Community Engagement

Suzanne works as a cultural ambassador and facilitation consultant, engaging with community-based organizations, underrepresented populations, and all community stakeholders. She helps build productive, authentic relationships to work toward a more inclusive community with opportunities for all.

She leads and develops community participation plans, facilitates sessions with community-based organizations, conducts interviews and surveys, acts as an owner’s representative on major projects in educating and involving community stakeholders, introduces opportunities to interested certified firms, cultivates and makes connections with community members and clients, and maintains transparent communication with the community.

Ricondo | Port of Portland, Portland International Airport (PDX) 2045 Master Plan

Strategic Advisor and Facilitator, 2024-present

Providing project management, outreach services for certified firms, subcontracting planning and reporting, subconsultant onboarding and management, program development and oversight, mentorship and capacity building, project progress report management, Commercial Useful Function reviews and training, development project consulting and oversight, diversity program compliance, conflict resolution, project support, focus group facilitation, disparity study support, RFQ coordination, community participation planning, and technical and support services.

Barney & Worth | Portland Water Bureau | Bull Run Filtration Projects Urban Indigenous Engagement Circle

Community Engagement Facilitator, 2021-2025

Facilitating engagement circles with six urban Indigenous communities as part of a billion-dollar improvement project that will serve safe, clean drinking water to over a million people in the metro area. The bureau wants to improve engagement with urban Indigenous communities, in recognition of Indigenous peoples as the original stewards of the land. The project will result in guidance for opportunities to connect through water, taking a long-term view, and advancing native stewardship of land and water. It will also result in an internship focused on representation of Native languages and partnerships with Native organizations.

Diameter | Portland Water Bureau and Bureau of Environmental Services, City of Portland, Advanced Metering Infrastructure

Community Outreach Leader, 2023-2024

Conducting community outreach for a project to replace the City’s utility meter reading and online customer service technology. The project will move the utility bureaus from the manual meter technology collecting customer usage data once per quarter to advanced metering infrastructure that collects data for every meter, every day. Includes consolidating online customer services in four separate systems into a new online and mobile customer engagement portal.

Perteet |City of Everett, Washington, Housing Development Incentive Program

Researcher and Writer, 2022-2024

Assisting the city in reviewing and updating its housing development incentives program, with a grant managed by the Washington State Department of Commerce, Growth Management Services. Implementing recommended actions to encourage construction of affordable and market-rate housing in more housing types at affordable prices. Incentives could increase housing production for people of all incomes.

City of Portland Bureau of Transportation | On-Call Community Engagement Services

Consultant, 2019-2024

Providing project management, outreach services for certified firms, subcontracting planning and reporting, subconsultant onboarding and management, program development and oversight, mentorship and capacity building, project progress report management, Commercial Useful Function reviews and training, development project consulting and oversight, diversity program compliance, conflict resolution, project support, focus group facilitation, disparity study support, RFQ coordination, community participation planning, and technical and support services.

Keen Independent Research | Disparity Studies

Community Engagement Consultant, 2019-present

Participating in internal and external stakeholder meetings, conducting in-depth interviews with business owners, and preparing monthly progress reports to analyze whether there is a level playing field for MBE and WBE firms in various industries.

JH Kelly | Oregon Convention Center Hotel (Hyatt Hotels)

Diversity Outreach and Oversight Consultant, 2016-2018

Conducted diversity outreach for this new hotel located north of the Oregon Convention Center, to attract larger conventions to Portland and spur additional economic development in the neighborhoods surrounding the convention center.