Program date: April 18, 2025
Air date: April 21, 2025
From the City Club of Eugene:
On May 16, voters in the Eugene School District 4J will elect directors for two positions on the school board. Incumbent Maya Rabasa, Position 6, is running unopposed. In this program you’ll hear from four of the five candidates (Alan Madden, running for Position 2, declined to participate). Voters may vote on all positions, no matter which zones the candidates would represent. This forum is moderated by KLCC’s Rebecca Hansen-White.
Speakers:
Danny McDiarmid has worked in civil service since 2001, including over two decades in legal services, family policy, and public administration. He is currently serving as a Child Support Case Manager with the Oregon Department of Justice. He has served on the Awbrey Park Elementary Site Council, mentored colleagues, and collaborated across agencies to improve outcomes for Oregon families. When not working or at a school event, you’ll likely find him fixing up the house, working in the garden, or thrifting for the next creative project.
Ericka Thessen was appointed to Position #2 of the 4J School Board in October 2023 when she was serving on the 4J Budget Committee for two years. She has been a member of the Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon Lane County Leadership and Advocacy Team. She also served as Board President for The 86 Hunger Foundation, a local charity working to reduce food insecurity and food waste in Lane County. She has been a physical therapist at the PeaceHealth Riverbend hospital for more than a decade.
Donald Easton has been on the faculty of Lane Community College since 2014. He is currently the LCC lead faculty member in the Business, Technology, and Trades Division.He is a former CTE Teacher / Licensed Guest Teacher at Eugene School District 4J as well a teacher at Sheldon High School. He studied Public Policy at American Military University and graduated from Eastern Oregon University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology.
Judy Newman has completed two terms on the Eugene 4J School Board. She has 45 years of experience in education with a strong focus on early learning and special education. She co-founded Early Childhood CARES (a public education program for children with special needs and their families) and Co-directed it for 30 years. She has been on the faculty at the University of Oregon’s College of Education for over 40 years teaching Special Education and Disability Law to graduate and licensure students. She helped establish the Early Childhood Hub of Lane County, our regional hub of early learning services, and currently is their strategic advisor. to the Early Childhood Hub. She has served on many local Boards: United Way of Lane County; ShelterCare; Connected Lane County; System of Care Executive Committee; Early Childhood Hub Governance Consortium; State Interagency Coordination Council; and Autism Commission of Oregon.. She has received many awards including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arc of Lane County in 2019.
About the City Club of Eugene:
The mission of the City Club of Eugene is to build community vision through open inquiry. The Club explores a wide range of significant local, state, and national issues and helps to formulate new approaches and solutions to problems. Membership is open to all, and Club members have a direct influence on public policy by discussing issues of concern with elected officials and other policy makers. The City Club’s mailing address is PO Box 12084, Eugene, OR 97440, and its website is cityclubofeugene.org.
Video and Broadcast
This program will be live streamed, and the videotape will be made available on the City Club of Eugene’s Facebook page and You Tube Channel, in addition to our website. It will be broadcast on Monday, April 21at 7:00 p.m., on KLCC 89.7 FM.
Contact: For more information, visit CityClubOfEugene.org.