June 20, 2006 -- OEC Names Andrea Durbin New Executive Director
Northwest native brings over 15 years of experience in national and global environmental stewardship and business partnerships
Portland, Ore. (June 20, 2006) -- Andrea Durbin, a Pacific Northwest native with over 15 years experience in environmental stewardship and collaboration on the national and global stage, was named today as the new Executive Director of the Oregon Environmental Council (OEC). Since 1968, when several ordinary Oregonians came together and formed Oregon’s first statewide environmental group, OEC has been following a single mission: “Bringing Oregonians together for a healthy environment.”
“We are very pleased to make this appointment,” Steve Greenwood, OEC’s Board President, said. “Andrea has over 15 years of national and global public interest campaign and advocacy experience. She has a passion for protecting the environment and a reputation for working with other stakeholders that matches OEC’s mission perfectly. We’ll be able to use her experience on the global and national stage to advance Oregon’s concerns.”
Currently with Durbin Strategies in Brussels, Belgium, Andrea’s most recent work has been with a global network of non-governmental organizations to strengthen social and environmental standards for financial lending institutions.
“Andrea Durbin is solution-oriented,” said Denis Hayes, President of Seattle’s Bullitt Foundation. “She’s comfortable working with business, labor and farmers to achieve results.”
Some of Andrea’s publications include “Shaping the Future of Sustainable Finance: Moving the Banking Sector from Promise to Performance,” “The Environmental Movement and Global Finance,” “Addressing Human Rights Risks,” and “Greening the Bretton Woods Institutions.”
“I am attracted to the Oregon Environmental Council for several reasons,” Andrea Durbin said. “OEC focuses on environmental issues where people live, making communities healthier, and I like the way in which OEC does its work. I support the creative, collaborative approach OEC uses in pursuit of environmental solutions.”
A native of the Pacific Northwest, Andrea received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington and completed the Executive Management Program at Harvard University. Earlier in her career, Andrea worked with the national and global environmental groups Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, where she focused on organizational leadership, program management and fundraising.
Andrea replaces Jeff Allen, who served OEC for 10 years. Jeff and his family have relocated to Ashland, Oregon, where Martha Bennett, Jeff’s wife, has accepted the position of City Manager. Andrea will assume OEC’s executive director duties in mid-August.
--30--
Founded in 1968, The Oregon Environmental Council (OEC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with members throughout the state. We bring Oregonians together for a healthy environment. Via programs such as the Bottle Bill, curbside recycling and the creation of local watershed councils, OEC has played a leadership role in helping Oregonians be part of the solution to environmental problems. Our current programs focus on protecting kids’ health from toxic pollution, cleaning up Oregon’s rivers, and protecting our climate by curbing vehicle pollution. For more information about OEC, visit our website at www.oeconline.org.
