About Us
Our Mission is to:
- Educate voters on issues that matter most in improving the lives of rural Oregonians,
- Engage with voters to encourage voting participation,
- Hold legislators accountable for their actions regardless of party affiliation,
- Embrace rational, civic-minded rural values by modeling inclusion, respect, and fairness in all of our actions, and
- Empower forward-thinking candidates to run for and hold elected office in rural Oregon.
Board of Directors
Benton CountyAryeh Frankfurter
Aryeh Frankfurter resides in rural Alpine/Monroe, Oregon (Benton County) on a 10-acre farm where he has been engaged in White Oak habitat restoration. Having earned a masters degree in Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh in 1993, Aryeh has since made his living as a successful multi-instrumental professional independent touring musician and recording artist specializing in folk music from Nordic and Celtic cultures. He has toured extensively throughout the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska, which has allowed him to engage and interact with rural audiences throughout the country. He has been heavily involved in Oregon state politics since 2017, working as a consultant and community organizer on both Danny Jaffer’s 2018 campaign for House District 23 and Sean Scorvo’s 2020 campaign for House District 23.
At LargePosition Vacant
If you are interested in working with the Rural Engagement Project, please send a resume and letter of interest to Executive Director Kelie McWilliams.
Polk CountyDanny Jaffer
Danny is a retired Navy vet who served as a combat rescue & logistics helicopter pilot. He serves nearly 3,000 rural Polk County families as the President of the Luckiamute Domestic Water Cooperative. He believes in our shared rural values: family, community, hard work, public service, democracy, free enterprise, and taking care of our own. He was born and raised in Polk County, and has been politically active in rural Oregon politics for more than a decade.
Yamhill CountyBernadette Hansen
Bernadette is a longtime public servant, having worked for the Oregon Legislature, the Oregon Water Resources Department, and as the Executive Director of the Greater Yamhill Watershed Council. She has spent her life unifying people from different backgrounds around common goals. Her background is in the science and management of water in Oregon. She has dedicated her life’s work to revitalizing Oregon’s rural communities.
