Gov. Brown appoints 3 to LTD board
2 min read
by Better Eugene Springfield Transportation
On Aug. 31, Governor Kate Brown submitted for Senate confirmation three appointments to the LTD Board of Directors:
- Heather Murphy for Subdistrict 3 (currently Don Nordin; southeast Eugene, Creswell, Cottage Grove, and Lowell areas): Ms. Murphy leads the Early Learning Program for the South Lane School District. Previously she was the executive director of CASA of Lane County and a Cottage Grove city councilor. She holds a B.A. in planning, public policy, and management from the University of Oregon.
- Kelly Sutherland for Subdistrict 4 (was Emily Secord; north Eugene, Coburg area): Ms. Sutherland has been the executive director of the Relief Nursery since 2006. Previously, she was a producer for Dateline NBC. She holds a M.A. in journalism from New York University.
- Lawrence Green for Subdistrict 6 (currently Caitlin Vargas; Bethel/Danebo and Junction City area): Mr. Green works for PeaceHealth. He has volunteered as a basketball coach for Emerald Kidsports and the Eugene Family YMCA. He holds a B.A. in communication, journalism, and related programs from the University of Oregon.
During its next Legislative Days, September 21–23, the Senate Rules Committee will hold a public hearing and work session on all of the Governor’s executive appointments before the full Senate votes to confirm.
If confirmed by the Senate, Sutherland will join the LTD Board immediately in October to fill the position vacated by Emily Secord. Murphy and Green will join the Board in January 2023 after the terms of the current members expire.
BEST sees Murphy, Sutherland, and Green as bringing needed experience and diversity to LTD. We urge the Senate to confirm their appointments and look forward to welcoming them to the LTD Board.
Governor Brown is also appointing longtime State Sen. Lee Beyer (D-Springfield) to serve out a partial term on the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC). Beyer led efforts to pass Oregon’s last major transportation funding bill.
For more, see the Sept. 1 BEST newsletter. To support BEST, see https://www.best-oregon.org/donate/.
