Chair
Term: 01/12
Joe Howard: I have been a Board member of The
Orchard District Neighborhood Association since 2004 and
currently serve as the Board Secretary. I am proud to
serve on this board and contribute to our great
community. My main interests in the neighborhood are
bicycle and pedestrian issues, and parks / open spaces. I
have graduated from the Bend Police Department Citizens Academy
as well as the Sheriff’s Department Citizens
Academy. I strive to learn as much as I can about our
community, and volunteer my time and energy.
I have lived in Bend since 1986, relocating from Corvallis,
Oregon. I have a wide variety of hobbies including woodworking,
gardening and golf. I am married with two children,
and have recently become a Grandfather. Term:
01/12
Vice Chair
Term: 01/11
Robin Vora: I look forward to continuing to serve my
neighborhood and community as a member of Orchard District
Neighborhood Association. I have always been involved in
local activities wherever I have lived. I moved to Bend
in early 2002 and have served on the Orchard District
Neighborhood Association Board since 2005. I have also
volunteered on several other city committees (transportation,
urban growth boundary, Central Area plan). I have been
the Board representative for coordination with Bend Metro Parks
and Recreation and we have been blessed with excellent park
services in the Orchard Neighborhood. I moved here
from Aurora, Minnesota where I was active at school board and
city council meetings, and founded a historical society and
served as its first president. Previously I lived in
Wisconsin, Georgia, South Texas, Idaho, Colorado, California
and Bombay, India where I was born and lived 13 years. I
am married and have two adult children. I work in natural
resource management for the U.S. Forest Service and previously
the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. I participated in
the Leadership Bend class of 2003 and became well
acquainted with the community through that excellent
program. I am concerned about traffic in our
neighborhood. I have a passion for control of noxious
weeds. I would like to work with city planners on
revitalization of 3rd Street and on a citywide trail
network. I believe we live in a wonderful part of the
world and would like to serve to keep it that way.
Term: 01/12
Board Members
Land Use Chair
Kathleen Combs: Was reared and educated in Montana,
and has lived in Bend for thirty four years. She raised
two children in Bend. She has served nearly ten years
with Neighborhood Associations ... having been on
the committee that wrote the bylaws. She is a member of
PEO International, past president of the Central Oregon
Association of Realtors, a graduate of the Citizens Academy and
a graduate of the University or Oregon Mediation
Program. Her broad volunteerism includes ten
years of service to cancer patients, having written and
received two grants to do so. Kathy serves as Land
Use Chair for Orchard District Neighborhood Association, set up
Neighborhood Watch in her subdivision and participates in the
annual weed pull. She believes that every single person
can make a difference in "their little corner of
Bend"! Term: 01/11
Cheryl Howard: I have lived
in this neighborhood since the early 90’s, having
returned to Bend after moving away in the 80’s. We
absolutely love this area and consider ourselves very fortunate
to share this community with so many wonderful people. My
interest in the neighborhood association program began with the
programs’ inception in 2000. I organized our
original acting board in 2001 and brought us to recognition
before City Council in 2002. I have served as chair since
that time. My other volunteer affiliations include
serving on the board of the Deschutes County Weed Advisory
Board and the Deschutes Bike Pedestrian Advisory Committee
(Chair) and I have most recently joined the board of the United
Way of Deschutes County. I am a graduate of Leadership
Bend and both the Bend Police and Deschutes County
Sheriff’s Departments Citizens Academy. I also
coordinate the Lets Pull Together event which
started out as a neighborhood project in 2003, which has now
grown into state wide event. Term:01/12
Sarah Cofer: Sarah has lived in Bend for the past 37
years, and the Orchard District for the past thirteen years.
She currently works for Oregon State University Extension as a
4-H Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Specialist. She currently fills the treasurer position on our
board. Sarah coordinates the COSMACK (A program to move snow
for elderly or infirm neighbors) neighborhood snow shoveling
program, and actively promotes volunteer activities for youth.
Term: 01/12
Steve Moore: I am Steve Moore, and am delighted to
live in a locale with such a vibrant and committed
neighborhood. I have lived in Bend since 2002,
having returned to my birth state after a long rewarding career
as a California Park Ranger. I now perform paid and
volunteer work for the local American Red Cross chapter here in
Central Oregon, teaching classes, and educating the community
on disaster readiness. My personal passions include
hiking and backpacking, cross-country skiing, astronomy,
photography, and natural and human history, to name a
few. My wife Anna and I have long believed in community
involvement wherever we have been, and are thriving on the
opportunities here. You'll often find our retired guide
dog Loreli and me gazing in rapture at the mountains from the
top of Hollinshead Park.
Term: 01/11
Mark Spencer: I've lived in the Orchard District
since 1999, and recently relocated to my current home about a
year ago. I love the neighborhood around Porcupine Butte
and feel fortunate to live in Bend. I've enjoyed the
benefits of living here and feel that I want to volunteer my
time and energy to help keep our
neighborhood vibrant and beautiful. I work
as a Physician Assistant in neurosurgery at The Center for
Orthopedics and Neurosurgery. Other
interests include hiking, cycling, triathlons, and
travel. My interests in serving the ODNA board include
improvement of cycling and walking for recreation and
transportation, improved lighting at intersections,
and decreased light pollution in the rest of our
neighborhoods. Term: 01/12
Alternate Board Member
Nick Norton: I have been a part of the
neighborhood for the past forty three years and am running as a
one issue candidate to preserve and protect Pilot Butte. Term:
01/12
