Program date: Feb. 27, 2026
Air date: March 2, 2026
From the City Club of Eugene:
In recent years, the residents of Lane County have witnessed what some have perceived to be significant errors of governance – events that have underscored the importance of transparency, accountability, and effective leadership in public decision-making. City Club of Eugene is hosting a timely program, “Effective Public Governance Boards,” focused on a discussion of the principles of effective public board governance.
This program will examine the roles, responsibilities, and ethical obligations of public governing boards, along with common pitfalls that can undermine effective governance. Panelists will share practical insights drawn from real-world experience and discuss strategies for improving board culture, decision-making, and transparency.
The panel features John Brown, Eugene Water & Electric Board Commissioner for Wards 4 and 5; Randy Groves, Eugene City Councilor for Ward 8; and Emielle Nischik, Executive Director of the Oregon School Boards Association. Together, they bring perspectives from utilities, municipal government, and education governance.
The forum will include an opportunity for audience questions, continuing City Club of Eugene’s tradition of informed, civil discussion on public issues of importance to the community.
Speakers:
John H. Brown has been on the EWEB board representing Wards 4 and 5 since 2007. Since 2005, he has been a principal with Evans, Elder, Brown & Seubert, a commercial real estate brokerage. He served in the US Army, with a tour of duty in Vietnam. John has worked for various local entities including Georgia Pacific, Texaco, Triangle C Meat Company, and UPS. In 1990, John formed Duncan & Brown, a local real estate appraisal company, and later transitioned to Evans, Elder Brown & Seubert. John’s passion is the outdoors, including fishing and related outdoor activities. He is dedicated to protecting the local environment and has worked to ensure clean waterways. He is a native Oregonian, born in Eugene.
Randy Groves is a city councilor serving in his second term. He also serves on a number of boards, commissions, and committees, and during his first term in office held both the Council President and Vice President seats.
Prior to being elected to the Eugene City Council in 2020, Councilor Groves served over 36 years with the Eugene and Eugene Springfield fire departments, where he was Chief of Department during his last ten years.
Following his retirement in 2016 and before becoming a city councilor, he worked as a consultant with Emergency Services Consulting International (ESCI). This gave him an opportunity to help other organizations by providing in-depth analysis of other fire service models. Groves earned a BS in Planning, Public Policy and Management from the University of Oregon and he is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s four-year Executive Fire Officers Program.
Emielle Nischik is the Executive Director of the Oregon School Boards Association. She leads statewide governance support, member services, advocacy, and the PACE insurance program serving Oregon’s public education systems. With nearly 20 years of leadership experience across the nonprofit, education, and corporate sectors, she is known for strengthening systems, building high-performing teams and advancing equitable outcomes for students. She earned a Master of Public Administration from Portland State University and is a proud product of Oregon’s public schools in Mapleton and Eugene.
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, March 2 at 7:00 p.m., on KLCC 89.7 FM.
Contact: For more information, visit CityClubOfEugene.org.