We are area governments, businesses, heritage advocates, tribes and private citizens.
The Willamette Falls & Landings Heritage Area Coalition formed in 2006. It is a partnership of public, private and nonprofit organizations with a shared passion for the 56-river-mile heritage area: its rich heritage, natural beauty, agriculture and recreational opportunities. We are working collaboratively to see it established as a National Heritage Area.
Our Mission
Leading efforts to enhance, assist and promote the Heritage Area.
Our Vision
The Willamette Falls & Landings Heritage Area is a region where residents and visitors experience the places, stories and abundance of culture and history.
Our Heritage Area
A unique region with a diverse record of historical cultures, discoveries and settlement since time immemorial. We strive to ensure that our board reflects the diversity of the Heritage Area, and that we partner with a wide range of organizations to increase awareness and education of the region’s broad and complex history, including neglected and untold stories. Unearthing this history and seeking to discover and tell all stories is core to our work. We believe that promoting diversity and equity helps us share a true and more complete history. Our goal is to grow stronger together through understanding our shared and unique heritage, and respecting our diverse traditions, cultures, and experiences.
About Our Organization
The Willamette Falls and Landings Heritage Area Coalition is a federally designated not-for-profit organization, with a 24-member board of directors representing key stakeholders and experienced professionals in government, business, industry, tourism, arts, heritage, historic preservation, and others. The WFLHAC Board includes representatives from seven governments operating within the boundary (Metro, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Clackamas County, and the cities of Oregon City, Lake Oswego, West Linn, and Willsonville.)
While there is no monetary contribution required to be on the board, the Coalition has been favored with substantial financial support by a few entities who have championed the Coalition’s vision and mission and provided the bulk of its funding base. That amount of financial support entitles them to select their own representative to be a member on the Board. Those members are also held to the expectation of time, treasure, and talent, as well as the shared commitment to equity and inclusion.
Management and Operations
Russ Axelrod
President
Immediate Past Mayor of West Linn
Christine Lewis
Vice President
Metro
Victoria Meinig
Treasurer
CEO/Economic Development Officer, Oregon City Chamber of Commerce
Jim Mattis
Immediate Past President
Willamette Falls Heritage Foundation
Jody Carson
Secretary
West Linn, former City Council Member
Jon A George
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Tribal Council Member, Tribal Council Secretary
Kenny Gunn
PGE Cultural Resources Lead
Samara Phelps
Executive Director, Clackamas County Tourism
Britta Mansfield
Executive Director
Newberg
Brooklyn Robinson
Executive Assistant
Board of Directors
Yvonne Addington
The Ice Age Floods Institute
Danielle Cowan
Former Executive Director, Clackamas Co. Tourism & Cultural Affairs
Greg Leo
Friends of Historic Butteville/Champoeg State Heritage Area /Advocate
Christine Lewis
Metro
Andy Cotugno
Former Metro City Planner
Katie Dunwell
City Council Member, Wilsonville
Jeff Gudman
Former Lake Oswego City Councilor, Lake Oswego Heritage Council
Jennifer Burns
Old Aurora Colony Museum Director
Eric Underwood
City Manager, Donald
Rachel Verdick
Council Member, Lake Oswego
Martha Schrader
Clackamas County Commissioner
Kenny Gunn
Portland General Electric
Mary Baumgartner
Council Member, City of West Linn
Ruth Offer
Old Oregon Volunteer, Willamette Main Street Board Member
Jason Padden
Council Member, Canby
Katie McFall
Taste Newburg, Deputy Director
Stephen Greenwood
Executive Director, Museum of the Oregon Territory, Clackamas County Historical Society, Stevens-Crawford House
Doug Sam
Our Partners
Thank you to the following governments and business for their financial support.
Our Sponsors
Thanks to the following sponsors for supporting our Heritage Area work with in kind and cash donations
Become a
Sponsor
It takes time, talent and treasure to lead the effort to become a National Heritage Area. We need community support and your donations to make sure our collaborative efforts reach and convince Congress and the National Park Service to designate us as a National Heritage Area.