Executive Board

Interested in Serving? Contact Us for More information

The Executive Board meets on the third Tuesday of each month via Zoom. If you wish to attend contact us.

We also post the Zoom link in the Posts section of this website usually by the weekend before Tuesday’s meeting.

2023-2024 Executive Board

  • Chair: Ted M. Coopman
  • Vice Chair: Sandra Bishop
  • At-Large Position #1: Peter Borden
  • At-Large Position #2: Stephanie Coopman
  • At-Large Position #3: Sue Cummings
  • At-Large Position #4: Rene Kane
  • At-Large Position #5: Penny Melquist

Meet Your Executive Board [updated bios coming soon]

Peter Borden 

Landed in Eugene in 2021. We had been traveling up and down the west coast, partly by intent, and partly buffetted by the winds of Covid. We finally landed in Eugene for a position at the hospital. With good fortune and privelage we managed to purchase a house at the west end of Jefferson Westside Neighborhood.

It has always been an intent of mine to be connected with my neighbors and create a community feeling with those who live around me. Owing the bank for a house for the first time gave me the commitment to invest time and energy in the space around me.

Running for a board position in the neighborhood unfolded naturally and stemmed from my involvement. While this involvement is more than nothing, it’s a lot less than what it could be, and I see the neighborhood association as a structure to facilitate the creation of  a beautiful community, environment and a place to further my education in life.

A bit of bio and goals:

I’ve been an electrician, welder, and concrete worker and at lastly a massage therapist. My education is mainly in the trades, world travel, books and a smattering of college classes.

What I’d like to see in the JWN is more neighborhood cohesion, possibly block parties, localized get togethers and increased turnout at ongoing neighborhood activities. Smart-human urdan planning/developement, development of the Dog Park and Fern Ridge Trail, housing accessibility, and green spaces.

I look forward to working with you, learning with you, and being in service with you.

Ted M. Coopman

My spouse, dog and I just moved into the neighborhood in February 2016 although we have owned a home here since 2012. My association with Eugene goes back 20 years with yearly visits with our best friends. I am a college professor by-trade and teach online for San José State University and the University of Louisville where I am an adjunct faculty member. My areas of study are media law and policy and activists use of media and technology. We always knew that Jefferson-Westside is where we wanted to live and are so happy and excited to be here. Eugene is a dog and bike paradise! I have spent the last 25 years working with community and activist groups and look forward to putting my time, energy and expertise to work for our hood. Look for me in the mornings at Monroe Park throwing the ball for the dog (and picking up trash) and say hello.

Stephanie Coopman

Ted, our dog River, and I moved to Eugene and the JWN at the start of 2016 after visiting for many years. When we bought our house here in 2012 we’d planned on splitting our time between Eugene and Santa Cruz, CA. Then in 2015, with the Bay Area and Santa Cruz getting more crowded and more expensive, we decided to leave our townhouse near the beach for a saner and mellower life in Eugene. Happily, we’ve found a home in the JWN.

I’m a professor at San Jose State University where I teach online courses in communication, primarily in the areas of applied communication and game studies. I started teaching online in 1999. For a few years, I taught a mix of in person and online classes. Then I moved to all online about 15 years ago. In addition to teaching, I served as chair of my department for five years. I’ve also chaired and served on numerous committees and task forces for SJSU and a number of professional organizations.

I attended my first JWN general meeting in February 2016 and soon joined the JWN Outreach Committee. I designed and launched the most recent version of the JWN website that year as well. I’ve written articles for the JWN newsletter and for the past two years edited the newsletter’s paper version. I’m especially interested in getting neighbors involved in the neighborhood and matching up neighbors’ interests and passions with work that needs to be done. I’m here to listen to my neighbors and look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Cummings

Sue has been on the JWN Board for about eight years and has lived in the neighborhood for somewhere around 15 years. She moved to Eugene with Tommy, her husband, in 1991. She would like to encourage everyone in the neighborhood, homeowners, renters, businesses and property owners, to attend JWN events. She feels that having a strong neighborhood association is important for keeping the JWN the beautiful, unique, livable, walkable, vibrant place we call home. She also hopes that everyone will support our special neighborhood businesses and artists, Cesar Chavez School, The Lane Events Center and groups like Friends of Trees and the OSU Extension Service. She really appreciates that so many people in our neighborhood like to walk, bike and garden.

 

 

Rene Kane

Rene is a long-time resident of the neighborhood and a former chair/co-chair, volunteer and supporter of JWN. She recently retired from the City of Eugene where she worked as a neighborhood planner for twelve years. Rene believes in Eugene’s system of neighborhood  organizations and the unique and essential role they play in grassroots democracy. Rene also serves on the board of Burrito Brigade. She likes to garden. For fun, Rene makes things with fabric and paper.