Reply To: Welcome Oregon Cohort!
Mayor Burns is in running the Democratic legislative seat of house district 59. Mayor Burns is an ardent supporting of working families and focuses her efforts on what we share in common vs what divides us, she finds solutions based on bringing all voices to the table, she promotes a collaborative process on innovative solutions to urgent issues of our time. Arlene’s priories are Resiliency, Health Care, Education, Equity and justice, economic stimuli, energy and infrastructure, Tribes and climate recovery and regenerative agriculture. Arlene is quite adept at navigating complex social and economic issues and operate from a platform integrity, respect, equity, generosity and compassion.
Katie Harkins Skakel has over 25 years experience in land use planning, floodplain management, mitigation, climate adaptation and resiliency planning. Katie has worked for Massachusetts Dept of Environmental Management and FEMA Region X, Multnomah County, Hood River County, City of The Dalles and City of Mosier in Oregon and for the Bi-State Columbia River Gorge Commission and in various environs in the US. She worked with communities in New York following Hurricane Sandy.
Katie hopes to increase the collective conversation about how to create a resilient community and planning with a whole community approach. Katie is dedicated to creating momentum for communities to conduct Resiliency Plans, Climate Action Plans for the whole community – from Native American population, to farm workers, to front line workers, professionals, to elderly and vulnerable populations and to provide sense of place for young people to learn and grow in equity and compassion for a viable Gorge.
In 2015, Katie worked as the lead consultant to conduct a nation-wide interview process to identify gaps and needs for mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction at local level. She created and developed the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Ambassador curriculum and conducted a Pilot workshop for 60 local officials in Tulsa, OK to test the DRR curriculum. FEMA awarded additional funding due to the success, need and importance of the work.
Katie is excited to be working hand in hand with Mayor of Mosier Arlene Burns to kick start the Resiliency Planning work.