2024 Community solution summit 

SPEAKER & PRESENTER BIOS

Tiffany Edwards VP of Policy & Community Development, Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce.

From 2017- 2020, Tiffany held the position of Director of Business Advocacy with the Eugene Chamber. From 2020-2023, she held the role of Director of Government and Community Relations for Lane Transit District, where she gained knowledge and experience in public transportation and transit.
Tiffany is a current Chair of the City of Eugene’s Planning Commission, currently serving in her second term, Chair of the City of Eugene’s Envision Eugene Technical Advisory Committee ​

Julie Fahey Speaker of the Oregon House

Julie Fahey currently serves as Speaker of the Oregon House and the State Representative for Oregon’s House District 14 (West Eugene, Veneta). She was first elected to the House in 2016 – she was elected by her colleagues to serve as House Majority Leader in 2022 and then as Speaker of the House in 2024. In her time in the legislature, she has focused on housing affordability, serving as the Chair of the Committee on Housing and Homelessness; elections and democracy reforms as Chair of the Committee on Rules; and on making the Capitol an inclusive and respectful workplace as co-Chair of the Conduct Committee. Over the last 7 years, she has worked on major pieces of legislation, including 2024’s historic campaign finance reform bill, 2023's Affordable Housing and Emergency Homelessness Response Package, 2017's Reproductive Health Equity Act which protected access to abortion, and 2019's Student Success Act which made a major investment in our students and our schools. Before entering the legislature, she worked as a consultant for businesses and non-profits on workforce issues. 

JACOB FOX EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR , HOMES FOR GOOD

​Jacob Fox joined Homes for Good in 2013 and became Executive Director in 2015. He is passionate about transforming organizations in order to better serve communities. Jacob began his career in the mid-1990s and is a national leader and advocate for affordable housing. Jacob has worked for three different housing authorities in numerous capacities including resident services, property management, asset management, development and executive management. Before joining Homes for Good, Jacob worked for the City of Portland where he directed investments in ending homelessness, affordable homeownership and affordable housing developments. Jacob is active in housing policy deliberation and legislative advocacy at the local, state, regional and national levels. He feels strongly that housing is a basic human right and he believes in our ability to create stronger communities by linking affordable housing residents with health care, education, employment and other supportive services. When Jacob isn’t working he enjoys traveling, and fishing in Alaska.

Kaarin Knudson, AIA Mayor elect, city of eugene

Kaarin Knudson, AIA, is an architect, educator, author, and civic leader -- in May 2024, she was elected to be the next Mayor of Eugene, earning nearly 75% of the vote. She will take office in January 2025.
Trained as a journalist before becoming an architect, Kaarin founded her design consulting firm and the public-interest advocacy organization, Better Housing Together, in 2017. Most recently, Kaarin has advised on Oregon's landmark middle housing reforms, authored Lane County's first Affordable Housing Action Plan, and negotiated the creation of Eugene's diversified Affordable Housing Trust Fund, among many other local actions.
She teaches the graduate workshop in urban design at the University of Oregon, and speaks at national conferences about sustainable cities, housing policy innovation, and the complex work of guiding community change. This April, her first textbook -- "The Sustainable Urban Design Handbook" -- was published by Routledge.

Dylan Lamar Architect-Developer, Cultivate, Inc.

​Dylan is among the nation’s leading architects of sustainable housing. His practice is informed by his diverse experience as both a passive house consultant, and an innovative housing developer. Dylan has designed and developed multiple socially-nourishing clustered housing developments, and provided sustainability consultation on over a hundred passive house, net zero energy, and other high-performance buildings across America.

BRITTANY QUICK-WARNER PRESIDENT & CEO, Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce

Brittany has proudly served on the staff of the Eugene Chamber for the past 11 years and has had the honor of serving as the CEO since 2017. Brittany’s driving passion for this work revolves around helping individuals, businesses and our community meet their fullest potential. A chronic optimist and diligent problem solver, Brittany sees the incredible opportunity we have in front of us to celebrate the beauty and wonderful businesses in our community- and overcome the wicked challenges together. Brittany currently represents the business community on various boards and commissions throughout the region and serves at a national level as a board member for both the Western Association of Chamber Executives and the national Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. Brittany and her husband’s nights and weekends and daydreams are all busy obsessing over their new baby boy, Rowen they just welcomed in to the world in October.

Karen Saxe Director of Policy, Advocacy & Strategic Relationships, DEVNW

​Karen Saxe leads policy development and advocacy efforts for DevNW and its affiliate nonprofit, Community LendingWorks, across the areas of affordable housing development, asset building programs and services and small business and community-based lending.  She also supports organizational growth and development through strategic partnerships throughout its seven-county service area.  She holds a BA in Political Science and a MA in Public Administration.

Carol Schirmer Owner, Schirmer CONSULTING  

​Carol Schirmer is the owner of Schirmer Consulting, LLC, and a seasoned Landscape Architect and Land Use Planner with 35 years of professional experience. She holds a Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) from the University of Oregon. Since moving to Eugene in 1986, Carol has been dedicated to enhancing the community's living environments. Her work focuses on a range of housing solutions, including affordable housing, market-rate developments, multi-unit residences, student housing, and Middle Housing. Originally from the Boston area, Carol brings a diverse perspective to her practice, enriching Eugene with her expertise and commitment to thoughtful land use planning
 

Betsy Schultz Principal, NW Strategies

​Betsy Schultz is the owner of PNW Strategies, a government affairs, political consulting firm with over a decade of political experience both in and outside the state Capitol. Betsy works with many issues and candidates across party lines, ensuring quality outcomes for her clients and community.
In addition to political endeavors, Betsy started PNW [Dev]elopement, and is the co-owner of Artis Flora, a flower farm/florist business. She is the President of housing advocacy group Better Housing Together. Betsy enjoys backpacking, sailing and anything else that gets her outside in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Matthew Tschabold Senior Housing and Homelessness Initiative Director, GOV. KOTEK'S OFFICE

Matthew Tschabold serves as Governor Kotek’s Senior Housing and Homelessness Initiative Director.  Before joining the Governor’s team in January 2023, he spent 9 years at the Policy and Planning Manager and Deputy Director for the Portland Housing Bureau. Matthew has an undergraduate in finance, a master’s in urban planning, and 20 years of experience working in community development and planning, public administration, and finance. His work includes time with the State of Oregon, governments and institutions of Cambodia and Macedonia, New York University's Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service, the City of New York, and the United States Peace Corps.
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