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EQC Members

The Oregon Environmental Quality Commission is a five-member panel of Oregonians appointed by the governor for four-year terms to serve as DEQ’s policy and rule-making board. Members are eligible for reappointment but may not serve more than two consecutive terms. 

​​​​​​Terms of service: 2/1/17-6/30/20; 7/1/20-6/30/24

Sam Baraso is a graduate of Duke University with a background in environmental management, finance, and social equity. Sam currently works as the manager of the City of Portland's Clean Energy Fund. Sam has worked on projects at the intersection of health and the environment evaluating emerging research on the use of green infrastructure for water quality, air quality and psychological health. Sam believes a truly sustainable Oregon is ecologically, economically and socially healthy.
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Term of service: 7/1/24-6/30/28 (eligible for reappointment)

Matt Donegan is a professional forester and forest investment manager. Matt currently serves on the Lewis and Clark College Sustainability Board and as a fellow for the Oregon Business Council. His work focuses on building public-private partnerships to address the climate and wildfire crises. 
 
He studied forestry at the University of Florida and business at the University of Tennessee and is currently earning a Master of Arts degree in liberal studies at Reed College. He has been appointed to various boards and commissions by four Oregon governors.
 
In 2019, he was appointed to chair Oregon’s Wildfire Response Council to evaluate the state’s system of response to large fires. The Council’s recommendations served as the basis for historic wildfire legislation. ​​

Term of service: 7/1/24-6/30/28 (eligible for reappointment)

Karen Moynahan currently sits on the board of the Oregon Environmental Council and, since her retirement, serves as a substitute teacher in the middle and high schools of the Dallas School District. She litigated environmental issues in government service for nearly 37 years, first with the State of New Jersey, then the Oregon Department of Justice, and most recently as Chief Deputy City Attorney for environmental matters with the City of Portland. She has in-depth experience with DEQ's permitting programs, state and federal cleanup laws, water quality regulations and other critical environmental issues. Karen earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Rutgers University in International Environmental Studies/Latin American Issues, a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and a Juris Doctorate Degree from Syracuse University College of Law. 

Upon her retirement, Karen learned of the need for middle and high school substitute teachers in her Dallas, Polk County, community, and now subs at least weekly in those schools. She finds that teens and preteens want to know more about climate change and how it will affect their futures, and loves talking to them about the opportunities their generation will have to address climate change through new technologies or impactful programs. Karen believes that it is incumbent upon her generation to help prepare tomorrow's leaders so they can grapple with climate change and other environmental issues with the knowledge, skill and hope they will need to succeed. ​

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​​​​Term of service: 11/19/21-6/30/25 (eligible for reappointment​)

Amy Schlusser is the senior climate action policy analyst and climate policy lead for the Oregon Department of Energy. She also served as the agency's senior clean energy policy analyst from October 2022 to December 2023. Prior to joining the agency, Amy worked as a staff attorney with the Green Energy Institute at Lewis & Clark Law School. She has extensive experience with a broad variety of policy, legal, and regulatory frameworks relating to renewable energy, climate change, and transportation. Her work has largely focused on identifying effective and equitable policy pathways to quickly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate a just and equitable transition to a clean and renewable energy system. Amy has authored multiple legal and policy analyses on a variety of topics related to energy and climate change, and she has extensive experience working with a broad variety of policymakers, regulators, and stakeholders on initiatives to advance a just and equitable energy transition.

Amy received her J.D. cum laude and her LL.M. summa cum laude from Lewis & Clark Law School's Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law program. She received her bachelor's degree from Penn State University.

​​​Term of service: 10/5/23-6/30/25 (eligible for reappointment)

Mark Webb is the Executive Director for Blue Mountains Forest Partners, a diverse group of stakeholders who utilize best available science and work collaboratively to increase the pace and scale of restoration on the Malheur National Forest. Prior to his current role, Mark served as a Grant County Judge, taught at Eastern Oregon University, and worked in the field of natural resources in eastern Oregon. He received his BA in Philosophy from Reed College, and PhD in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. Mark believes that strong, vibrant communities and healthy landscapes are inseparably linked.  ​