About Us

We're experts in the practice of collaborative governance

We advance the use of collaborative governance methods in Oregon and nationally through innovative services, education, and research that help people collaborate to address public policy disputes and implement community-based solutions.

Our work reaches all of Oregon and beyond. We've facilitated discussions that helped Oregon and neighboring states agree on shared plans for protecting endangered species. We've helped local Oregon communities agree on highway projects to address congestion in their towns. We've helped small communities find funding to build a new school, improve libraries, and support entrepreneurship. And we've facilitated large-scale policy development and implementation of education and health care reform in Oregon.

Collaborative governance is a way of governing that allows communities, businesses, and organizations to have a role in public decisions that affect them. It also allows them to work together on solving public problems and improving their communities. 

We're a forum for shared decision making

As part of the Hatfield School of Government in the College of Urban and Public Affairs at Portland State University (PSU), we draw on the scholarly resources of the university. We play a key role in fulfilling PSU’s commitment to community engagement, student learning, and applied research.

We serve government, tribes, nonprofits, communities, students, and professionals

We provide classes and internships for university students, and for non-university professionals and organizations. We work with local, state, federal and tribal government entities, non-government organizations, and community members in Oregon to address public policy issues collaboratively. And we collaborate with other states and countries to advance the use of collaborative governance approaches worldwide.

We're committed to equity

Our mission is to bring a full range of voices together to build on the promises of democracy. Institutional racism and other inequities hinder this aspiration from being realized. We are committed to striving for equity both in our projects and in our organizational culture. We approach this work as learners.

Our work helps people use collaborative governance approaches

We provide public policy dispute resolution, collective action, public engagement and deliberation, research and publications. 

Our specialized programs work together to address public issues

We have several programs that work together to accomplish our mission:

Our work is guided by the following principles

• Joint ownership. Serving as a forum, unaffiliated with any one interest, to build a mutually agreed upon framing of challenges and opportunities.
• Community based. Convening the people most affected by a challenge as the best ones to solve it.
• Inclusive. Increasing access to and ensuring meaningful participation in decision making by those with diverse perspectives to lead to the development of better, durable and more equitable solutions.
• Consensus seeking. Seeking mutually supported solutions that address all interests to the greatest extent possible so solutions are more durable.
• Results oriented. Employing catalytic processes to bring people together to take collective action on things that matter.
• Authentic dialogue. Creating honest conversation to foster mutual understanding as a critical foundation for success in working toward solutions.
• Leaders as conveners. Engaging leaders to use their unique role to bring people together to solve public issues. 

We work on a wide range of public issues