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Meet Robin Straughan, Sustainability & Resiliency Manager

Post Date:10/11/2023

Robin Straughan’s passion for the environment and helping people drives her work serving Hillsboro community members. We asked Robin to share what makes her work so meaningful and impactful.

Robin, tell us more about yourself.

I use she, her, and hers pronouns and identify as Latina and White. I live in Beaverton with my husband, Dave, and our cats. I grew up in Pendleton (eastern Oregon), moved to the Midwest for college, then moved back to Oregon in 1998 after a year in Colorado.

Before starting at the City of Hillsboro in March 2023, I worked for Washington County leading their Office of Sustainability.

What experiences in your life led you to work in sustainability?

I grew up with a strong connection to the land, on the traditional lands of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla indigenous peoples. Many of my relatives are farmers in the area and highly depended on the land. As a kid, I spent a lot of time outdoors, raising animals, playing sports, etc.

I decided that I wanted to work to save the earth and help people, and I have dedicated my career to this. I have worked in agricultural research, water resources, environmental education, natural resources conservation, renewable energy, and sustainability.

I studied geology in college, which provided a very foundational understanding of our planet, then I built on that getting further training and certification in public management, sustainability leadership, and climate change.

How does your job directly benefit Hillsboro community members?

As the City’s Sustainability & Resiliency Manager, I work to help ensure the City is implementing relevant sustainability practices and programs. Sustainability is a very broad subject that encompasses environmental stewardship, economic prosperity, and social equity, so I work to ensure all of these components are considered as we make plans and decisions.

In the face of a changing climate, this work is critical to ensure the needs of the community are met and people have access to the resources, information, and tools they need to flourish. With more frequent extreme weather events, such as heat waves, ice storms, and flooding, impacts due to wildfires and droughts, and other climate challenges, I want to make sure the City is doing all we can to help build community resiliency.

What do you like most about your work?

I like how varied my work is. I get to work with different departments, a variety of people, and I am constantly learning new things. I collaborate with public sector professionals and others interested in sustainability.

Work in sustainability and climate resiliency is constantly evolving and changing, so I get to track the most promising practices and best approaches to recommend. Each day is a little different, but generally rewarding and interesting.

What goals are you focusing on?

I am focusing on the environmental stewardship goals in the Hillsboro 2035 Community Plan and finding ways to implement projects and help the community thrive, as we see more impacts of climate change. To achieve climate justice, we need to make sure the most vulnerable people in our community are well-supported and have access to things like affordable clean energy.

I am also looking at goals and actions for addressing sustainability within City operations to make sure we are on a good path to lower our resource use, save money, enhance green spaces, and access funding resources for projects to reduce our footprint.

As you reach out to community members for input and feedback, what are you hoping to hear?

I would like to know what is important to community members as it relates to sustainability and climate resiliency. I want to hear people’s questions and concerns, as well as their interests and suggestions.

Understanding people’s own personal lived experiences and the barriers they face is important as I help City leadership make decisions about climate resilience planning. People often have a lot of knowledge and wisdom to share, so we can learn from each other.

What are the top questions community members ask you?

The most common questions I get are about recycling and electric vehicles (EVs). People often want to know if something is recyclable and where to recycle it. I like to direct people to the Garbage & Recycling page on the City’s website, which will help answer that question.

Regarding EVs, people ask about places to charge their cars. EV charging information can be found on the City website’s Sustainability Goals & Initiatives page.

What projects have you worked on that have been particularly interesting?

During May, I work on a fun project to help engage people to be active. I help promote the Westside Transportation Alliance’s Active Transportation Challenge that encourages employees to record their walks, bike rides, runs, scooter and skate trips. Participating staff support our team effort and are eligible to win incentives. In 2023, the City of Hillsboro team earned first place in the Challenge!

Robin riding a bike

I am a big fan of active transportation and really like helping others find a good route, travel safely, and just have fun being outdoors. I regularly bike and take MAX to get to work, walk to stores in my neighborhood, and love going for hikes.

Who inspires you?

Public employees. I have worked in the public sector for virtually all of my career, including summer jobs while growing up. People who work in public service are very hard working and passionate about helping others. I am inspired daily as I learn about the great work that local government employees do to serve people in our community.

Tell us something people wouldn’t guess about you?

Unless you’ve known me for a while, you may not know that I grow out my hair and donate it every couple years. In the past 14 years, I have donated my hair to organizations that make wigs for children and adults with hair loss 8 times. I feel very fortunate to have very thick, fast-growing hair and like to pass it on to those who can benefit from it.

What do you like most about Hillsboro?

My favorite thing about Hillsboro is the vibrant and walkable Downtown area. I’ve worked in Downtown Hillsboro since 2012 and really enjoy being able to go for walks and visit a wonderful array of restaurants, shops, and other venues. I particularly like Amelia’s, Decadent Creations, and WashCo Bikes community bike shop.