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Commissions & Committees

Volunteers help direct heritage preservation for the state.

Learn more about the important work of the committees and commissions that support heritage projects throughout the state.

The members of the Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries meet four times a year in communities around the state. The purpose of the commission is to document and support the preservation of historic cemeteries in Oregon. Any cemetery that includes the burial of at least one person who died before the date that is 75 years before the current date and is listed with the Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries is considered historic. 

OCHC has developed position papers regarding best practices for historic cemeteries. Resources can be found on the Oregon Historic Cemeteries page.

 

Annual Meeting Schedule
The OCHC conducts quarterly meetings at sites around Oregon. These meetings have a business session and often tour a of historic cemeteries, history presentations or workshops. All meetings and activities are free and open to the public.

Upcoming Meetings and Agendas

Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries Meeting
October 10, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Draft Agenda
Meeting Packet

  • In person: Sutherlin Community Center, 105 S Willamette Street, Sutherlin
  • Online: Register here to attend virtually
  • For translation or other access needs call 503-986-0690 at 72 hours prior to the start of the meeting.
October 11, 9:00 a.m.
Mildred Knipe Memorial Park Cemetery Tour - Learn about the history and the effort to document the cemetery. The public is welcome to join the commission for the tour.

Future meetings:
October 11-12, 2024 - Sutherlin
February 7, 2025 - Online
April 24-25, 2025 - TBA
May 2025 - Online
July 24-25, 2025 - TBA

These dates, times and locations are subject to change.

For current information about the exact time and locations, or about agendas, contact Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries Coordinator.

​Past Meeting Minutes
​2024​2022​2023
February
February
February
April
May
April
May
July
May
July
October
​July
October

​October


Staff
Kuri Gill, Historic Cemeteries Program Coordinator
Koren Tippett, Archaeologist

Commissioners

Sara Baylinson, Prinville (Chair)
Sarah Baylinson is the Art Collection and Artist Services Specialist, they manage artist materials and records of the State’s Percent for Art in Public Places collection. Sarah previously served as the exhibitions coordinator and collections manager for the High Desert Museum, where they coordinated eight rotating exhibitions per year. Sarah continues to serve as a consultant for the State Historic Preservation Office's (SHPO) MentorCorps program, advising on moving collections, inventory management and other projects. Sarah has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Washington.

Lisa Sears, Cloverdale (Vice Chair)
Lisa Sears is a genealogist and family history researcher who is actively volunteering in Tillamook County. Realizing that she had a natural curiosity about cemeteries and the histories that lie within, she visited a wide range of national and international cemeteries while researching or on vacation.  After retiring from teaching in 2020, she started conducting outreach in Tillamook County to work on cemetery preservation and history as a community.

Peggy Drake, Sutherlin
Peggy Drake is a 4th generation resident of Sutherlin, Oregon. Peggy worked in banking and volunteered for several community organizations. She currently serves as secretary on the board of Fair Oaks Cemetery. In her spare time, Peggy enjoys camping and fishing with family and friends.


Johnny Edwards, McMinnville

Johnny Edwards began his membership within the fraternity of Freemasons in 2000 and since that time has taken on duties related to the archives and history of that organization in Oregon. In 2017, he was assigned the new Sexton and Caretaker of the McMinnville and Lafayette Masonic Cemeteries and he began organizing the cemetery records. He is now part of a larger statewide committee to support the care of Masonic cemeteries throughout the state. Recently, he was installed as the Grand Historian of the Grand Lodge of Oregon.


Milo Reed, Portland
Milo Reed is a historian working with an emphasis on Black history. He has worked with Oregon Black Pioneers, Vanport Mosaic and other heritage efforts in the state. He has a personal interest in historic cemeteries.


Sarah Silbernagel, Pendleton
Sarah Silbernagel is an archaeologist based out of Pendleton. Her work takes her out to remote places. Her interest in historic cemeteries is both professional and person, as her family is involved in Oregon's historic cemeteries. 


Shawn Steinmetz, La Grande
Shawn Steinmetz is an archaeologist who worked for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and now works for Hoyo, a cultural resources advocacy nonprofit. He has particular interest and experience in indentifying undocumented graves through non-invasive techniques.

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

  • Nov. 3-4, Pendleton, agenda TBD
  • Jan. 27, virtual, agenda TBD

For current information about meeting time and locations, or about agendas and minutes of previous meetings, contact the Oregon Heritage Commission Coordinator, Katie Henry, at katie.henry@oprd.oregon.gov.

​Past Meeting Minutes
​ ​ ​ ​
​2021​2022​2023​2024
​January 25
January 31
​January 23
​January 21-22
​June 7
​May 23 CANCELLED
May 21
​April 17
​August 9
June 6
Aug. 21
May 20
October 18
​Aug. 29
​Oct. 19-20
​July 21-22
Nov. 29
Oct. 23-24
Nov. 27
​October 27-28


Staff
Katie Henry, Oregon Heritage Commission Coordinator
Kuri Gill, Grants and Outreach Coordinator

Commissioners

Currently there are four vacancies on the Commission representing heritage interests from the following regions of the state: Portland, Southern Oregon, Central Oregon, Mid-South Willamette Valley.

To apply visit Governor Kotek's Boards and Commissions webpage at https://www.oregon.gov/gov/Pages/board-list.aspx.

Rosemary Johnson, Astoria, Chair
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.

Kerry Savage, Baker City, Vice Chair
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.

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 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.

The State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation (SACHP) is a nine-member, governor appointed body of citizens with expertise in fields relating to historic preservation. The SACHP reviews all proposed National Register nominations in Oregon.

Annual Meeting Schedule
The SACHP conducts three meetings a year at sites around Oregon. These meetings have a business session and often a tour of heritage sites and organizations in the region. All meetings and tours are free and open to the public.

Upcoming Meetings and Agendas

October 17 and 18, 2024: The State Advisory Commission on Historic Preservation will be meeting in Astoria.

SACHP Agenda

  • The meeting will be held at the Ten Fifteen Theater in the Odd Fellows Building, 1001 Commercial St, Astoria, OR 97103.
  • The meeting will be streamed to YouTube.
  • To provide testimony during the meeting there are two options: a sign up sheet will be available at the entrance of the meeting room or you may register here to speak virtually via Zoom.

Nominations Under Consideration for October 2024 meeting:

For current information about the exact time and locations, or about agendas, contact (503) 986-0690.

​Past Meeting Minutes
​ ​ ​ ​
​2022​2023​2024
February
February
February
March
June
​June (Day 1, Day 2)
June
October (Written Minutes, Recording)
October
​October


Recently listed Oregon properties in the National Register can be found here.

Staff

Caitlyn Abrahms, National Register Coordinator

Committee Members

Heidi Slaybaugh (Chair), Bend
Heidi Slaybaugh has wide-ranging experience in the field of architecture with an empaphis in historic preservation. She has worked on preservation projects ranging from the rehabilitation of Pasadena City Hall, in Pasadena, California to the adaptive reuse of a fire hall addition to the Wallowa County Historical Museum in Joseph, Oregon. She also developed the Historic Design Guidelines for the City of Enterprise, Oregon and the revised Preservation Code for Deschutes County and the City of Bend. Heidi served as the Chair of the Bend Landmarks Commission for 10 years and previously served on the Deschutes County Historical Landmarks Commission. With her vast knowledge and experience, Heidi meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards for Historic Preservation.

Julie Osborne, Birkenfeld
Julie has worked for more than 25 years in the field of historic preservation. She received her Masters degree from the University of Utah, worked as the National Register coordinator for the states of Utah and Oregon, preservation planner for the city of Salem, cultural resources specialist for ODOT, and as a cultural resources consultant throughout the intermountain and northwest regions. Most recently, Julie worked as the Oregon State Parks Historian, researching OPRD’s historic assets and assisting project managers in exploring options to minimize impacts to heritage park resources. She and her husband, Rick, now live at Fishhawk Lake in Clatsop County.

Gwendolyn Trice, Enterprise
Gwendolyn is the founder and Executive Director of the Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center, a museum located in Joseph, Oregon in the center of the Arts and Cultural District which focuses on collecting, preserving, and interpreting the rich history of the multicultural railroad logging community of Maxville, Oregon and similar communities in the Pacific Northwest. Gwendolyn, a videographer contributed key oral history interviews, photographs and transcripts for the Oregon Public Broadcasting documentary, "The Logger's Daughter", which shed light on the little-known history of African American loggers and their families who migrated to Maxville from all over the South and Midwest. Gwendolyn created several references to these individuals such as the Oregon Encyclopedia on-line, Blackpast.org, Preservation Magazine, the Forum Quarterly, and the Oregon Historic Quarterly. Gwendolyn also serves on the Oregon State Advocacy Commission on of Black Affairs, and is a 2015 recipient of the Oregon Women of Achievement Award.

Stephen Mark, Crater Lake
Stephen R. Mark joined the National Park Service in 1988 as a historian and is based at Crater Lake National Park.  He also serves Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve, but has also completed projects for John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks, Yosemite National Park, and Lassen Volcanic National Park.  Steve contributes entries to the Oregon Encyclopedia, and has written books and articles about the Pacific Northwest, especially its public lands.  His work also includes historic preservation, both as a compliance specialist and researcher, specializing in linear resources and rustic architecture.

Jacqueline Cheung, The Dalles
Jacqueline Cheung is an archaeologist who has done excavations, site documentation and research on prehistoric and historic period sites across the Northwest. She has worked for private contractors, the Colville Confederated Tribes and for the National Park Service at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Lava Beds National Monument, Mount Rainier National Park, and Crater Lake National Park. In recent years, she has worked on sites associated with the Oregon Chinese diaspora, helping with excavations and historic research. She has lived in The Dalles for 30 years, living in and renovating a historic house (which is on the National Register) and helping to renovate a historic Chinese merchandise store in what was once the city’s Chinatown.

Gregory Shine
[Bio to come]


Kassandra Rippee
[Bio to come]


The HARC reviews a determination when a request for review is made by an individual who does not agree with the determination made by the State Historic Preservation Officer regarding an application to, or participation in, the Oregon Special Assessment of Historic Property tax benefit program.  Appointments to the review committee shall be based on representation of interests of the county assessors, the historic preservation community, the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation, the development community, and local government.

Annual Meeting Schedule
The HARC meets annually in Salem and will meet in February and June if an appeal has been filed to be heard.

Upcoming Meetings and Agendas

October 17-20: The Oregon Heritage Commission, State Advisory Commission on Historic Preservation, Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries, and Historic Assessment Review Committee will all be meeting in Enterprise Oct. 18-20. Each Commission will meet individually and then jointly. The full agenda including invidual meeting agendas can be found here.

October 18, 2022, 9:00am

  • In Person: Fishtrap 105 W Main Street, Conference Room
  • Online: Register here to attend the meeting virtually
Previous Meeting Minutes:
  • 2018 Minutes
  • 2019 Minutes - To be released
  • 2020 Minutes - To be released
  • 2021 Minutes - To be released


For current information about the exact time and locations, or about agendas, contact
the Special Assessment Program Coordinator.

Staff
Joy Sears
Committee Members
Development Community – Matt Froman, Portland
Preservation Community – Katelyn Van Genderen, Portland
County Assessor – Kerry B. Savage Baker County, Baker City
Local Government – Michael J. Boquist, Planner, City of La Grande
State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation – Appointment in Process


Contacts

Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries

Kuri Gill
503-986-0685
kuri.gill@oprd.oregon.gov

Oregon Heritage Commission

Katie Henry
503-877-8834
katie.henry@oprd.oregon.gov

State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation

Caitlyn Abrahms
503-201-0454
caitlyn.abrahms@oprd.oregon.gov

Historic Assessment Review Committee

Joy Sears
971-345-7219
joy.sears@oprd.oregon.gov

Meeting Accommodations

To request special accommodations to participate in a meeting, including translation services, please contact us at least 72 hours prior to the start of the meeting.

Commission & Committee Statutes and Rules