A time of change
The City of Portland has transitioned to a new form of government, and BPS is now housed under the Community and Economic Development service area alongside our partners (Portland Permitting & Development, Portland Housing Bureau, and Prosper Portland).
Staff are already taking advantage of and benefitting from this new organizational structure, facilitating more fruitful working relationships, greater efficiency and better results for the community. We are taking deep breaths, rolling up our sleeves, and looking forward to exciting and meaningful changes.
The Community and Economic Development Service Area is led by Deputy City Administrator and former BPS Director Donnie Oliveira. Read more about the City Leadership Team including DCA Oliveira.
Eric Engstrom, Director
Eric Engstrom was appointed as the permanent director in April 2025. Engstrom had been serving in the role in an interim capacity since May 2024.
During his nearly three decades at the City, Engstrom has worked on several high-profile and critical land-use and strategic-planning topics including infill development strategies, urban natural area protection, and zoning reform.
Engstrom managed the development of the Portland Plan, a strategic plan adopted by Portland City Council in 2012. He also served as the project manager for Portland's Comprehensive Plan Update, which was adopted in 2016.
Tate White, Deputy Director
Tate White was appointed as deputy director in January 2026. She had been serving the City of Portland for eight years, including with Portland Parks & Recreation planning and on the transition team for Portland's mayor-council for of government.
Tate brings over 15 years of local government experience to the Bureau of Planning & Sustainability, grounded in promoting equity and sustainable development — including in urban planning and design, policy development, project management and public administration. In 2022, Tate led assessments to address the City's asset management and infrastructure spending; her work led to these topics becoming City priorities. Over the past year, she has been in the office of the Deputy City Administrator of City Operations, primarily leading strategic planning for improved citywide asset management to promote coordinated infrastructure decision-making and investment practices.
Before moving to Portland in 2017, she worked in various roles across the City of Vancouver, British Columbia. Tate received her master’s in planning at the University of British Columbia after completing geography and international studies degrees at the University of Kentucky. Tate is an avid reader, walker, and transit rider and enjoys completing DIY projects on her home and garden in the Sunnyside neighborhood.
Harmonee Dashiell, Equity and Engagement Manager
Harmonee Dashiell was appointed BPS Equity and Engagement Manager in January of 2024 after serving in the role on an interim basis in 2023, and being a valued member of the team since 2018.
Harmonee has an impressive and extensive background in community outreach and has a passion for working with youth. She grew up in Portland and began her career with the City of Portland at 15 years old in Portland Parks and Recreation as a lifeguard, swim instructor, coach, pre-school teacher, at risk youth coordinator, and site supervisor. This experience has helped shape her work in serving Portlanders that have historically been overlooked, and has led to many years of professional and personal work applying equity and prioritizing communities that need it most.
Outside of work, Harmonee can be found having adventures with her three sons and volunteering for various community organizations.
Patricia Diefenderfer, Chief Planner
Patricia Diefenderfer joined BPS as Chief Planner on March 2, 2022.
Diefenderfer brings over 22 years of municipal planning experience, including current and long-range planning, neighborhood and downtown planning, transit-oriented district planning, transportation and streetscape planning, historic preservation, and community development.
She has extensive experience leading teams on wide-ranging efforts in two of the country's most diverse cities: Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif. Additionally, her values are aligned with the City’s core values of anti-racism, equity, transparency and communication, and represent the way in which she has approached her work as a planner.
Seema Gadh Kumar, Chief of Community Technology
Seema Gadh Kumar joined BPS as the Chief of Community Technology in March 2024.
Before coming to the City of Portland, Seema most recently directed the Language Access Program, Alternate Dispute Resolution Programs, and Violence Against Women Grants for the Vermont Judiciary. She previously worked for a variety of change-focused institutions, both in the USA and internationally. Seema’s experience in direct community engagement, human rights advocacy, just access to technology, environmental conservation, and equity-based approaches to sustainable development make her an excellent fit in BPS’s leadership team. Seema has Juris Doctor and Master of Studies in Environmental Law degrees from Vermont Law and Graduate School and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin.
Director's quarterly calendars
Director Eric Engstrom's quarterly calendars: 2026
Director Eric Engstrom's quarterly calendars: 2025