Welcome to the Friends of Oak Grove Community Council
The Friends of OGCC is a private non-profit company formed to support the Oak Grove CPO, (Community Planning Organization), which is a part of Clackamas County.
Purpose of Friends of Oak Grove Community Council
Friends of Oak Grove Community Council supports the Oak Grove Community Council with the purpose of engaging the residents and businesses within the boundaries of the Oak Grove CPO in the work of the Council. This engagement work includes community gatherings, print and social media publications, event signage, equipment rental or purchase, speaker fees, consulting fees, and other activities or purchases related to educating community members, and creating a cohesive, inclusive, safe, and democratic community.
The specific objectives and purpose of this organization shall be:
- to provide financial support for the work of the Oak Grove Community Council.
- to provide funding that will engage a larger and more diverse membership of the Oak Grove Community Council.
Members of Friends of Oak Grove Community Council
Valerie Chapman
President
Valerie Chapman worked in a non-profit, where she was involved in fundraising, budget supervision, and community organizing. She retired in 2017 after 24 years as the pastoral administrator of a church that operated a large soup kitchen. She is a teacher, facilitator, and writer who enjoys community involvement, and has lived in Oak Grove for the past 41 years.
Mark Elliot
Secretary/Treasurer
Mark and his husband Kirk have been residents of Oak Grove since November 2017 and live in the Concord School area. They enjoy being grandparents to two granddaughters and a grandson. Mark is a retired architect of 43 years devoted to the healthcare industry locally and throughout the United States. Mark is currently Vice-chair of the Oak Grove Community Council and the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District Advisory Board.
Joseph Edge
Joseph Edge has served on the boards, including as chair, of the local watersheds council and CPO. He is also appointed to several land use and transportation committees and the Milwaukie planning commission. Joseph has a very technical professional background including computer networking, software engineering, technical writing, as well as budgeting and vendor management. He and his wife both grew up in Oak Grove but met elsewhere, and they returned in 2014.
Rich Nepon
Rich Nepon has been involved in non-profits, government, and public service for many years. He has a background as a store owner, a writer, and a transport logistics specialist. He retired after 30 years as a volunteer firefighter. He’s enjoyed Oak Grove since moving here from the East coast in 2018.
Wayne Potter
Wayne Potter supported the idea of establishing a non-profit organization that promotes the Oak Grove Community Council activities. He has been involved in the Community Council since 2020. He believes that the OGCC can increase its ability to identify the community’s interests, needs and aspirations & set goals and objectives so it can improve the well-being of the community. The Friends of the OGCC can help provide financial support for projects that listen to the needs of community residents and help
develop short and long-term goals that achieve specific objectives.
Wayne brings a level of experience in administering non-profit organizations and public agencies. Wayne brings his experience as the director of the Washington County Head
Start program and as an administrator of City of Portland agency. In addition, he has a master’s in public and business administration from Lewis and Clark College and Marylhurst University. He believes that sound budgeting begins with Long-Range Strategic Planning and the utilization of skilled professionals.
Wayne is looking forward to helping Oak Grove residents gain a geographic sense of living in the Unincorporated Urban Community of Oak Grove. Further, he hopes that residents will be able to identify the most common community needs that can best be supported by OGCC.