Chris Rivera

Email: chris.rivera@ci.monroe.or.us
Title: Community Development Planner
Organization: City of Monroe
Community: Monroe, OR
Population: 651 with city limits, about 4000 in the local area
County Served: Benton County

Meet Chris Rivera (he/him):

Chris has lived most of his life in the Willamette Valley, and has grown to adopt it as his home. After dropping out of community college due to depression and focusing on work for a couple years, Chris returned to school with a renewed purpose to make a difference–a purpose that carried him to learn French and excel in his classes. This purpose also allowed him to survive through online classes when he transferred to the University of Oregon’s School of Planning, Public Policy and Management. There he focused on nonprofit and project management with his expertise in community engagement and placemaking. When he discovered the RARE program, he found a way to achieve his ambition to make a difference through service, while at the same time developing himself to achieve even greater things later in life. Chris wants to work in communities across the world and help them achieve their ambitions too!

Community and Organization:

Monroe is a small community situated on the banks of the Long Tom River at the feet of the Coastal Mountain Range. Due to its location on Highway 99W, it is one of the most trafficked little towns between Eugene and Corvallis. With ancestral ties to one of the first settlements in the Willamette Valley, this city has one of the longest histories in Oregon. Today the area has a vibrant wine industry with several wineries in the area calling it their home. There is also local fishing, hiking, and mountain biking opportunities, with yearly festivals and events. The city has come on hard times in recent years, but there is great potential! With the collaboration between RARE, the city government, and its citizens, Monroe can realize the potential it has always had since its incorporation in 1914.

Project:

Chris’s major projects are creating the Economic Development Plan and updating the Parks Master Plan for the future of Monroe. Chris is also supporting and writing for grant initiatives to help fund the various projects Monroe is interested in over the coming years. However, where you see Chris the most is in his community engagement and communications roles. He needs to know what the people of Monroe want and think so he can best incorporate them into his work. Through the process of 1-on-1 interviews, community meetings, and City events, Chris hopes to get to know what makes Monroe tick, and what he can do to help!