Brandy Steffen Email & Phone Number

Portland, Oregon Metropolitan Area

Portland, Oregon Area

By helping communities talk with local governments, a great change takes place. Brandy helps create opportunities for dialogue between people living, working, visiting and commuting in Oregon and Washington, as well as local government agencies. Through public events, communications materials, online engagement tools, and key messaging Brandy helps to create a strategy that engages people in meaningful ways that lead to on-going conversations.

Portland, Oregon Area

As the owner of Brightside Engagement, I helped clients communicate with customers, stakeholders, and the community in creative and authentic ways. Bringing years of experience in public involvement, Brightside Engagement worked closely with clients to structure outreach activities to achieve their objectives. Key services included: strategic planning for public involvement plans and outreach campaigns; writing, editing, and designing public outreach plans, as well as documentation and analysis after completing outreach activities; facilitating and organizing events and open houses for projects or behavioral change programs; and conducting surveys in-person and online. Brightside Engagement was certified in Oregon (No. 10590) as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), Women Business Enterprise (WBE), and Emerging Small Business (ESB), as well as DBE in Washington (No. D2F0025279).

Region 1

For over two years, I managed public information and involvement for highway and bridge projects in Multnomah, Clackamas, and Hood River Counties. I developed public involvement plans for construction and maintenance projects, created and maintained community relations, managed public meetings/events, and managed project websites.I enjoyed empowering the public to understand the way that government agencies design, construct, and maintain transportation projects, as a way to raise awareness and involvement.

Over nine years I expanded my depth of knowledge related to planning and public outreach. Work included developing long-range transportation plans, conducting Environmental Justice analysis, and reaching out to communities throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Texas for transportation, environmental cleanup, water, and other infrastructure projects. I planned, participated in, and facilitated public meetings, including advisory teams, public open houses, formal hearings, and charrettes. I also wrote, edited, and designed materials for the public to understand projects and to get more involved with designing the future of their communities. I also wrote transportation and outreach plans for agencies to implement. Additionally, I designed, developed, and maintained public websites to inform the public and solicit feedback on proposed projects; from long-range planning through construction. During my time at CH2M HILL, I was certified through International Association of Public Participation's (IAP2) public involvement training and the National Charrette Institute (NCI); I also earned my Master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning. Two of my projects were honored by the National Transportation Research Board (TRB) for outstanding public outreach (see awards section below).

Master'S Degree, Urban And Regional Planning

Focus on community development and transportation

Bachelor'S Degree, Geography, Magna Cum Laude

Minor in community development

Elementary Education And Teaching

Transferred to Portland State University

High School, Valedictorian