Lynn Peterson '95 '08
FEARLESS COALITION BUILDER
Visualizing a roadmap for Washington
For a transportation engineer and planner, Lynn Peterson's path to Washington Secretary of Transportation has been unplanned, forged by her interest in both the engineering and community aspects of transportation systems.
"Transportation is a tool," says Peterson, who earned two master's degrees at Portland State University. "You don't do a project for project's sake; you are working to accomplish an overall community goal."
After earning her Master in Urban and Regional Planning in 1995, Peterson worked in the public sector and as a transportation consultant until she was elected to the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners. In 2008 she earned a second master's degree in civil and environmental engineering and was elected at-large as Clackamas County's first-ever board chairperson. The post set her on a path through the Oregon governor's office and to a top appointment in Washington.
"I have this need to work with communities to problem-solve," she says. "Every community is unique and every solution is unique; there's no one-size-fits-all."
"It's not glamorous," she adds. As a 12-year-old who dreamed of being a civil engineer, she didn't imagine her two proudest accomplishments "would be a mobile home park fairness issue and coming to a consensus on sewer issues in Clackamas County."
With her urban planning education, she doesn't approach issues considering what type of concrete to use, but rather considering the conversations required to find the project that makes sense for stakeholders in a community.
"If a conversation on transportation starts with, 'this is the product we offer,' you will lose people," she says. "I like to start with, 'what outcomes do we need for this community to be successful in accomplishing their goals?'"
Lynn Peterson '95 '08
FEARLESS COALITION BUILDER
Visualizing a roadmap for Washington
For a transportation engineer and planner, Lynn Peterson's path to Washington Secretary of Transportation has been unplanned, forged by her interest in both the engineering and community aspects of transportation systems.
"Transportation is a tool," says Peterson, who earned two master's degrees at Portland State University. "You don't do a project for project's sake; you are working to accomplish an overall community goal."
After earning her Master in Urban and Regional Planning in 1995, Peterson worked in the public sector and as a transportation consultant until she was elected to the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners. In 2008 she earned a second master's degree in civil and environmental engineering and was elected at-large as Clackamas County's first-ever board chairperson. The post set her on a path through the Oregon governor's office and to a top appointment in Washington.
"I have this need to work with communities to problem-solve," she says. "Every community is unique and every solution is unique; there's no one-size-fits-all."
"It's not glamorous," she adds. As a 12-year-old who dreamed of being a civil engineer, she didn't imagine her two proudest accomplishments "would be a mobile home park fairness issue and coming to a consensus on sewer issues in Clackamas County."
With her urban planning education, she doesn't approach issues considering what type of concrete to use, but rather considering the conversations required to find the project that makes sense for stakeholders in a community.
"If a conversation on transportation starts with, 'this is the product we offer,' you will lose people," she says. "I like to start with, 'what outcomes do we need for this community to be successful in accomplishing their goals?'"