Becky Steckler

Experience

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  Sierra Club

  Nov 1995 - Mar 1997

  Associate Designer/Editor

  Wrote articles about national, state, and local environmental policies and helped design The Planet, the national newsletter for the Sierra Club. Worked on major educational events and organized staff and volunteer events. Staff contact and support for over 60 chapter and 150 group newsletter editors. Conservation and Communications Assistant from November 1995 – April 1996.

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  California Coastal Commission

  Mar 1997 - May 2000

  Outreach Coordinator

  Managed statewide Coastal Cleanup Day and Adopt-A-Beach volunteer programs with over 80,000 participants annually. Helped design and implement new grant program. All programs involved extensive coordination between multiple public and private organizations on complex logistical, political, and funding issues. Developed programs and program materials. Extensive graphic design work producing posters, brochures, flyers, and other materials. Media contact for public education programs.

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  Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association

  Jan 2000 - Jan 2010

  Volunteer Newsletter Editor
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  1000 Friends of Oregon

  Jun 2000 - Mar 2001

  Land Use Advocate

  Created proposal for alternative futures coastal land use study. Provided professional planning assistance and related strategic advice to local organizations on land use issues in Lane, Lincoln, Tillamook, and Clatsop Counties to improve and enforce local land use plans and regulations.

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  ECONorthwest

  Aug 2002 - Mar 2005

  Planner

  Managed all aspects of land use planning and economic analysis projects for private and public clients. Conducted complex land use, economic, and public policy analysis, authored reports, and presented findings to elected bodies and advisory committees. Wrote proposals, conducted contract negotiations, and managed subcontractors. Conducted extensive public involvement activities including presentations to elected and appointed officials, surveys, public meeting facilitation, focus group facilitation, technical and citizen advisory committee coordination, and public speaking. Show less

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  Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development

  Mar 2005 - Oct 2007

  Program Analyst

  Project manager for the Big Look, a 30+ year evaluation of Oregon’s land use planning program. Resolved multiple challenges related to working with a highly diverse group on complex land use issues within a politically charged environment. Managed all aspects of the Big Look including support for the Oregon Task Force on Land Use Planning, budget and contract management, public outreach, and technical research and writing. Technical research for the task force focused on: the role of state and local government; citizen involvement; the economy; growth management; infrastructure, finance, and governance; and issues related to fairness in land use planning. Show less

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  Self Employed

  Oct 2007 - Jul 2017

  Consultant

  Provided professional project management, strategic planning, and technical research for national and local non-profits, state agencies, cities, and counties. Conducted research on multiple public policy issues including regional planning, urban growth boundaries, infrastructure, affordable housing, and urban renewal. Worked with representatives of the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development to create a Planning Commissioner Handbook (2015). This guidebook is available online and is distributed at Planners Network Meetings and Planning Commissioner Trainings started during my tenure. Conducted housing and land use technical research for the Department of Land Conservation and Development to inform the work of the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) Workgroup and the creation of safe harbor rules to streamline the UGB process. Conducted property ownership research for Leland Consulting Group and their client the City of Everett in an effort to identify opportunities for Superfund funding. Conducted technical research and supervised graduate student researchers on a report on sprawl for Smart Growth America. Show less

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  University of Oregon

  Jan 2012 - Sept 2014

  Adjunct Assistant Researcher

  The University of Oregon’s Community Service Center (now the Institute for Policy Research and Engagement) is an applied research Center within the Planning, Public Policy, and Management Department. As an Adjunct Research Assistant, I regularly conducted research and managed projects on a wide range of topics. I worked remotely with minimal oversight. Projects included support to the Governor's Campus Safety Work Group created in response to the 2015 mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon. Worked directly with the Chair to manage the work group and three sub-groups to conduct research, write and distribute surveys and analyze survey results, develop recommendations, and write the final report recommendations to the Oregon Governor. Conducted technical research and writing and contributed to the revised 2015 Oregon Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (OR NHMP). Analyzed federal requirements and wrote technical findings regarding how Oregon’s plan was in regulatory compliance. Worked with the staff and board of the Metropolitan Contractor Improvement Partnership (MCIP), an organization that helps minority contractors to secure work, successfully manage construction projects and develop their capacity and skills to improve their businesses, to create a five-year strategic plan. Conducted research on multiple topics such as renewable energy (bio-energy), economic development, and natural hazard resiliency. Show less

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  Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association

  May 2013 - Jul 2017

  Program and Policy Manager

  Program and Policy Manager for the Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association (OAPA) (consultant position). Primary duties included tracking and providing testimony on statewide legislative and policy proposals, conducting regional trainings, and grant and project management. Also managed statewide conference (2008 and 2009), wrote grants, and developed new programs for OAPA. Worked with the OAPA Board of Directors and advised on statewide policy and programmatic issues. Represented OAPA on legislative and policy advisory committees related to transportation, GHG emissions, housing, economic development, and other land use topics. Principal investigator and primary author of the statewide Planners4Health Assessment for OAPA focusing on active transportation and the built environment and managed a subgrant for a health assessment in rural Umatilla County. I also coordinated with the Oregon Health Authority, the Oregon Transportation Growth Management Program, and local county health programs to bring three national experts to speak about transportation and health issues to communities throughout the state. Created a legislative tracking system that was available online to the Legislative Policy Committee and members and continues to be used today (2022). Show less

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  Urbanism Next

  Aug 2017 - Aug 2022

  Urbanism Next Program Director

  Program Director for the Urbanism Next Center that researches the impacts of emerging transportation technologies – new mobility, autonomous vehicles, and e-commerce and urban delivery – on city form and development. Created a strategic plan for the initiative, principal investigator or research on research projects, managed the Urbanism Next national conference from 2018-2021 (in person and virtually with over 500 attendees annually), managed and presented webinars, presented at national and international conferences, wrote grants, supervised staff and student workers, and created a national network of academics and public and private sector professionals to work on research and other activities. Show less

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  ECOnorthwest

  Nov 2022 - now

  Project Director

  Becky rejoined ECOnorthwest in 2022 and works on a wide range of projects related to reducing GHG emissions and adaptation and resiliency in the built and natural environments. She is a prolific public speaker and regularly participates in policy work groups and task forces including Oregon’s Legislative Task Force on Autonomous Vehicles (2018-2019) and currently serves on the American Planning Association’s Trend Scouting Foresight Panel (2022-2024) and the NCHRP 20-102(34) AVs and Land Use Advisory Committee (2023-ongoing). Show less