Email: rps@visitcentraloregon.com
Title: Regional Programs Specialist
Organization: Visit Central Oregon
Community: Central Oregon
Population: 260,000
County Served: Deschutes, Jefferson, Crook, and South Wasco Counties

Meet Peyton Black (she/her):

Peyton Black is a lifelong Michigander with a passion for community engagement and sustainable development. Peyton recently graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, & Economics and minors in English Literature and Sociology. She has experience in rural planning, zoning, and land use, as well as legal advocacy and volunteer coordination. Her goal to help create and sustain healthy communities in both rural and urban areas has fostered her interest in building equitable environments, and she hopes to continue exploring city planning and landscape architecture through her RARE role.

Outside of work Peyton is passionate about outdoor exploration and creative expression. You can often find her skiing, hiking, metalworking, or crocheting, and she’s excited to explore arts and recreation in Central Oregon throughout her service year.

Community and Organization:

Central Oregon is a vast area of Oregon’s high desert comprising both rural and urban communities. Each community in Central Oregon has its own unique history, strengths, and challenges. Many communities are strained by rapid growth and high visitation, while others struggle to support necessary local businesses and resources.

Visit Central Oregon is a Regional Destination Management Organization working to support economic resilience throughout Central Oregon by maintaining a healthy visitor economy. They collaborate directly with local businesses and community representatives, as well as administer grants to support local environmental, cultural, and accessibility programs.

Projects:

The majority of Peyton’s service will be dedicated to supporting Visit Central Oregon’s Destination Management Studio, a workshop series focused on community engagement and problem solving throughout the region. The goals of this program are to better understand and manage the impacts of tourism on the local environment, economies, and communities, and design strategies to preserve local livability for residents. The studio will address the impacts high visitation has on traffic, local services, & natural resources, and promote workforce retainment, job expansion, & local economic development.

In addition, she will be assisting with Destination Management Strategies & Investments, planning and administering collaborative investments throughout Central Oregon communities and convening initiatives around sustainable tourism, destination management, density dispersal, and resident livability. She will also work closely with the High Desert Food and Farm Alliance and DarkSky Oregon to assist with their stewardship and engagement efforts.