The Oregon Heritage Commission is a group of leaders from across the state that works collaboratively to champion resources, recognition, and funding for preserving and interpreting Oregon’s past. Founded in 1995 by the Legislature, the Heritage Commission is comprised of nine gubernatorial appointments and nine ex-officio members. The Commission is designated in ORS 358.570-595 as the primary agency for coordination of heritage activities in Oregon.
2020-2025 Oregon Heritage Plan: Prepared by the Heritage Commission, the 2020-2025 Oregon Heritage Plan identifies opportunities to strengthen heritage in the state and lays the foundation for the Commission’s priorities.
Annual Meeting Schedule
The Oregon Heritage Commission conducts quarterly meetings at sites around Oregon. These meetings have a business session and often tour of heritage sites and organizations in the region. All meetings and tours are free and open to the public. There is a public comment period during each meeting for those that wish to speak with the Commission.
Upcoming Meetings and Agendas
- April 17, Forest Grove (in conjunction with the 2024 Oregon Heritage Conference), In person & online 2pm-5pm, Draft Agenda
- In Person Meeting - Old Train Station & Museum, 1936 19th Avenue, Forest Grove
- Online Meeting - Registration required. Register here for the online meeting.
- July 21-22, Coos Bay, agenda TBD
- Oct. 27-28, location TBD, agenda TBD
For current information about meeting time and locations, or about agendas and minutes of previous meetings, contact the Oregon Heritage Commission Coordinator.
Staff
Katie Henry, Oregon Heritage Commission Coordinator
Kuri Gill, Grants and Outreach Coordinator
Commissioners
Currently there is a vacancy on the Commission for someone from the Southern Oregon area. To apply visit Governor Kotek's Boards and Commissions webpage at https://www.oregon.gov/gov/Pages/board-list.aspx.
Laura Ferguson, Chair
Bend
Laura
Ferguson is the Curator of Western History at the High Desert Museum in
Bend, Oregon. She holds a BS from Oregon State University and an MA and
Ph.D. in History from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Ferguson
worked with the University of California, Berkeley's Teaching American
History program, which supported history education in K-12 classrooms.
She served as a visiting assistant professor at Whitman College and
served as the faculty advisor to the student-led American Indian
Association and collaborated with colleagues to improve management of
and access to the college's collections.
Rosemary Johnson, Vice Chair
Astoria
Johnson
was the Planner and Historic Preservation Officer for the City of
Astoria until her retirement in 2014. She current works as a planning
consultant for the City, acting as project manager on projects such as
the restoration of the Doughboy Monument and the design and construction
of the Scandinavian Heritage Park.
Maureen Battistella, Medford
Maureen Flanagan Battistella is a librarian by training and inclination and has a faculty appointment in the Sociology and Anthropology program at Southern Oregon University. Her research interests include community documentation, oral history and heritage preservation. Battistella is the curator of the Stories of Southern Oregon project published on YouTube, in the Internet Archives and in the Southern Oregon Digital Archives at Southern Oregon University’s Hannon Library.
Chrissy Curran (advisory)
Chrissy Curran is the deputy state historic preservation officer. She also is a member of the Oregon Historical Quarterly editorial board.
Ross Fuqua (advisory)
Fuqua serves as the Data & Digital Projects Consultant for the State Library of Oregon.
Amit Kobrowski (advisory)
Kobrowski serves as the Social Science Specialist for the Department of Education. Prior, he taught in the Beaverton School District for over 20 years. His passion in the classroom is making social science curriculum relevant, accessible, and challenging for all learners. Kobrowski holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and has completed graduate programs at Portland State University and American University.
Larry Landis (advisory)
Landis serves as the director of the Special Collections and Archives Research Center, a department of the Oregon State University Libraries and Archives. Much of his work has focused on heritage, particularly the history of OSU, natural resources in Oregon, and underrepresented communities. He holds a Master's degree in history with a minor in archives administration from Texas Christian University.
Anne LeVant Prahl
Portland
Anne
LeVant Prahl is curator of collections for the Oregon Jewish Museum
& Center for Holocaust Education, where she oversees the oral
history program and collects first person narratives. She holds a
master’s in Folklore and Museum Studies from the University of Texas,
Austin.
Mary McRobinson (advisory)
Mary McRobinson serves as the Reference Unit Manager at the Oregon State Archives where she combines her experience working with political papers and public records with a passion for providing access to Oregon’s history. Prior to joining OSA, Mary established and led Willamette University’s Archives and worked at the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies at the University of Georgia. She holds a master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Willamette University.
Randall Melton
Pendleton
Bio coming soon.
Libby Provost
Portland
Libby Provost is an architectural historian and interpretive specialist with Historical Research Associates, Inc., where she manages projects in cultural resources management as well as exhibit development and oral history. She has a BA in history from Linfield University and MA in history from Portland State University. Provost grew up in St. Helens, OR, and is passionate about helping communities preserve and share their history.
Kerry Savage, Baker City
Savage has been the Baker County Assessor since 2008. Prior to this role, he served in a variety of positions in the Assessor's office since 1987. He is active in statewide and community organizations including the Oregon State Association of County Assessor's, the Ford Family Leadership program, Scouts, Little League, and YMCA programs. He holds a degree from Eastern Oregon University.
Matías Trejo De Dios, Salem
Matías Trejo De Dios is
the founder and Executive Director of the non-profit organization
Instituto de Cultura Oregoniana (ICO).
Matías Trejo De Dios
es el fundador y Director Ejecutivo de la organización sin ánimo de
lucro Instituto de Cultura Oregoniana (ICO).
Kerry Tymchuk (advisory)
Kerry Tymchuk, an author and historian, is the executive director of the Oregon Historical Society. He chaired the 2012 Legislative Task Force on Heritage Vitality.
Michelle Woodard (advisory)
Woodard is the grants manager for Travel Oregon and monitors Travel Oregon's competitive and matching grant programs. She is responsible for increasing positive economic impacts of tourism and strengthening Oregon's diverse local tourism industry through Travel Oregon Grants.