In a Nutshell.
Hi! My name is Aaron. I'm a community organizer, transportation policy wonk, nonprofit enthusiast, coalition builder, map collecting, bicycle-riding, part-time writer, feminist, social-media addict, public transit aficiando, social justice-minded urbanist currently living in inner North Portland, Oregon. I grew up in suburban Portland with affinities for high school theater, civic volunteerism, photography, and the Urban Growth Boundary. I graduated valedictorian from Sunset High School and attended Macalester College in Saint Paul Minnesota, where I studied Urban Geography, Environmental History and unlocking frozen bicycle U-locks with boiling water. At Macalester, I served three years on student government, and as the Academic Affairs Commission Chair and launched a textbook reserve program; I also served as the photography editor for The Mac Weekly, a radio host for WMCN, and wrote an Honors Thesis on the impact of the Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis, Minnesota. While in the Twin Cities, I developed a strong affinity for Minneapolis' brownstone duplexes, Holy Land hummus, the Replacements, an extensive network of bicycle trails and the political philosophy represented by all those old automobiles with Paul Wellstone bumper stickers.
They say all Oregonians are like the salmon who return to back to the Willamette Valley after a period of time in the big ocean, and after college I similarly returned to Portland to pursue my passions in my hometown. In the seven years since returning to town, I have overseen municipal ballot campaigns that won over $140 million for sidewalks, road maintenance, and operations funding for regional parks and conservation, stewarded a substantial overhaul of a pedestrian-advocacy nonprofit which now boasts three staff, a revamped board of directors and a litany of progressive policy victories for livable streets; led the charge to pass the country's first marijuana crimes expungement bill, stood with Governor Brown as she signed the nation's first Automatic Voter Registration Bill, taught over 500 Oregonians how to become a bike commuter through employee luncheons, and led 2015's National Voter Registration Day efforts to organize 140 volunteers to register 1230 Oregonians across the state to receive ballots.
I've appeared on KGW's Straight Talk, KATU's and KPTV's evening news, XRAY fm's XRAY in the Morning and Group Therapy, Jefferson Public Radio in Southern Oregon, and my writing has appeared in The Oregonian, Willamette Week, BikePortland.org, Portland Transport and Portland Afoot.
Besides Oregon Walks, my favorite local organizations I budget to support through gift of time, money and attention include the Community Cycling Center, Depave, OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon, Bitch Media, Unite Oregon, APANO, the Rosewood Initiative, the 107ist, and Friends of Trees.
I'm an ardent fan of my beloved Portland Timbers, the Portland Thorns, and the Portland Trailblazers, and traveling across the country on a moment's notice with my father to watch my middling Timbers hoist the MLS Cup in Columbus, Ohio in 2015 remains the best weekend of my life. I've ridden my Surly Crosscheck over 19,000 miles since first taking it for a spin around Lake Calhoun in 2010, and I'm an aspiring bike camper, having ridden four century rides and the 2016 Cycle Oregon ride along the southern coast.
I'm passionate about urban transportation, healthy cities, good governance, independent media, the Oregon Coast, and unclogging Portland's abysmally antiquated storm drains after a big rain.
Photo Credit: CCR Studios, Austin Texas, February 2024
tl;dr bio:
Hi! My name is Aaron (he/they). I'm a community organizer, political consultant and nonprofit enthusiast with expertise in urban policy, coalition building, map collecting, bicycle-riding, and movements for social justice through civic engagement. I'm a part-time writer, reluctant social-media addict, public transit aficionado, and rabblerouser for abundant housing currently living in the St Johns neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. I have held leadership roles on electoral campaigns that raised over $2.5 billion in funding for schools, sidewalks, parks and teachers. My work has been featured in The New York Times, Vice and CityLab, and I participated in the 2022 Next City Vanguard program in El Paso Texas. I’ve served as Board President of Oregon Walks for four years and currently serve as the President of the Board for Portland: Neighbors Welcome. I currently work for Representative Khanh Pham in the Oregon Legislature.
Full life story:
I grew up in Portland’s western suburbs with affinities for high school theater, civic volunteerism, and the Urban Growth Boundary. I graduated from Sunset High School and attended Macalester College in Saint Paul Minnesota, where I focused my studies in Urban Geography, Environmental History and de-icing frozen bicycle U-locks. I graduated cum laude, culminating in an Honors Thesis that explored the social, economic, environmental and cultural ramifications of the construction of the Midtown Greenway through South Minneapolis. While at Macalester, I launched a textbook reserve program through my position on student government, served as photography editor for the school newspaper, hosted a radio show for WMCN, and won the Dean of Students award for "demonstrating genuine love of the community through service to the college." I also picked up a strong affinity for Minneapolis' Lake Street, midwestern summer rainstorms, and those ubiquitous green Paul Wellstone bumper stickers.
They say all Oregonians are like the salmon who return back to the Willamette Valley after leaving town for the big ocean, and after college I similarly returned to Portland to pursue civic engagement in my hometown. In the years since returning, I stewarded a substantial overhaul of a pedestrian-advocacy nonprofit which now boasts three staff and a revamped board of directors, led the campaign to pass the country's first marijuana records expungement bill through the Oregon Legislature, stood with Governor Kate Brown as she signed the nation's first Automatic Voter Registration Bill, and orchestrated 2015's National Voter Registration Day efforts in Oregon to register 1230 voters in a single day (700 of them high schoolers). I have helped co-found the grassroots organization leading the charge to stop freeway expansions, and held a leadership role on the campaign to elect Duncan Hwang to the Metro Council. Through Portland: Neighbors Welcome and Sightline Institute I was a co-host of the 2022 YIMBYtown conference, which brought over 300 housing advocates from across the country to Portland, and I am currently in the process of launching the Oregon Transportation Futures Project to build greater statewide advocacy for public transit. Most recently I have been working as the Transportation Policy Director for State Representative Khanh Pham, who represents southeast Portland’s Jade District in the Oregon Legislature.
I've appeared in The New York Times, Bloomberg’s CityLab, Vice, OPB’s Think Out Loud, KGW's Straight Talk, KATU's and KPTV's evening news, XRAY.fm's XRAY in the Morning and Group Therapy, Jefferson Public Radio in southern Oregon, and my writing has appeared in The Oregonian, Willamette Week, BikePortland.org, Street Roots, Portland Transport and Portland Afoot.
I'm a bit of a soccer geek, ardent fan of my beloved Portland Timbers, the Portland Thorns, and the Portland Trail Blazers, and traveling across the country to watch my middling Timbers hoist the MLS Cup in Ohio in 2015 with my father remains the best weekend of my life. I've ridden my Surly Crosscheck over 25,000 miles since first taking it for a spin around Bde Maka Ska in 2010, and I'm an aspiring long distance cyclist, having ridden four century rides and braved the weeklong Cycle Oregon ride in 2016 and 2018.
I'm passionate about film photography, healthy cities and regions, accountable governance, voting rights, environmental justice, independent media, the Oregon Coast, and unclogging leaves out of Portland's abysmally antiquated storm drains after a big rain.
