2025 September Director Report

DIRECTOR REPORT DIRECTOR REPORT SEPTEMBER 1 - 30, 2025

Lake Oswego Parks & Recreation’s mission is to Build Community, Enrich Lives and Care for the Urban and Natural Environment. This report is a look back and summary of operations supporting our mission and promise of excellent services to the people of Lake Oswego.

Cultural Xchange Brings the World to Lake Oswego!

The 4th Annual Cultural Xchange Festival at Millennium Plaza Park brought together a multitude of performers, speakers, food vendors, artisans, and nonprofit organizations for a day filled with music, dance, and cultural celebration.

Audiences enjoyed performances from Mexica Tiahui (Aztec dance), White Lotus Dragon and Lion Dance, and Choro da Alegria (Brazilian jazz), alongside interactive booths and a variety of global cuisine.

Speakers included Councilor Ali Afghan, Sankar Raman, founder of The Immigrant Story, and keynote, Marcus Lattimore, reinforcing Lake Oswego’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The event highlighted the rich tapestry of cultures that make our city unique, welcoming residents and visitors to the downtown area.

In all, over 2000 people visited the event and enjoyed the festive atmosphere and world market vibe.

SEPTEMBER WRAPPED UP THE SUMMER SEASON WITH VIBRANT COMMUNITY CELEBRATIONS & EVENTS ACROSS LAKE OSWEGO - FROM MULTICULTURAL PERFORMANCES TO FARMERS’ MARKETS AND OTHER RECREATION PROGRAMS.

Community Events Cultural Xchange Festival The 4th annual Cultural Xchange event held at Millennium Plaza Park was a smooth production and great success on September 28th. A nice completion to the booking, planning, interviewing, logistics meetings, and pre-production arrangements that occurred in the weeks prior after the summer concert season closed. There was a fantastic turn out of attendees throughout the day experiencing a slice of the numerous different cultures that are a part of our wonderful community here in Lake Oswego.

This year was filled with incredible dance and musical performers on two separate stages throughout the day. Highlights included the Mexica Tiahui and their Aztec traditional folk dance, Sebe Kan with West African drumming and dance with origins from Guinea, Mali, and the Ivory Coast, and a fantastic performance by White Lotus Dragon and Lion Dance. Musical performers brought cultural traditions from South America, North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. A couple of the musical highlights were Choro da Alegria with their 4 piece Brazilian Jazz band and Mariachi En La Piel with their 9 piece traditionally decked out Mexican folk band. Poet, Marcus Lattimore, was excellent along with additional speakers Councilor Ali Afghan and The Immigrant Story founder, Sankar Raman. There were over 40 different vendors in booths providing food, art, and community driven missions to the footprint.

Artisans with Mexican, Peruvian, Aleutian, Inuit, African, Polynesian, and Native American arts and crafts were present during the day selling their wares and sharing their unique stories with attendees. Delicious foods from around the world were available including Mexican churros, Middle Eastern fare, and fresh Hawaiian style poke.

Cultural Xchange Continued:

There were several non-profits in attendance including local organizations the Chinese Friendship Association of Portland, Chinese Youth and Women Development Org, Oregon Department of Justice – Civil Rights Unit, and Peruvian Cultural Festival on site educating attendees about all the vibrant niches of our community. This event is a tremendous opportunity to bring attention to the rich tapestry of people and cultures that are here in Lake Oswego. This is truly an event that helps enrich the community and bring value to the broader culture as a whole. The events team looks forward to continuing to build on the success of this year’s event to make Lake Oswego a welcoming place for all.

Community Events Lake Oswego Farmers’ Market: At the Farmers’ Market, our Farm Fresh Kids activity invited children to build their very own zucchini cars using fresh zucchinis generously provided by our market vendors. The activity was an overwhelming success, with dozens of creative “vehicles” built and proudly taken home. We can’t wait to welcome the kids back on October 4 for our first-ever Zucchini Car Derby, where their creations will race for fun and bragging rights.

Vendor Appreciation: We also celebrated Vendor Appreciation Day on September 20 by delivering coffee, orange juice, and sweet treats. Two of our vendors helped make the morning extra special: Barro Mexican Bakery provided conchas and sweet empanadas, while Sinful Confections shared their vegan and gluten-free goodies. Along with the treats, we delivered plenty of smiles and heartfelt thank-yous to the vendors who make our markets thrive.

First Sunday Market in Lake Grove: On September 7, we hosted the Back-to-School Block Party at the Lake Grove First Sunday Market. The event was a hit with families, featuring 10 carnival games for kids, balloon animals, face painting, and even a fire truck for the little ones to explore, all alongside our local market favorites.

Luscher Farm Harvest Helpers: We are so excited that we managed to beat our harvest record yet again!

Thanks to our partnership with an excellent team of Harvest Helpers, we have donated over 4,000 pounds of fresh produce and herbs this year. Our Adopt-a-Plot program, which has about 40 gardeners, grows food for Hunger Fighters and Meals on Wheels, and is used as a demonstration garden for camps, classes, and field trips.

Prepping for Fall: Fall is coming, which means field trips, birthday parties, and scarecrows will return to the farm. Community gardeners who need to complete their volunteer hours for the year will be invited to help with these fun Fall programs!

Work Parties: We had a successful first honey harvest! Four out of our five hives yielded an estimated 300 pounds of honey. We can’t wait to see how they do next year!

Water Rights: To comply with our water rights permit, water to the gardens will be shutoff on September 30th. Gardeners are encouraged to bring rain barrels, buckets, or other means of holding water for their plots as the dry season extends. Gardeners are also encouraged to use natural methods of water retention like mulching their plots to prevent evaporation.

Community Gardens: The Luscher Community Potluck was a huge hit, with about 30 gardeners and family members in attendance. A variety of dishes were brought, all featuring home-grown produce. Our delicious potluck marked the end of another successful year of gardening!

Community gardeners continued to work on completing their volunteer hours for the season by volunteering at work parties that assist with bark chipping, weeding, harvesting and more.

Adult Community Center Property Upgrades: Replaced our aging wooden light poles with metal light poles.

New bike rack coming to the ACC soon, the new concrete pad.

A new door for the kitchen.

Program Highlights: We had over 45 people sign up for “Tired of the Algorithm?” the first of the The Digital Dive Series this fall.

“Witches & Witch-Hunters”, led by professor Dr. Alicia Patterson from OSU. Program about the hidden details in famous artwork called “Secrets of a Museum.”

“Preventing Falls & Protecting Independence.” ·Our Bridge (card game) classes remain very popular with wait lists.

Trips: A festive trip to Mt Angel for the Oktoberfest.

An overnight glamping trip to Washington’s White Salmon River Valley.

Recreation Management

LOPR & LOPL: Enrichment Activities: A group of Recreation and Management Services staff met with a few Library Leaders to collaborate on joint programming and promotional ideas. Agreements were made to continue to present joint programming including Story Walks in the parks, Senior Studies at the ACC and prepare cross promotional media to distribute. Be on the lookout for more info on this topic.

FEMA Training!

A message from City Hall included a spreadsheet with FEMA training requirements for fulltime staff members. Many staff needed required training and completed it by the end of September. FEMA training is required for reimbursement funding when emergency events occur. Training occurs online with some of them lasting up to 3-4 hours including testing to receive credit and certificate. Once the training is completed, the spreadsheet is updated and sent to City Hall for record keeping purposes.

Most Parks & Rec personnel needed to complete these trainings: 100-FEMA - Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Course | IS-100.C: Introduction to the Incident Command System, ICS 100 200-FEMA - Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Course | IS-200.C: Basic Incident Command System for Initial Response, ICS-200 700-FEMA - Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Course | IS-700.B: An Introduction to the National Incident Management System

Recreation Program Meeting: On Wednesday September 10 at the LORAC Event Room, the Rec Program meeting occurred.

Topics for the Meeting included: Active Network Registration Systems Update, timelines and costs including registration systems, activity scheduling, facility booking and permitting, Active Net Connect system for Attendance tracking, image upload capabilities, activity check-in, child care management, waiver management, medical info including allergy and Active Captivate -Ap for customers for check-in, reservations, custom alerts.

The Training schedule and expert contacts were discussed and it is about ½ day training and it is advised to record it.

A discussion about Cancellations & Refunds included Costs- What does it cost to cancel and refund, and what Performance Indicators “Take Rate” Offered/Held mean when a cancellation occurs.

Winter/Spring 2026 Activity Guide schedule and due dates were discussed.

A fun Summer activity and event Recap-Fall Fun Programs and Activities were discussed by programmers with updates and great information.

The CAPRA New Standards and Updated Policies were discussed and the Segway to the Strategic Plan DRAFT- Copy was shared and distributed at the meeting.

FEMA requirements were discussed and the Training/Conference information was updated.

Recreation Management Conference September 16-18, 2025: The 2025 NRPA conference took place in Orlando, Florida. Amy Purdy a three-time Paralympic medalist for adaptive snowboarding, and runner up in Dancing with the Stars and co-founder of Adaptive Action Sports gave the opening key note presentation to over 6,000 attendees. Amy also inspires thousands of people across the globe to live abundantly with love and a no-limitations ethos.

The conference included a two-day vendor exposition with hundreds of booths full of parks & recreation provisions, consultant firms, registration software vendors, professional associations and more!

Education Sessions included special interest topics and a sampling looks like this: Innovating Accreditation: Leveraging AI and Analytics for CAPRA Success Strategic Recreation Programming: Aligning Needs, Goals and Accreditation New CAPRA Standards: Lessons Learned From 2025 Beta Test Agencies Political IQ: Navigate, Relate and Succeed

Tour for LORAC Facility Management System: A tour of the LORAC was conducted with Jason Kemmerich, Account Executive of Long Building Technologies on Monday September 29. Long provides system support and is primarily a HVAC and security service but could help with some system work when the warranties expire. Emergency back-up will be needed due to many hours of operation weekly with all the building systems including aquatic pumps and feeder systems.

LORAC Recreation & Aquatic Management Aquatics Superintendent Report: September was a busy month for Aquatics, with staff balancing day-to-day operations alongside community use and special events. A large portion of time was spent supporting front desk operations and staff, as we continue to navigate a high volume of customer service interactions and concerns.

We successfully hosted seven water polo games between the two Lake Oswego high schools, providing student-athletes with a competitive and supportive home environment. These events also highlighted the functionality and adaptability of the competition pool.

In addition, we were proud to host the Oregon Recreation & Park Association (ORPA) Aquatics Section meeting at the Recreation and Aquatics Center. The meeting drew 58 professionals from across the state, who participated in networking and professional development sessions, followed by a facility tour. Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive, and it positioned LORAC as a leader in aquatics operations and innovation.

Staff are also actively preparing for the Oregon League of Cities visit on October 3, which will showcase the Recreation and Aquatics Center to elected officials and city leaders from across the state.

Finally, during September I also served as Acting in Charge (AIC) with both Jeff and Jan out, ensuring continuity of leadership and decision-making during their absence.

Overall, September showcased the strength of our staff, the versatility of our facility, and the growing recognition of our programs both locally and statewide.

Aquatic September Highlights: Aquatics is always hiring and recruiting and brought on 6 more staff members in September.

High school Water Polo is in full-swing and for the biggest match of the pre-season (Lake Oswego v. Lakeridge), we welcomed nearly 200 fans and athletes to the Competition Pool!

For our first session of group swim lessons, we had 202 participants learning to swim.

Our swim instructors have also started teaching Private Lessons, and are doing their best to work through the 88 families who have requested some 1:1 work.

Enrichment Enrichment: Indoor Playground at LORAC began on September 23 to a crowd of happy toddlers and preschoolers. The space will be packed every Tuesday and Thursday from September through May! Many of our most popular enrichment classes started this month as well, including Little Masters, Ballroom Dance, Watercolor/Oil painting and Line Dance!

Teen Programs: The Teen Lounge is back for year 19!

September is our open house month where anyone can try the space and program for free. Despite the free period still going, we do have membership purchases rolling in. We are well on our way to our membership goal with 35+ sold.

Staff was asked to present our youth program offerings to the City DEI Advisory Board on September 29th The Youth Action Council held its first meeting of 2025-26 on September 9 at the LORAC – the group of 24 discussed where they would like their retreat in October to be and what direction YAC would like to go in this year. Stay tuned!

All the teen/youth volunteer boards and councils met at Foothills Park on Monday, September 22 for their annual Meet & Greet – this year featuring a Boba bar!

Members of the Youth Action Council, Jr. Camp Counselor Program, Youth Leadership Council and Library Teen Advisory Board mingled with the Mayor and enjoyed games, crafts and, of course, Boba!

Enrichment Outdoor:

Alder Creek is continuing weekend kayak/SUP/canoe rentals for the month of September! Get out on the water while the weather is still good!

Little Puddle Stompers, a parent and me nature class for ages 2-5, is back at GRP! Participants have played a game of nature observation bingo, participated in a density lab called “does it sink or does it float”, and will be getting a tour of the iron smelt furnace with a Park Ranger!

Staff met with the Hikes and Rambles Steering committee to make some determinations about the programs website design and 2026 meeting and planning locations! All while the group is continuing to lead 2-3 hikes per week for the community.

Fitness Programs:

Fall Equinox Meditation & Sound Bath Retreat in Oswego hall had 44 participants on Sunday, 9/21. We received many wonderful feedback emails!

Happy Hour Yoga had it’s last event of the year at Roehr Park dolphin; as always it was a wonderful evening!

Run4Fun Couch to 5K kicked off for the second year! The runners are excited to start their training for a 5k end of October. Picture attached, running up Luscher hills.

821 participants in LORAC member fitness classes.

Parks Planning & Projects CAPITAL PROJECTS Lake Oswego Golf Course: Driving range fence bid submitted.

Waiting on Jeff to approve.

HVAC contract approved and signed for Annex. Work to be scheduled soon.

Lake Oswego Recreation & Aquatics Center (LORAC): Building generator proposal under development by TW. Civil As-Builts submitted.

City approved allowing the stormwater pond to remain as is and monitor over the winter for functionality.

Fuel tank at Maintenance building has been wired and is functional.

Willamette River Greenway Project: Planning application is being revised by the consultant for resubmittal.

Once accepted by Planning, review will begin.

Intend to put project out for bid in early spring 2026.

Construction proposed for summer/fall 2026.

Rassekh Park Phase 2: All playground equipment has been installed and play surfacing installation, the last step of construction, is in progress and expected to be complete the first week of October. Following completion of playground construction, the construction crew will demobilize and clean up the site in preparation for the grand opening celebration, which will be held on October 18 from 2-4pm. Construction of the nearby on-site maintenance storage building (located behind the restrooms) will be ongoing through the fall.

Parks Planning & Projects CAPITAL PROJECTS CONTINUED Willamette River Greenway Trail: A submittal for Metro Local Share funds for this project is being prepared for Lake Oswego City Council and Metro Council review and approval. Supplemental information requested for the land use application has been provided and is under review. Per the pre-application conference the land use application is expected to be reviewed under ministerial review and will not require a land use hearing or a formal neighborhood meeting; however, regular project updates have been shared with the Old Town Neighborhood Association (OTNA) board and the property owners along the easement. A follow-up memo to OTNA discussing impacts from this project (among other things) is being prepared and will be shared with the board prior to their annual meeting on October 9. The project is expected to go to bid in February 2026 and begin construction in April or May 2026.

Parks Planning & Projects Parks SDC Methodology Update: Parks & Recreation staff met with the consultant team to review the list of projects and discuss preliminary concepts for updating the methodology, including alignment with recently-adopted citywide housing studies and exploring a phased implementation strategy. The consultant team is updating the draft methodology and calculating preliminary maximum fees based on the adopted project list from Parks Plan 2040. Following this exercise, the draft concepts will be shared with internal staff from the Planning, Finance, and City Manager’s offices.

Luscher Area Master Plan Implementation: Preparation of a land use application package including narrative, traffic impact analysis, local park master plan, a summary of feedback from local area farmers, and numerous maps and exhibits is underway. The submittal will include narrative addressing all of the applicable requirements, as laid out in the pre-application conference, including: standards from Clackamas County Zoning and Development Ordinance (Section 401 EFU Zoning, Section 706 Habitat Conservation Area District (HCAD), Section 709 Water Quality Resource Area District (WQRAD), Section 707 Historic Landmark Overlay District, Section 714 Special Use Overlay District, Section 1000 Development Standards for Institutional uses, and Section 1202 Criteria for Zone Changes; findings related to Comprehensive Plan goals and policies from Chapter 4 Land Use for Agricultural Lands and Urban Reserves and Chapter 9 for recreation and Historic Landmark related goals; requirements set forth in Oregon Administrative Rules 660-034-0040 and thus OAR 660-034-0035(2)(a) to (g) related to public park uses on farm and forest lands; requirements set forth in Oregon Revised Statute 215.296 related to impacts to farm and forest uses; and Statewide Planning Goals 1 through 15.

Tennis, Golf & Sports TENNIS CENTER Youth & Program Updates:

Leagues & Team Play:

September marked the official start of the fall session at LOTC. We welcomed many new players, and welcomed back many familiar faces in both youth and adult programs, as well as leagues and seasonal reservations. Classes are running at full capacity across all levels. Staff have settled into their new schedules, and instruction is off to a strong start, with positive feedback from participants.

City League and USTA League matches kicked off this month, bringing great energy into the facility. LOTC hosted several competitive matches, and captains have been cooperative with scheduling and observing facility rules. The start of league season has increased evening traffic, creating a lively atmosphere and strong sense of community.

Facility & Operations: Following August’s annual closure, the facility is operating smoothly, with courts and lobby areas in good condition. We’ve had contractors in the building this month touching up paint, fixing the court lights, and addressing other maintenance needs to keep the center in top shape. Staff transitions are ongoing, including adjustments to front desk scheduling, ensuring proper coverage during peak hours. With the return of fall programming, operations are running efficiently and with minimal disruptions.

Looking Ahead: October will bring continued league play, the mid-session of fall classes, and preparation for winter/spring registration. With the holiday season approaching, planning is underway for a themed mixer to keep participants engaged and build community.

Tennis, Golf & Sports SPORTS DIVISION Youth Sports: In September we introduced a new partner, Kidokinetics, who held their first program at Westlake Park. Through the month we provided more than 20 sports classes to more than 80 kids aged 2-12, including soccer, fencing, baseball, ninja play, and gymnastics.

Adult Sports: Fall adult leagues took off, with the second season of Men’s 18+ basketball: 11 teams and 85 players, with all games played at LORAC. Adult Soccer League divisions Mixed 18+ and Mixed 35+ began the season with a combined 12 teams and 187 players, with games at East Waluga Park and Hazelia Field.

Pickleball: This month we held our first Pickleball Ladies Night Out with 14 ladies! With photo booth props, fun games, music and pickleball, ladies enjoyed the event hosted by our instructor, Roxy, and gym staff Liz. In addition to this, we held all offered pickleball classes with a total of 44 participants.

LORAC Gym: We introduced the first adaptive sports program held by Adaptive Sports NW. They held a “Try-It” day where they offered wheelchair basketball, pickleball, and other sports designed for individuals with visual and/or physical impairments. The program had more than 8 participants, and will continue to grow as they offer a variety of adaptive sports in the LORAC gymnasium in the coming months.

Tennis, Golf & Sports GOLF As we move from summer to fall, things are beginning to slow down a bit at the golf course.

Lake Oswego golfers booked $3,080 tee times in September, netting $60,587 in green fees.

Golfers hit 168,545 balls on the driving range, which is 2,407 buckets of balls, and $21,867 in revenue.

We have passed the $700,000 mark since we opened on April 27, exceeding our goal for our first year!

Staff had actively prepared for the Mayor’s Golf Tournament, which was planned to be held at the newly re-opened Lake Oswego Municipal Golf Course. Significant work has gone into sponsorship development, logistics, and community outreach for the event.

Unfortunately, the tournament will be postponed until next year.

Parks Department Highlights: The Track Slide at the East Waluga Playground was replaced this month. It had previously been destroyed in the winter storm of January 2024. The team also blew in 15 yards of playground chips down and around the track slide for fall safety.

A New Memorial bench was installed by the playground at East Waluga Park.

The old brocken pathway at Freepond Park was replaced with new asphalt.

Parks: Autumn leaf clean-up has started for the season.

A water feature pump was repaired at Millennium Plaza for the Bosque fountain.

Shrub bed maintenance and pruning projects are ongoing, with perennials being cut back for the season.

The fountain at Millennium Plaza Park is back up and running.

New banners were put up in Millennium Plaza Park.

Team member Brandon Bolen attended the Lake Oswego Sustainability Network EV fair.

“No parking” Fire lane curbs have been repainted in various parks and the Adult Community Center.

A new concrete pad was installed for a drinking fountain at George Rogers Park.

Weekly shrub bed maintenance was done at East Waluga and Westlake Park (eg.

Mowing, edging, and weeding).

Wasp traps were hung around Westlake Park.

A dead tree was removed at end of alley in western parking lot at Westlake Park.

Natural Areas: A new fence was installed at Luscher farm along the driveway.

The Natural Areas Crew attended the Emergency Preparedness Fair talking about Emerald Ash Borer with curious citizens.

The Team worked with ODF to have a eDNA study done at Canal Acres to test for signs of Emerald Ash Borer.

The Natural Areas team has been chipping away at clearing the hawthorn hedgerow next to the CSA fields and converting it to a native pollinator hedgerow.

The team finished their ash tree inventory and will begin analyzing the data to plan for ash removals in the coming years.

We are completing the “Find Our Forest Friends” gnome scavenger hunt this month and awarding the winner in October.

The Natural Areas interns have completed the Park Amenities and park trail mapping and will eventually become an interactive map for the public to use.

Athletic Fields: The Team filled holes at the athletic fields at Westlake and George Rogers. Using four yards of top blended soil adding to war spots and holes to ensure the safety of player.

Soccer goal inspections were done on all our athletic fields: East Waluga, Hazelia, George Rogers, Westlake. Repair included re-welding and part replacement, as well as some light painting.

An irrigation leak repair has been done at the softball field Westlake park.

A yearly lights inspection was done to replace burned out light bulbs on all athletic fields.

Athletic Fields Continued: Edging and a weed eater Westlake athletic field routine maintenance.

Grooming softball and baseball fields routine maintenance Locations: GRP/Westlake.

Creating safe & playable surfaces.

Mowing Westlake infields and athletic fields two times a week creating safety performance for are play users / as well Iron Mountain and Wood mound park & small areas on the all the parks ones a week Blowing dugouts and bleachers & athletic fields routine maintenance.

Replacing some of the old rule’s signs at the George Rogers/ Westlake athletic fields. Some of the older damaged athletic field rule’s signs at the George Rogers, Westlake, Hazelia and East Waluga were replaced.

Seeding application on our athletic fields; George Roger, Westlake and Foothills park Layout two soccer fields one full-size 11v11 field at Westlake park / 10v10 soccer field size for Eat Waluga.

Golf: Staff installed two concrete bins in the golf course maintenance yard. One for top dress sand, and one for landscape debris.

Communication & Sponsorship Social ParkMedia: & Natural Area Projects In September, Parks & Recreation’s social media efforts showcased a diverse range of programs and events, including Cultural Xchange, First Sunday Markets, the extended Farmers’ Market season, the pool conversion for high school water polo, updates on the Mayor’s Golf Tournament, and the upcoming Rassekh Park Grand Opening. A total of 27 posts and stories were published, generating over 161,000 impressions and 240,000+ views across platforms. Metrics do not include a small amount of paid Facebook promotion for the Mayor’s Golf Tournament.

Website Management: Routine updates were made to key Parks & Recreation web pages, focusing on: LORAC class schedules, memberships, and amenities Event promotion and seasonal programming Golf course and driving range updates Labor Day hours and pool closure information

Communication & Messaging: Produced content for both HelloLO and LODown newsletters, featuring community events, facility news, and seasonal updates.

Email Communications: Multiple targeted emails were distributed to members and patrons regarding schedule adjustments, pool closures, and operational updates, ensuring timely communication and customer awareness.

Campaign Highlights: Rassekh Park Grand Opening: Collaborating with Parks & Recreation staff on planning and execution for the October 18 celebration.

Mayor’s Golf Tournament: Designed sponsor brochure and event materials, managed registration and marketing. The event has been postponed to 2026 due to scheduling constraints.

Communication & Sponsorship Park & Natural Area Projects

LORAC Support Materials: Continued development of signage, brochures, and print/digital collateral to promote programming, support memberships, and enhance facility operations.

Sponsorships: Maintained ongoing communication with current and prospective sponsors Partnered with the City Attorney’s Office on contract approvals Supported sponsors through deliverables and on-site recognition at events Banners: Coordinated installation of September event banners with an external vendor Began design and production of holiday banners for November installation Professional Development: NRPA Annual Conference (Orlando): Attended 14 sessions, including the opening keynote by Amy Purdy, aligned with the theme Build Together, Play Together.

Participated in multiple communicationsfocused workshops, including a powerful session on crisis communications highlighting the Orlando Pulse Nightclub response.

FEMA Training: Completed four FEMA courses, including the Public Information Officer (PIO) module, enhancing emergency communication readiness.

Community Outreach & Media Relations: Collaborated with Scott Edwards Architecture on a professional photo shoot in September Attended Prophecy AI presentation and coordinated with Madison on the community survey rollout Worked with the City Manager’s Office, Events, and Farmers’ Market teams to coordinate a live KATU news segment highlighting Lake Oswego, which aired on September 26 and featured community programs and Parks & Recreation initiatives.