Jane Allen

Email: jane@mcedd.org
Organization: Mid Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD)
Community: Mid-Columbia Region

Meet Jane Allen (she/her/hers):

Jane majored in Environmental Studies and Geography at the University of Northern Colorado and got her Masters in Climate Change & Society at North Carolina State University. Having lived all over the country, Jane has seen the impacts of a changing climate coast to coast and wants to help communities be more resilient to these changes. In the future, Jane hopes to work on natural hazards planning and climate adaptation and was excited to apply her skills to economic development in rural Oregon. In her free time you will most likely find her exploring the outdoors with her husky in tow, listening to live music, or hanging out at a local brewery.

Community and Organization:

Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD) is a bi-state regional economic development entity supporting the Columbia Gorge region of Oregon and Washington. The region encompasses parts of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and there are many options for recreational pursuits year-round. The MCEDD office is located in the community of The Dalles, which has a rich history. With a connection to the river, the area was once one of the largest Native American trading centers, with trade centered at Celilo Falls. That cultural heritage is maintained with a continued and active Native American population. The Dalles is one of the oldest cities in the state and was once the county seat of the largest county ever created in the continental United States. As such, the City has maintained a historic downtown and is currently engaging in a “downtown renaissance” and reconnecting the community to the river. Today, the community is a rural, small town with a population of almost 15,000 people.

Project:

While serving with the Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD), Jane focused her efforts on rural resilience and recovery. She supported a robust update of the region’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy to further incorporate impacts from COVID-19 into the data analysis, in addition to recovery strategy frameworks to support enhanced economic resilience. This work included coordination of the planning process, engaging with stakeholders, and drafting the final plan. Jane also worked to support implementation of key strategies from the 2019 Economic Resilience Strategy Assessment, including business trainings focused on resilience planning and adaptation, accessing capital resources, and leveraging broadband based tools to support business. Through these projects, Jane helped the Columbia Gorge region become more prepared for economic shocks in the future.