Emily Miller
Email: Emily@scoedd.org
Title: Strategy Development Specialist
Organization: South Central Oregon Economic Development District (SCOEDD)
Community: South Central Oregon
Population: 77,018
County Served: Klamath & Lake
Meet Emily Miller:
Emily was born and raised just north of Chicago, a few blocks from Lake Michigan. She came to Eugene to study Planning, Public Policy, and Management at the University of Oregon. During her undergrad study, she worked for UO’s Bike Program building and engaging community through bikes. She interned for the City of Eugene’s Office of Equity & Community Engagement where she co-created a community resource toolkit that facilitates educational conversations about preventing and responding to hate and bias while supporting community action. After spending the last five years in Chicago and San Francisco working in training and development for a global law firm, she is thrilled to return to Oregon and community development work. Emily loves riding her bike, playing cards, making soup, looking at art, and jumping into lakes and oceans.
Community and Organization:
Located in the south central region of Oregon and bordering northern California, Klamath Falls sits on the southern shore of the Upper Klamath Lake, nestled in the Klamath Basin on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains. Klamath Falls enjoys nearly 300 days of sunshine each year.
The South Central Oregon Economic Development District, formed in 2000 as part of a nationwide network of 382 multi-county Economic Development Districts (EDDs), serves as the primary conduit for regional economic development resources for Klamath and Lake Counties. SCOEDD’s vision is a thriving economy rooted in local renewable resources, the resilience of the community, and a willingness to work together. SCOEDD provides professional staff to support economic development planning on a regional basis and the individual economic development efforts of Lake County and Klamath County. It also manages and administers regional grant and loan programs.
Projects:
As the Strategy Development Specialist, Emily will update SCOEDD’s 5-year Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). Emily aims to identify, develop, and report on the region’s community and economic priorities by designing and facilitating an inclusive and engaging community outreach process. Additionally, she will create a 3-Year Internal Strategy to help SCOEDD define their impact on the community, determine program priorities, and build strategic partnerships. Throughout this service year, Emily will also assist with general community outreach & engagement and support special community wellness and food systems initiatives.