Josias Escobedo
Meet Josias Escobedo (he/him/his):
Josias studied philosophy at the University of California Berkeley. Among varied life experiences, Josias has interned on farms, trained service dogs, cared for a one-eyed pet turkey, restored a VW Beetle, and studied abroad in Uruguay. This was Josias’ second term of service with the RARE AmeriCorps Program.
Community and Organization:
The Rogue Valley is a historically vibrant outdoor recreation, agriculture, and arts & culture destination in southwestern Oregon. The valley is located along the middle Rogue River and its tributaries, primarily Bear Creek, in Josephine and Jackson counties between the Siskiyou Mountains, the western Cascade Mountains, and the Southern Oregon Coastal Range. Rich soil and mild climate provides ideal conditions for long growing seasons of fruit, nuts, wine grapes, and herbs.
Project:
Josias supported existing and new destination development projects and opportunities related to culinary & agritourism and outdoor recreation. He worked with several stakeholder teams to create marketing and management strategies. Josias also continued to assist with the tourism partnership with Google, helping businesses develop their online presence and profile.