Karin Edsall

Email: karine@uoregon.edu
Title: Program Specialist
Organization: Indy Idea Hub
Community: Independence, OR
Population: 10,272
County Served: Polk

Meet Karin Edsall (she/her/hers):

Sprouting in the Hudson Valley of New York State in Cornwall, Karin replanted in Ithaca for several years for undergraduate studies. Her sun-loving self relocated to the south of France where she experienced life as a fille-au-pair, volunteer veneer mason, and an English Teacher. After several years abroad, Karin returned to the United States to consult and support nonprofits as part of an Ithacan startup. However, she occasionally returns to France to visit her American expat cat who decided to make the Mediterranean her permanent home. Now, Karin is happy to be in Independence, Oregon, working at Indy Idea Hub as part of the AmeriCorps RARE program.

In her spare time, Karin enjoys singing, dancing, biking, hiking, camping, making (spoons, trivets, cob houses), learning languages, and reading! She’s excited to explore Oregon – right now by car and, hopefully, later by bike!

Community and Organization:

Independence, Oregon, sits on the west bank of the Willamette River, just 10 miles southwest of Salem. An hour’s drive to Portland, the Oregon Coast, and Eugene, Independence is a quaint rural town perfectly situated in close proximity to larger bustling cities. Formerly known as the “Hop Center of the World,” Independence still embraces its hop culture and celebrates with an annual Hop & Heritage Festival. Indy’s downtown outdoor amphitheater provides a plethora of opportunities for community events, such as summer movie nights and music performances. Between the revitalization efforts, community events, and forward-thinking by community members, this city incites a “can do” feel; the excitement about continued progress and pride thereof are electrifying!

Project:

Serving at Indy Idea Hub, a nonprofit that helps individuals start, grow, and scale lasting businesses, Karin’s projects focus on entrepreneurship ecosystem building. She is responsible for entrepreneurial programming, featuring a monthly Pub Talk series as well as the ever-popular “Fail Fest,” where businesses celebrate failure as it is necessary for success! Karin is also developing a resource toolkit to support individuals in the process of starting and growing their businesses. As Independence has been selected to participate in The Ford Family Foundation’s GRO program, Karin will be supporting related projects to foster a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem. Finally, research on youth entrepreneurship will be conducted as well as relationship building with youth-centered organizations and the local school district. Karin is grateful for the opportunity to support Independence in realizing its goals of a more entrepreneurial, more vibrant downtown, and more resilient community by way of strengthening local actors and fostering diverse local businesses.