Rowan Fairfield

Email: rowan.fairfield@cavejunctionoregon.us
Title: Community Outreach Coordinator
Organization: City of Cave Junction
Community: Cave Junction, OR
Population: 1,995
County Served: Josephine

Meet Rowan Fairfield (they/them/their):

Rowan is a recent graduate of the University of Oregon with a Master’s in Community and Regional Planning. They grew up mainly in Fallon, Nevada, and moved to Oregon in 2007. They attended Willamette University in Salem, with a major in Economics and minors in Spanish and Philosophy. After that, they worked in Portland as a database analyst. Now, they are very excited to be serving rural Oregon! Rowan loves Wikipedia, museums, and trivia facts – learning something new is its own reward! In their free time, they like to play the guitar, read, and play card and table-top games with friends.

Community and Organization:

The City of Cave Junction sits at the confluence of the East and West Forks of the Illinois River, and is the heart of the Illinois Valley in southwestern Oregon. The Valley is home to some 10,000 people – here one will find unique flora and fauna, ranchers and farmers, and a flourishing arts community, as well as significant challenges with poverty and crime. The City and RARE will be working with the Chamber of Commerce and the Illinois Valley Community Development Corporation (IVCDO) to bring positive changes to Cave Junction.

Project:

As a Community Outreach Coordinator, Rowan will be working on three projects for Cave Junction. First, they will help to start a Main Street program, which will bring together voices and visions for the city and capitalize on the local tourism assets and businesses. Second, they will strategize and organize the volunteer forces of IVCDO and others, so that these volunteers can be mobilized more effectively. Third, they will assist the City Council will researching and drafting a new and improved City Charter, which will go to voters for referendum next year.