Ryan Pernell

Email: ryan@agreaterapplegate.org
Organization: A Greater Applegate
Community: Applegate Valley
Population: 7,000
Counties: Jackson and Josephine

Meet Ryan Pernell:

Ryan graduated from Western Washington University with a B.A. in Urban Planning and Sustainable Development and a Minor in Disaster Risk Reduction. Ryan enjoys the intersection between community development, health and safety, and environmental sustainability. Ryan looks forward to bringing her experience working in rural communities to the nonprofit sector and engaging with individuals who care deeply about the place they live.

Community and Organization:

The Applegate Valley is nestled among the Siskiyou Mountain range in southwest Oregon and is defined by the Applegate River watershed. The valley consists entirely of small, unincorporated communities. Major industry in the area is wine, industrial hemp, and fruit orchards. A Greater Applegate—formerly Greater Applegate Community Development Corporation—is a nonprofit organization that aims to “build community by sustaining and enhancing local connections that promote the environmental, economic, and social vitality of the Applegate Valley”.

Project:

As the Outreach and Engagement Assistant, Ryan wore many hats while assisting staff, bringing plans to fruition. A Greater Applegate is currently building and sustaining three separate networks; a non-profit network that serves as a professional development hub for local nonprofits, a business network that aims to connect local businesses so they can share ideas and resources, and a neighborhood network which is centered on individual community visioning processes that were used to identify key needs and desires in the Applegate Valley as a whole. One of Ryan’s major roles was reaching out to community members and stakeholders through a variety of means to engage as many individuals as possible in their community building activities.