Community Engagement Director Silvan Shawe

We’re delighted to introduce Silvan Shawe, our new Community Engagement Director. Born and raised in the Hood River Valley, Silvan’s deep and personal experience with community building and farming made her ideal to spearhead our outreach to a wider Hood River audience.

“From mushroom hunting to biking safe trails with friends and family, my local favorite places have been preserved for public use” Silvan said. “These parks, neighborhoods, and forests need to be planned for and I respect the decades of work by Thrive to preserve this incredible valley as a livable community.” It took leaving, traveling and working with wide-ranging perspectives to truly appreciate life in the Gorge. Silvan is excited to be back and leading Thrive’s outreach. Her hands-on, can-do nature will add so much to our work and to helping the Hood River thrive into the future.

Silvan, 33, studied Sustainable Community Food Systems at the University of Hawai’i, where she focused on creating policy and programs that support low-income food access, community resilience and small farms. She lives in Hood River with her husband, toddler, and goofy dog and loves to spend time in the woods, water, and her garden.

We can’t wait for you to meet her.

You can contact Silvan at silvan@thrivehoodriver.org or (808) 419-1016.