Emily Wingard

Email: emily.wingard@southwascoalliance.org
Title: Capacity Building Manager
Organization: South Wasco Alliance
Community: South Wasco
Population: 2,700
County Served: South Wasco County

Meet Emily Wingard (she/her/hers):

Emily grew up in Connecticut and graduated from the University of Vermont in 2021 with a dual degree in Political Science and Psychology. Emily is passionate about social justice and community building, and has always been energized by working with people. Through classes in psychology and an internship with the Head Start program in college, Emily found that channeling opportunities to individuals to help them develop the skills and confidence they need to achieve their goals is inspiring, and it’s led her to pursue work with nonprofits and rural environments here in Oregon. As someone with a love for nature and whose hobbies are somewhat dependent on access to the outdoors, Emily has fallen in love with Oregon’s scenery and abundance of outdoor recreation, and she is excited to learn more about what this great state has to offer.

Community and Organization:

South Wasco County is made up of the city of Maupin, which is incorporated, and many of the small unincorporated communities in the surrounding area including Wamic, Tygh Valley, Simnasho, Shaniko, Pine Hollow, Sportsman’s Park, Wapinitia and Pine Grove. Sitting about 40 miles south of The Dalles and the Columbia River Gorge, and 45 miles east of Mt. Hood National Forest, South Wasco County has access to some of the best scenery and activities the Pacific Northwest has to offer. Whether you’re looking for vast farmland, lush forests, or a rafting adventure, those in South Wasco can reach it all. Along with these luxuries comes the cost of living rural, however, and residents in the southern region of Wasco County are no strangers to the hardships of economic barriers, food insecurity, and resource deficiency.

South Wasco Alliance is a non-profit organization formed in 2015 that is working to develop a sustainable economy by bridging the gaps to educational, social, and economic opportunities. The volunteers working at SWA operate as a network in which local and regional partners can connect with unincorporated areas.

Project:

As a Capacity Building Manager for SWA, Emily will be working to create connections between the community and local/regional agencies in an effort to generate new pathways for those in rural areas to access opportunities. Part of her work will include food systems by identifying and confronting barriers to food availability, while another part will be building relationships within rural communities to encourage their personal and economic growth. These projects within the communities will provide a structure which outside organizations will be able to recognize and build upon to create a sustainable economy for the future.