – being a financially healthy and stable Northwest company. Neil Kelly Company has been named a number of times to Oregon Business Magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For and 100 Best Green Companies to Work For lists, and was once awarded the prestigious Better Business Bureau Torch Awards for Ethics (formerly the BBB Integrity Award).
Tom has been active in leadership positions for both trade and civic organizations throughout his career. He is a founder and former Chair of the Oregon Business Alliance for Climate. He has also served as Chair of the Portland Development Commission (now Prosper Portland), Co-convener of the Oregon Solutions Task Force for Vernonia Schools, Chair of the Advisory Group for Metro East Habitat for Humanity, and as a member of the Children’s Museum Advisory Board, the Portland Downtown Rotary Foundation Board, Sustainable NW Wood board, and as Board Chair of Portland Meals on Wheels. He continues to serve on the Neil Kelly Meals on Wheels delivery team, which has been delivering meals to N/NE Portland neighbors of the company’s headquarters for many years. Tom has been Board Chair and an active supporter for Volunteers of America of Oregon, and was honored to receive VOA’s DePreist Award several years ago. With Tom’s leadership, Neil Kelly Company people are actively involved in many non-profit organizations: volunteering, serving on boards, and supporting fundraising efforts.
Joshua Proudfoot, Parametrix
Josh Proudfoot co-founded and led Good Company, a Climate and ESG research and management consulting firm for 23 years that brough climate work to Oregon’s public sector. A year ago, he merged Good Company with Parametrix, an employee-owned environmental science, planning and engineering firm to be able to embrace the scale up of climate transition work. Josh’s work has mostly served infrastructure agencies, food production and clean tech with a focus on the true triple bottom line where business, equity and the environment are fully acknowledged and managed towards a better future. Josh continues his work as the Director of the Climate and ESG national and international practice through serving local, state, and federal government, as well as corporations with supply chains around the world. Josh has been married for 28 years and is a proud dad of two daughters.
Elin Shepard, CLEAResult
Elin has more than decade of experience engaging customers in utility programs. She provides targeted outreach and education for CLEAResult including presentations to design & development professionals, key community stakeholders and organizations. She works on diverse projects within the government and education sectors to influence design. Through continual engagement with owners and project teams, she recognizes potential for high performance buildings and guides them through the path to net zero.
Autumn Wilburn, Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness
Autumn brings a diverse background and over 15 years of experience in project management, policy analysis, advocacy, and working for elected officials to her current role working at her County Mental Health Provider. A “west-sider" for over a decade, Autumn and her family jumped at the chance to relocate to Wallowa County in 2015. They spend their free time enjoying all of the outdoor recreation opportunities they're lucky enough to have right in their backyard. She is involved in her local community, working on projects to make it a better place for families, and is currently serving as Chair of her City Planning Commission. She has always been interested in sustainability, even more so now as the mother of three children. Autumn holds a Master's in Public Administration from Idaho State University.
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