Professionals recognized for outstanding work
The annual gathering puts the spotlight on four individuals, including a surprise award to outstanding teacher of the year.
Join the Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management when they recognize three professionals – all former UO students – at the department’s annual award ceremony, 4 p.m. Friday, June 15, in the Ford Alumni Center on the Eugene campus. The honorees include:
• Michael J. Jordan – Outstanding Service to Oregon. Jordan joined Governor John Kitzhaber’s team in March 2011 as the state’s chief operating officer, a newly created position to review outdated systems, streamline departments, and create efficiencies and cost savings. Jordan reports directly to the governor and is responsible for leadership and oversight of the day-to-day operations of the state and the Department of Administrative Services. Prior to his arrival in state government, Jordan served as the chief operating officer with Metro, the regional government for the Portland metropolitan area; on the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners; as city administrator for Canby, Oregon; and as an executive for Pacific Power and Light Company. Jordan attended the graduate program for public administration at Lewis and Clark College, holds a bachelor’s from Portland State University, and attended UO on a baseball scholarship from 1974 to 1978. In 2009 he completed the UO Certificate of Sustainability Leadership.
• Chip Terhune – Distinguished Alumnus. Terhune is responsible for overseeing Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc.’s public affairs strategies and supporting sustainability and environmental compliance. Prior to his arrival at Schnitzer in June 2010, Terhune served as chief of staff to then-Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, where he worked on a broad array of public policy, environmental, administrative, and communications issues. Terhune received his master’s in public affairs and his bachelor’s in international studies from UO. He credits UO staff members and professors along with the engaging coursework as the platform for his successful career. He says the guidance and lectures of Bill Simonsen, former professor of planning, public policy and management, influenced Terhune to pursue a career in public service. A former lobbyist for the Oregon Education Association, Terhune stresses the importance of education, particularly at the college level.
• Alexia Caitlin Kelly – Distinguished Recent Alumna. Kelly is a climate change mitigation expert with the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Change in the Bureau of Oceans and International Scientific and Environmental Affairs in Washington, D.C. She manages the Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategies program for the Office of the Special Envoy for Climate Change. Prior to joining the State Department in 2010, Kelly was a senior associate in the World Resources Institute’s climate and energy program. She has also served as policy program manager at The Climate Trust. Kelly is a faculty member of the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute, where she codeveloped and instructed a course on greenhouse gas project-level accounting. She holds a BA in planning, public policy and management, a master of community and regional planning, and a master of public administration from the University of Oregon.
The Ford Alumni Center Ballroom is located at 1720 E. 13th Avenue (next to the Matthew Knight Arena), in Eugene. A reception follows program, and no RSVP is needed. Parking is available at the arena. For more information, contact Zudegi Giordano, zudegi@uoregon.edu, (541) 346-3808.