2026-087

TO THE COUNCIL: 

The Community Involvement Committee (CIC) reviews and advises on how City staff engage with the public in land use and transportation planning. The CIC is an important part of the City's Community Involvement Program, supporting the goals and policies of the 2035 Comprehensive Plan and is required by Oregon Statewide Planning Goal 1.

To be in compliance, it is recommended that the Council appoint seven new members to the Community Involvement Committee and reappoint three current members, with terms ending March 10, 2029. 

As Mayor, I request a Council motion and vote to confirm these appointments to the Community Involvement Committee:

This group of individuals brings a wide variety of expertise and experience from across the Portland community. They will add immense value to the work we do in community involvement and accountability in long-range planning. I look forward to working with this group of volunteers and to the recommendations they will make to City Planning staff in the years ahead.

Brief biographies and statements of interest for each individual are provided below:

Tui Dawn Laithan

Biography:

Lives in District 1 and is a Portlander and a graduate of the University of Denver. She has contributed to the community by creating a nonprofit organization that engages young men through soccer to help build a sense of belonging and community.

Statement of Interest:

I'm excited about the possibility of serving on the Community Involvement Committee because it allows me to help ensure that all voices in Portland are heard and represented in City planning decisions. I enjoy connecting with people from diverse backgrounds and learning from their experiences, and this role gives me a chance to make a meaningful impact in my community.

I'm also motivated by the opportunity to work with City staff and other community members to improve public engagement processes. Being part of a group that shapes inclusive, transparent, and equitable engagement practices aligns with my passion for fairness, collaboration, and community-driven solutions.

Sarah Weller Pegna 

Biography:

Lives in District 4 and has worked on policy systems and their impacts on equity and residents. Participates in the National League of Cities and has worked on a number of collaborative settings and provided technical assistance.

Statement of Interest:

I have had the privilege of working with cities across the country as they engage in the important—and often self-reflective—work of building stronger civic infrastructure. Through this work, I have seen firsthand how intentional, equity-centered engagement leads to deeper trust, more effective communication, and ultimately, policies and programs that have greater impact because they reflect the voices of those most affected. When I saw this opportunity, I was immediately excited by the chance to contribute to this kind of transformational change in my own city and community. It would be an honor to bring my experience home and support efforts that build a more inclusive, responsive, and equitable Portland.

Lauren Elizabeth Sommer 

Biography:

Lives in District 2 and is a student at Portland State University, changing career paths, finishing a minor in Political Economics and hoping to pursue a master's in urban planning. She has been a Portlander since 2019 after moving from Seattle. She founded a group at PSU and is working on developing its constitution and plan. She belongs to Health Care for All and is a member of the events team. She has participated at Albina Vision Trust events, learning how they bring communities to the table.

Statement of Interest:

What excites me most about the possibility of serving on the Community Involvement Committee is the opportunity to help strengthen trust between community members and the City, particularly in shaping policies that directly affect people's daily lives. I believe inclusive engagement is the foundation of effective planning and sustainability, and I am motivated by the chance to support processes that ensure every voice—especially those from underrepresented or historically excluded communities—is heard and valued.

My professional experience in community outreach and program coordination has shown me how powerful authentic engagement can be in building connections and driving equitable outcomes. Whether organizing events, developing accessible outreach materials, or coordinating diverse partners, I have seen that when communities are engaged early and meaningfully. They become stronger collaborators and advocates for long-term change.

The mission of this committee aligns closely with my personal values and my academic work in Public Policy and Urban Affairs, where I am focusing on equity and urban systems. I am particularly inspired by the committee's role in advising on best practices for public participation, as I see this as an opportunity to bring both my professional skills and lived experiences into a space where they can contribute to creating a more sustainable, inclusive Portland.

Ultimately, I am excited about the possibility of working alongside others who are equally committed to community voice, sustainability, and equity, and to helping ensure that City processes reflect the diversity and aspirations of Portland's residents.

Bing Theobald 

Biography:

Lives in District 4, is a first-generation Chinese migrant and has lived in the Portland metro area for the last 20 years. Bing has been a member of the Downtown Beaverton Development Plan and has participated for many years in diverse community projects and initiatives. She believes in the importance of migrants having a voice in local government.

Statement of Interest:

What excites me most about serving on the CIC is the opportunity to strengthen how Portland involves its diverse communities in planning processes. I know from experience that government works best when residents—not just a few, but people from all backgrounds—are part of the discussion. Too often, immigrant and minority voices feel invisible in planning, even though they are directly impacted by decisions about land use and transportation.

Serving on the CIC would allow me to help make community engagement more authentic and equitable. I want to contribute to processes that reach beyond traditional methods, connect with underrepresented groups, and ensure that public involvement is not just a requirement but a meaningful practice.

Jenna Ringelheim

Biography:

Jenna Ringelheim lives in District 2, in northeast Portland and has lived there for the last 25 years She works in environmental and social justice, leadership development, and group facilitation and training. She currently participates in the Re-imagining Justice project. Her master's thesis was about "PDX and Sustainability."

Statement of Interest:

I am excited by the opportunity to serve on this advisory body because it represents a chance to learn, grow, and give back to the community I have called home for over two decades. While my professional work has often taken me beyond Portland, I am eager to refocus my energy locally and contribute to shaping a more equitable and engaged city.

This is an inspiring moment for Portland. With a new form of government unfolding and the City's commitment to reimagining public processes, there is a tremendous opportunity to innovate and build stronger systems of community involvement. I consider myself both a creative thinker and a builder, and I am energized by the chance to bring those skills to the table at a time when fresh ideas and inclusive practices are especially needed.

Jacob Dugan 

Biography:

Jacob lives in District 3. He works in technology focusing on software development. He is very interested in land use and housing, has experience in the private sector, and is particularly interested in developing accountability for planning projects.

Statement of Interest:

I am excited to help improve my community. I have spent my whole life living in the Portland area and want to give back.

I enjoy taking long evening walks and exploring the city. I have probably walked a thousand or more miles through southeast, downtown, northwest, and southwest Portland, which has given me many insights into land use and transit.

Making the city a better place for people to truly live in is what makes me most passionate.

Caitlin Burke 

Biography:

Caitlin lives in District 2. She has experience working for the city of Portland in homelessness, housing and the facilitation of public meetings and trainings. Caitlin worked on the Portland Mercado concept development, connected to urban planning and partnerships. She is applying to the Urban Planning program at Portland State University.

Statement of Interest:

Two things interest me strongly – public planning and community engagement – and this committee marries the two. I want to be an engaged, active member of the committee that:

• Applies my past knowledge and experience to best serve current city efforts to engage the public in planning It is also an opportunity to learn, as I prepare to enter Portland State University's Master of Urban and Regional Planning program in Fall 2026, with a focus on community engagement.
• Learns from others, including my fellow committee members, guest speakers, city planners and the community.
• Helps bring to reality the goals and vision of the city's public engagement guidelines, as well as Chapter 2 of the 2035 Comprehensive Plan and BPS's Community Engagement Manual. My past experience working with the City of Portland helped me understand the challenges (and opportunities!) of integrating regular community engagement best practices into staff projects.
• Supports the direction towards a more diverse, inclusive committee membership with a focus on real, tangible work for committee members, so that everyone's time will be meaningfully spent.
• Brings my passion for serving organizations that address the systemic causes of poverty and inequity and explores how those organizations can best work with the city.

Susan Novak

Biography:

Susan lives in Southeast Portland and is a partially retired consultant addressing issues of social inclusion, involuntary resettlement, ethnic minorities, and environmental management in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Susan has served a previous partial term on the CIC and is currently serving her first full term. She has extensive background in working with different cultures and communities and speaks 4 languages (Spanish, English, French, and Khmer).

Statement of Interest:

Being a CIC member allows me to leverage my professional knowledge and experience in the field of community engagement, first as an urban planning/design consultant working in major metropolitan areas and, subsequently, as an international gender/social inclusion consultant working in diverse cultures and sectors. Specifically, I am excited to:

• Continue to work with and support program/project teams at the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) and the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) to ensure timely integration of relevant community engagement methods and tools in their work throughout the program/project cycle and the evaluation of outcomes
•  Support linkages between community engagement initiatives undertaken by BPS and PBOT teams and legislative review and recommendations for proposed programs/projects by the Planning Commission
•  Seek opportunities to collaborate with key communities and stakeholders, directly and indirectly impacted by Portland's long-range planning initiatives, to design and implement community engagement strategies

James Gorter

Biography:

As a lifelong resident of Portland, Jim enjoys working with others to shape the city's future for all Portlanders. He was raised in Southeast Portland and currently lives in the Southwest. He spent his career in environmental education and since retirement has served on city projects including the Residential Infill Project Stakeholder Advisory Committee, the Citizen Advisory Group for Willamette Park, and a variety of other civic organizations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he has worked to ensure that renters in vulnerable populations were able to stay in stable housing during a time of crisis.

Statement of Interest:

I look forward to being actively involved and engaged in expanding the involvement of Portlanders in shaping the form and livability of the city. Specifically, I look forward to:

• Bringing new members into the committee
• Helping to train current and new members to be effective advocates for community involvement in long-range planning.
• Raising the level of collaborative efforts between the City and the community

Calvin Hoff 

Biography:

Calvin has a passion for empowering community members to participate in processes that impact their own communities. After moving to Portland from the south suburbs of Chicago in 2016, they spent four years working at Venture Portland supporting Portland's 50 neighborhood business districts. As a recent graduate of the University of Oregon's Master of Regional & Community Planning Program, they are currently conducting research on immigrant experiences on decision-making bodies in Oregon. In their free time, Calvin enjoys watching live music and riding their bicycle.

Statement of Interest:

The things that most excite me about continuing to serve on the CIC include:

• Impacting planning projects in Portland by providing guidance on outreach practices
• Learning more about planning projects through direct involvement
• Learning from fellow members about community involvement practices

Calvin has been serving as the Interim Chair of the Community Involvement Committee while the City moves through the restructuring and recruitment process.