Rachel Bivens: Rachel Bivens is the Marketing Manager & Assistant Fair Manager at Lane County Fair. After graduating from the University of Puget Sound she returned home to Oregon. Rachel has a true passion for events and working with clients to help them create their vision while also working on our own events. Rachel started with the Lane Events Center and Lane County Fair as an Events Coordinator working with clients on their events and with commercial vendors and in the Fair office during Fair time. Rachel moved into the marketing role after about 4 years and added Assistant Fair Manager to her duties in 2013. Rachel has been with the Fair for 18 years and loves the fact that events are ever evolving and changing. Keeping things current and interesting is a challenge that she enjoys in everything she works on.

Steven Bledsoe: Steven Bledsoe has 25 years in the Special Event Industry. Steven is the Waterfront Event Manager for The Portland Rose Festival, the Official Festival for the City of Portland. Steven’s main area of focus is the production of CityFair, Portland’s longest running Waterfront Park event. Prior to Rose Festival, Steven was with the Oregon State Fair in Salem. Steven’s experiences also include ten years with FASTIXX/ TicketWest where he gained his large-scale event experiences with Oregon Country Fair, Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band, Jimmy Buffett, and Pavoritti.

Jenn Clemo: Jenn is a nonprofit professional with over 17 years of experience in the sector and is currently the Director of Nonprofit Leadership and Learning for the Nonprofit Association of Oregon. Jenn possesses a diverse set of skills in nonprofit management, with expertise in fund development, marketing, program design, and evaluation. Prior to NAO, Jenn served as the Executive Director of the Center for Nonprofit Stewardship, an organization that provided training and resources to nonprofits across the region before it joined forces with NAO in 2020. Jenn has also worked as an independent consultant providing nonprofit capacity-building and grant writing services to a variety of clients in the Willamette Valley and across the country.

Comedy Sportz: ComedySportz has been making people laugh in Portland since 1993, and everywhere since 1984. Their fast-paced, competitive improv matches are comedy for everyone. CSz Portland, also provides incredible business training: leadership, customer service, communications, team building and more.

Jeff Dense: Jeff Dense is Professor of Political Science and Craft Beer Studies at Eastern Oregon University. His research focuses on the tourism economics of festivals and events. Dr. Dense has conducted economic impact studies of the Great American Beer Festival, World Beer Cup, Oregon Brewers Festival, Waterfront Blues Festival, and the LPGA Cambia Classic. His latestpublication, “Economics of Craft Beer Festivals,” appears in The Geography of Beer, Springer (2020).

Brandi Ebner: Brandi has had events in her blood since childhood.  Starting at 6 years old stamping hands at a horse show, she has been involved with nearly every type you can think of since.  Brandi owns One Decision Management, LLC, an association and event planning company, works full time at the Deschutes County Expo Center as the Vendor Coordinator, and has served on boards and committees for multiple event associations across Oregon.  As a vendor herself, her goal is always to make events easier for her vendors as she believes ‘happy vendors help make a happy event!’  ​

Dan Floyd: Dan is currently the Chief Operating Officer and Co-Owner of Hood to Coast Race Series and President of Floyd Public Affairs. He has a demonstrated history of working in the public affairs, government relations, and the communications industries as VP of Government Affairs for the Northwest Grocery Association (NWGA), as Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations for Safeway’s Portland Division, and as a consultant on numerous statewide and local grocery industry campaigns. Additionally, he’s been a paid consultant with the Sunshine Division, and currently with NWGA and Our Streets PDX.

Jill Ingalls:  Jill Ingalls has worked with nonprofit organizations in various capacities for over 30 years. She has served as a volunteer, served on volunteer boards, and managed various volunteer programs along the way. Currently she is the contracted Executive Director for the Oregon Festivals & Events Association, Association manager for Willamette Valley Agriculture Association and the Marion County Farm Bureau. She and her husband Scott own 360EventsNW an event production, marketing, sponsorship, and consulting arm of Ingalls & Associates.

Royle Johnson: President of Royle Media, an eight-person, full-service agency headquartered in southeast Portland. Clients include the Oregon State Fair, Portland Auto Show, and Portland Winterhawks. As a "digital first agency," Royle Media approaches advertising, marketing, and public relations from an online perspective.

Michael Jonas: Michael Jonas, JD, MBA is the Principal Attorney and Owner of Rational Unicorn Legal Services. The firm offers pay-as-you-go legal services in OR, CA, and WA to small businesses, nonprofits, and artists/entertainers. The firm has numerous event and wedding venues, planners, and performers as clients. Services include but are not limited to small business and nonprofit formation, contract review and drafting, intellectual property services (ie. trademarking, copyrighting, patenting, licensing), and conflict resolution. The firm's slogan and action plan is "Community business law for everyone in the community." Michael is proud to represent clients of all walks of life, passions, and talents.

Renee King: King is a senior communications manager for Providence in Oregon. She oversees Providence Hood and Portland to Coast, Providence Bridge Pedal, and Providence Park – the home of Timbers and Portland Thorns FC. These accountabilities include brand management, community awareness, contract implementation and employee engagement. She also oversees traditional sponsorships for community engagement. Renee has been on the Providence communications team for nearly 26 years.