Springfield and Eugene Chambers Graduate the 38th Leadership Eugene Springfield (LES) Class

The Springfield and Eugene Chambers of Commerce came together to honor the 2023-24 Leadership Eugene Springfield (LES) cohort graduates at Spark at Booth-Kelly on May 9th. Both Springfield Mayor Sean VanGordon and Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis spoke at the event, highlighting the significance of civic leadership. Chamber Board Presidents John Barofsky (Eugene) and Avril Watt (Springfield) emphasized the invaluable contribution of LES to the community. Congratulations to all the 2023-24 LES graduates. 

2023-2024 Cohort Projects and Class Adventures
Hayley Radich, Group Project Liaison, LES Steering Committee

As part of the LES program, the cohort completes a group project. The only requirement is that their project impacts both Eugene and Springfield. They set out to brainstorm topics that interested them based on the needs they saw in our community. They landed on five groups that focused on topics like youth financial literacy, family resources, bike path safety, building ADUs, and having a neurodiverse workforce. 

I am so impressed with the outcomes of these projects, their lasting impact on our community, and how our graduates worked as teams to complete them. Here’s a synopsis of this year’s projects:

Foundations for Change: Empowering Homeowners Through Backyard Solutions
When this group learned that Eugene ranks in the Top 25 for the priciest U.S. Cities for Living and that our community has a massive housing shortage, they learned more about ADUs – or Accessory Dwelling Units. ADUs offer an excellent alternative for middle housing as they increase housing stock and integrate affordable housing into neighborhoods. They met with local organizations like Better Housing Together, Homes for Good, and Saint Vincent de Paul, as well as city planners and financial institutions. They presented a Chamber Round Table on May 28 at the Springfield Chamber to continue the conversation and teach community members more about ADUs, permitting, fees, financing options, incentives to homeowners, and plans.

Increasing Safety, Equity, and Access to the Ruth Bascom RiverBank Path System
This group’s focus was community safety and increasing access to alternative transportation forms. Initial research found barriers to a perceived sense of safety when using our bike paths. This group did a lot of fact-finding and met with many local organizations to get background information and determine what areas they could help. They created a survey collecting public sentiment on the path, and it garnered 216 responses! They summarized the responses and provided public testimony in front of Willamalane Park and Recreation District hoping to work collaboratively with Willamalane on community concerns. In addition, they collected donations of bike safety equipment and handed them out in the Eugene/Springfield communities.

Empowering Youth Through Financial Education
This group set out to create a financial literacy curriculum that could be taught to middle and high-school-aged students. They found many organizations that offered similar programs, but they weren’t easy to navigate or find. In collaboration with Connected Lane County, they created a resource guide that’s a one-stop shop for finding resources they offer and how to get started. This brochure is hosted at locations like CASA of Lane County, Boys + Girls Club, Eugene Mission, Eugene Parks + Rec, Lane County Libraries, Looking Glass, Ophelia’s Place, United Way, Willamalane, and more. 

ProYouth: Bringing Awareness to Family Resources
In conjunction with the Early Childhood Hub of Lane County (a program through United Way), this group wanted to work together and highlight resources for parents and children. This is an incredible program, so they created an awareness campaign to spread the word. They’re achieving this through radio ads, flyers, and social ads – all in English and Spanish. Over 3,000 flyers were printed to share throughout the community. The awareness campaign assists parents with finding free(!) summer programs for their kids, including youth camps, activities, free meals, at-home learning, and more!

A Little More Educated, A Lot More Open: Attracting, Hiring, and Retaining a Neurodiverse Workforce
Workforce, in general, is a very big topic, so this group wanted to highlight an area of the workforce that isn’t talked about very often and can be challenging to know where to start – hiring and retaining neurodiverse individuals. This group hosted a Lunch + Learn at the Springfield Chamber in early April. They had a panel that featured perspectives from a neurodiverse employer, employee, and human resources perspective as well. They had 50 participants in person and virtually, and they covered topics such as: What does neurodiverse mean? What is the importance of a neurodiverse workforce? What kind of accommodations are reasonable for employers to make? What are the challenges neurodiverse employees face in the workplace? The program also covered examples of successful implementation strategies and the value that neurodivergent individuals have on the success of their organizations.

Celebrating Leadership and Community:
Reflections on the 2023-2024 LES Program
Sarah Jean Teach, Chair, LES Steering Committee

For those unfamiliar with LES, it is a joint Chamber of Commerce collaborative civic leadership program that has been helping shape leaders in our community for 38 years. Spanning eight months, LES allows participants to broaden their knowledge, awareness of our communities, and leadership skills through monthly day-long sessions. Class topics include public safety, government leaders, health and human services, economic development, transportation and land use planning, education, and arts and culture.

A shared commitment to the Eugene and Springfield communities thrives within the LES program. At each steering committee meeting, I witness our all-volunteer class planners thoughtfully curating the curriculum to provide the best possible experiences for the current year’s cohort. This dedication is evident in the quality and depth of the sessions offered.

Each year, speakers from various sectors volunteer their time to engage with the cohort through panels, tours, Q&As, skillsets, or presentations at locations generously hosted by local businesses or organizations. Additionally, lunches, snacks, and transportation are often sponsored.

This commitment to our community culminates at graduation when friends, family, coworkers, employers, and program supporters gather to celebrate the cohort and learn about their experiences.

In addition to class time, the cohort completes a personal adventure and a group project based on what they identify as the most significant opportunities and challenges facing our community. I had the privilege of hearing about their adventures:

• Some stepped outside their comfort zones by meeting with elected officials at the State Capitol.
• Some joined boards.
• Others volunteered their time.
• One took steps to start a business.
• Someone got coffee with a speaker from each class and discovered that “our connections make connections.”
• Some pursued a better work-life balance with new hobbies, while another set a boundary by deleting Outlook from their phone.

While the stories differed, they all shared a common thread of increased civic engagement, connection, and a desire to drive positive change in our community. Some of them might even hang out again as friends.

I want to thank the Steering Committee for their dedication to this year’s LES program and for trusting me as chair. A warm thank you goes to our skilled facilitator, Rachel, and our Chamber liaisons, Paige, Mary Ann, and Tiffany, for bringing our collaboration to life in class. I also want to thank both Chambers of Commerce for shepherding this program for almost four decades.

To the cohort, thank you for your commitment to the program – and for completing those class surveys. While your time in LES has ended, I know your community here in Eugene and Springfield has expanded. I encourage you to continue leaning in and making a difference. Congratulations!