Ciara Williams

Email: cwilliams@coic.org
Organization: Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC)
Community: Central Oregon
Population: 254,029
Counties Served: Crook, Deschutes, Jefferson

Meet Ciara Williams (she/her/hers):

Ciara graduated from the George Washington University with a B.A. in International Affairs, specializing in International Economics, and minoring in Latin American Literatures, Cultures, and Languages. Ciara is passionate about urban design, place making, and social justice. After RARE, Ciara intends to pursue her Master’s Degree in Urban Design. In her free time, Ciara enjoys exploring local coffee shops, playing volleyball, and spending quality time with friends.

Community and Organization:

The Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC) is an intermediary governmental body based in Bend that serves the Central Oregon region (Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook Counties and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs). Designated in 1972 as a Council of Governments, COIC provides services in employment and training, alternative high school education, business loans, transportation, regional planning, natural resource management, natural disasters and emergency management, and community and economic development. COIC is non-regulatory and has no tax base, and is funded through grants, contracts, and agreements with other agencies and nonprofits. Ciara works in the Community and Economic Development department (CED), which provides services to many rural communities in the region, including Culver, La Pine, Madras, Metolius, Prineville, Redmond, and Sisters.

Project:

Ciara is serving her second year as the RARE Program Assistant for CED. She will be building on the findings of the Central Oregon COVID-19 Economic Needs Assessment, and working in concert with other economic development districts to move towards action that meet those needs. Ciara also supports three regional collaboratives: Housing for All (H4A), the Deschutes Basin Water Collaborative (DBWC), and the Mirror Pond Fish Passage Advisory Committee. She also works on various Rural Community Building initiatives to facilitate community-led critical development projects, including the Sisters Vision Implementation team and rural Idea Labs.