Transportation Chats

Kaarin Knudson is a licensed architect, educator, and leader with more than 20 years’ experience advancing sustainable design and community-led solutions. In 2017, she founded the housing advocacy organization Better Housing Together (BHT), to increase housing affordability, diversity and supply in Lane County, and was awarded the City of Eugene’s “Community Award” in 2018.  Knudson advised on the implementation of Oregon’s landmark middle housing laws and advocated for the creation of Eugene’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund. She is a longtime member of the City Club of Eugene, and she served as its president in 2022–2023.

Since 2007, Knudson has practiced architecture and design in Oregon, including several award-winning local projects. She speaks at regional and national conferences about sustainable cities, housing policy, and the work of guiding community change. She teaches a graduate urban design workshop at the University of Oregon and is coauthor of a new textbook, The Sustainable Urban Design Handbook (Routledge, April 2024).

Jameson T. Auten is the CEO of Lane Transit District, serving the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area and surrounding communities. He leads LTD’s 330 employees, who connect our community aboard the District’s buses that serve 32 neighborhood routes and three bus rapid transit routes known as Emerald Express (EmX).

Jameson is very active in the public transportation industry, including the American Association of Public Transportation and the National Academies of Sciences. He is a 2014 graduate of Leadership APTA. Jameson earned an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University and a bachelor’s degree from California University of Pennsylvania (PennWest).

Brodie Hylton is the founding Executive Director of Cascadia Mobility, Eugene’s local nonprofit dedicated to shared transportation operations and active transportation encouragement. Cascadia Mobility was established in 2021 to take over operations of Eugene’s municipally-owned bike share program, PeaceHealth Rides, when the for-profit operator walked away. Since that time, Cascadia Mobility expanded its work to include operations of Eugene’s e-scooter share pilot, bike valet and event parking, and active transportation programs with a variety of community partners.

Brodie has spent over a dozen years launching and operating large-scale bike share programs and businesses around the country, including bike share programs that are still active in cities that include Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC, and Boston. He has a BS and MBA from the University of Oregon. Brodie and his family are thrilled to be back living in Eugene again. You might see Brodie on his regular bike commute along the river, where he passes Jupiter most weekdays.

Melinda Preciado is a mother of two incredible children and a former healthcare professional of 17 years. Despite a life-altering traumatic event in 2021 that led to the loss of her right leg above the knee and the placement in a wheelchair, Melinda remains a compassionate, headstrong, and adventurous individual. As the former Ms. Wheelchair Oregon and current Ms. Wheelchair Pacific Coast USA, she is a fierce advocate for disability rights and innovation, with her sights set on Nationals in Ohio this July.  She is also seeking sponsorships for her advocacy work and getting to the national stage including “Innovating the ADA” and ‘Adapting America for All.”

Carmel Perez Snyder is the AARP Oregon Director of Outreach & Advocacy, with more than 14 years’ experience working in Livable Community and Age-Friendly initiatives. She leads AARP Oregon’s efforts on the Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities, working with communities across Oregon to create and implement age-friendly policies. In 2016, she was recognized with the national Maureen McKoy Award for Excellence in Service. A former journalist and media specialist, Carmel received a national award from the Environmental Protection Agency for an anti-pollution campaign she created for Oklahoma. Prior to moving to Oregon, she worked for AARP in Texas and holds a degree in Political Science and Public Information and Reporting from the University of Missouri-Columbia.