Lach Litwer first discovered Hood River kayaking in his teens. When he and his wife, Alexia, became parents to two young kids there was no doubt that Hood River was the place to raise their family. The natural beauty, sense of community, agricultural bounty, and troupes of kids biking across town unsupervised, but minded by everyone, was exactly what they wanted. Lach believes that towns and rural areas share a symbiotic relationship. Urban amenities complement rural life and rural lands provide unique resources and cultural value. As a workforce housing advocate and developer, Lach has seen firsthand how uncoordinated growth results in adverse outcomes for communities.  He hopes to lend a city dweller’s perspective and help to communicate the virtues of active land use management effectively to all stakeholders in the county. In addition to spending time with his family, Thrive, and his business Columbia Gorge Capital, Lach serves as Chairman of the Board for the Hood River Elks lodge and as an Officer in the Army Reserves. Lach’s professional experience includes energy infrastructure development with a Bay Area merchant bank, service as a Presidential Appointee to the Department of Defense, a service year in Americorps NCCC, and deployments with the US Army. He holds a B.S. from the University of Oregon, an M.B.A. from UC Berkeley, and is a Policy Fellow at the Truman National Security Project.