Benton County, Oregon
Chas Jones is a prominent climate resilience scientist and community leader with over twenty-five years of experience working with Tribes and Indigenous Peoples. As the Founder and Principal Climate Resilience Scientist at PICEA Consulting Group since January 2024, Chas provides expertise on climate resilience strategies. In addition, as the elected Mayor of Philomath since January 2019, Chas offers strategic leadership and oversight to city management. Chas has served in various roles including as a City Councilor, Benton County Budget Committee member, and Executive Committee member for the Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments. Previous roles include Program Director and Senior Tribal Climate Resilience Liaison for the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, post-doctoral research fellow at the US Environmental Protection Agency, and board positions at the Corvallis Environmental Center. Chas holds a Ph.D. in Hydrology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and has engaged in extensive research integrating traditional knowledge with scientific inquiry.
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Benton County, Oregon
Perfectly placed in the Willamette Valley, 90 miles south of Portland and 40 miles north of Eugene, Benton County has easy access to urban areas with ample opportunities for cultural activities. Combined with outdoor recreation galore in the Cascade Range 80 miles to the east and the Coastal Range and the Pacific Ocean 50 miles west, the county’s 90,000 residents like to say they “have it all.” Voters elect three County Commissioners and a Sheriff to four-year terms. The District Attorney is also elected to a four-year term and is a state official. The County Commissioners are assisted in their administrative responsibilities by the County Administrator, who is responsible for implementing County policy, managing operations, budget, and supervising Department Directors. With a ’21-’23 total budget of approximately $349.8 million and 564 employees, Benton County provides a breadth of services through its departments of Assessment, Board of Commissioners, Community Development, District Attorney, Fairgrounds, Records and Elections, Financial Services, Health Centers, Health Department, Human Resources, Information Technology, Juvenile, Natural Areas and Parks, Public Works, and the Sheriff’s Office. In addition to Oregon State University and local entrepreneurship, Benton County’s economy is driven by the tech and health industries and regional agriculture. Traditionally, county Ag has focused on grass seed, Christmas trees, wine grapes, seed crops, organic produce, lumber, sheep, cattle and dairy, but recent years have seen large upswing in hazelnuts and marijuana. The community’s passion for supporting a thriving local economy allow the county to boast chefs, restaurateurs, winemakers, brewmasters and distilleries committed to locally grown ingredients with a strong focus on sustainability.