Jan Mason named chair of Greater Portland Economic Development District

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 15, 2022

Media Contacts
Anna Marum
Greater Portland Inc
anna.marum@greaterportlandinc.com
971-339-2012

Erica Perez
Perez Public Relations
Erica@perezpublicrelations.com
503-473-5282

Jan Mason named chair of Greater Portland Economic Development District

Mason is Director of Communications and Equitable Development at Portland design firm Mackenzie, and also serves as the president of Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon.

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Greater Portland Economic Development District (GPEDD) is pleased to announce its board of directors has voted to approve Jan Mason as board chair.

In her role, Mason will oversee the district’s work as the federally-designated regional economic development district, particularly its work implementing the region’s five-year Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).

The strategy ensures regional coordination around shared priorities, and enables local organizations to receive funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Agency (EDA) provided they can show alignment with the CEDS.

“I’m thrilled at the opportunity to work with this group to create a more equitable and inclusive regional economy,” Mason said. “I’m committed to working with public- and private-sector leaders to create more economic opportunity and a higher quality of life, particularly in communities marginalized in the development process.”

Mason has a track record of inclusive community involvement. She has served on the GPEDD board since 2020 and helped develop the Greater Portland Economic Recovery Plan. Mason also helped craft language for the State of Oregon’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Action Plan, and wrote the equity framework for the Oregon Mass Timber Coalition’s successful Build Back Better federal application.

She was recently promoted to Director of Communications and Equitable Development at Portland design firm Mackenzie, and also serves as the president of Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon.

“Jan is passionate and she's engaged in the work,” said Monique Claiborne, GPEDD’s executive director. “She is skilled at promoting a healthy dialogue in tough conversations on our most important issues, and I’m looking forward to working with her as we implement our regional strategy.”

About Greater Portland Economic Development District: The Greater Portland Economic Development District (GPEDD), staffed by Greater Portland Inc, is a not-for-profit organization working in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties in Oregon and Clark County in Washington. GPEDD is funded primarily through grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), and Greater Portland’s designation as an Economic Development District qualifies projects that align with the CEDS within the district to receive funding from the EDA.

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