Welcome to the Bull Run Center.
Member Home | The Team Directory | Gatherings
The Bull Run Center is a member-led relationship, strategy, and action group. We built it with leaders like you, for you. We strive to imagine — and embolden — a shared vision for Portland’s brightest future. That future is built on trust, and trust starts with getting to know each other.
We’ve heard your priorities for what you believe this new space can contribute in Portland:
Connect leaders to align energy and strategies: 85%
Convene discussions to support solution-finding: 76%
Foster trust among civic leaders: 73%
Identify policy paths to support shared projects: 59%
Align resources for shared projects: 57%
What do we do?
Kitchen Cabinet Sessions: Monthly candid strategy meetings, co-created by civic leaders who work at the forefront of innovation and solutions-finding in Portland. We explore different perspectives, approach disagreements with curiosity, and inform strategies with the civic leaders most ready to take action. These evening gatherings are casual and spirited.
Table for Six: Citywide small-table meetings to learn about district leadership and place-based visioning for Portland. Linger over lunch to deepen connections with fellow civic leaders at your table.
Skunkworks Projects: Small group projects to deepen understanding of a problem, and lift up solutions. Projects may seek member-wide endorsement.
Your City, Your Choice Survey: Advise on annual, benchmarked public opinion research to hear Portlanders’ views on local government, community and civic life.
Stumptown Stats: Advise and strategize a public-facing civic data dashboard to track Portland’s progress.
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Review the member guide!
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In support of the Bull Run Center, Metropolitan Group has generously offered work and meeting space for members at the Public Will Building (733 SW Oak Street, Portland, OR 97205).
Whether you need a quiet place to work between downtown meetings, or have a Zoom call right before the Kitchen Cabinet session, or need a space to convene your next coalition meeting — the Public Will Building offers a range of options.
We typically need a couple days to process a request, but in a pinch email Amelia to see if you can score a last minute spot.
Please allow up to two business days for us to respond and confirm your request for space. If you have a more timely request, please email Amelia at amelia@northstarcivic.org. -
Flexible Membership Dues
We recognize that different people have different capacities to pay for memberships. Choose the price that is most appropriate for you – no questions asked.The Watershed Membership level covers the cost of participation. Rainfall and Reservoir Memberships are subsidized by North Star Civic Foundation.
Pay dues here if you prefer an annual contribution.
Pay dues here if you prefer a monthly contribution.
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This is probably a fools errand, BUT we’ve started compiling Portland civic events.
Can it include everything? Certainly not. But it’s a start!
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If you’re new to the Bull Run Center (or want to update your responses), please take our Member Survey!
This is how we collect the information you want published in the member directory, and learn about your priorities and current areas of focus.
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You may nominate new members! Use this form.
Why are we growing through a nomination process? We’re building a space for civic leaders that prioritizes building trust across differences. To support this commitment, we have capped total membership and developed a process that evaluates new members to help balance the makeup of the group by sector, ideology, demographics, and geography.
Current Skunkworks Projects
A ‘skunkworks’ is a relatively small group who research and develop a project, often with great autonomy, for the sake of pragmatic innovation.
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Have an idea that would benefit from loosely structured team engagement? The North Star team can offer support with scoping your team's effort, an invitation to members to join, and meeting space at the Public Will Building.
Email us with your idea!
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Chair: Charlie Hales and Gil Kelly
Goal: Develop recommendations related to the risks and opportunities of Portland’s commercial real estate financial stress, for government, philanthropy, business and community leaders
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Chair: Susheela Jayapal
Goal: To be developed with team, starting in February 2025.
Working Notes
We compile “action oriented” meeting notes after each meeting. We invite members to weigh in, connect the dots with other efforts in Portland, and explore next steps — even if you’re not part of the Skunkworks group!
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We met on Sept 11th, starting with an over-arching strategy question: If Portland stays on its current path—taking modest action on climate compared to other forward-looking regions—what impacts do you anticipate between now and 2050? What might those consequences look like for Portlanders, especially those most vulnerable to climate disruption?
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We met twice in April with a focus on developing a loose "SWOT" analysis of Portland's approach to supporting big projects (like the OMSi District and Albina Vision Trust) with Public-Private-Community Partnerships.
Meeting Notes
You may need to request access. We'll try to respond within 24 hours. -
We met once this summer to review new research about where Oregonians get their news, who they trust for civic information, and how civic trust and polarization are connected to the media industries struggles.
Meeting Notes
You may need to request access. We'll try to respond within 24 hours. -
We met once this summer (in two sessions) to discuss OVBC's new community survey. Both discussions focused on the need to bolster community-centered communication about OVBC's findings, given the limited capacity that the media has to cover issues in a nuanced way.
No meeting notes. Contact Amaury Vogel if you would like to write an opinion piece about the research.