Email: glee@COIC.org
Title: Rural Resource Coordinator
Organization: Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC)
Community: Central Oregon
Population: 208,513
County Served: Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson Counties and Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation

Meet Grace Lee (she/her):

Grace has lived on both the East and West Coast to small business owning parents. Growing up, she has met a diverse group of people from various socio economic and cultural backgrounds. Utilizing her experiences, she decided to pivot her career path and graduated from the University of Oregon with a B.S. in Planning, Public Policy, and Management.

She enjoys learning about everything and anything, especially topics that she can utilize to implement change towards the equity & improved livability. Grace aims to continuously learn and use her knowledge to improve the standard of living, for the benefit of her community and generations to come.

Outside of work, Grace tries to spend as much time with her 2-year-old dog, Rubble. Always looking for something to do, she has already pursued a few new recreational activities that Central Oregon holds in abundance. If you catch her biking around town, don’t be shy to say “hi!”

Community and Organization:

The Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC) serves Central Oregon covering the three counties of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook. We directly serve the cities of Bend, Culver, La Pine, Madras, Prineville, Redmond, Sisters, and the Confederate Tribes of Warm Springs. Officially recognized as a Council of Government, the COIC functions as a pseudo government to serve member jurisdictions and community partners. Through our role, we provide the region with various services such as youth education, regional planning, business loans, and community & economic development.

Projects:

As the Rural Resource Coordinator, Grace will be involved in several community & economic development projects. Her main three project scopes include Community Economic Development, Rural Community Building, and Natural Hazard Mitigation. Focusing on the communities in most need of capacity assistance, she will aid project development for member jurisdictions to increase housing production and related initiatives. Additionally, utilizing our “listen to learn” doctrine, Grace will be assisting in the Newberry Regional Partnership & other community organizations to enhance the livability of Central Oregon through collaboration with stakeholders & resource prospecting. On our last note, she will be aiding in recruitment and outreach for the Central Oregon Wildfire Workforce Partnership which employs youth in fuels reduction for underserved communities, in the increasingly wildfire prone state of Oregon.