Legislative Manager
We are excited to share that our transportation policy manager, Cassie Wilson, is moving into a new position: legislative manager at 1000 Friends! Her new role will include transportation but will encompass a broader strategy to defend and strengthen Oregon’s land use protections and investments in the legislature. She will be working closely with our program team, board, affiliate leaders, and Forestry and Agriculture Advisory Committee.
For the 2026 short session, Cassie will be working alongside our associate director and managing attorney, Mary Kyle McCurdy. Cassie’s experience with the legislative process, collaborative approach to her work, and dedication to Oregon’s land use system means 1000 Friends of Oregon will continue to have a strong voice in Salem.
In her role as transportation policy manager, Cassie helped lead the Move Oregon Forward coalition’s advocacy on transportation through the challenging 2025 legislative session. Although the legislature failed to pass a transportation package during this period, Cassie still did critical work to move the needle on key issues.
With a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from Portland State University and a strong commitment to sustainability, Cassie is dedicated to driving positive change in Oregon’s land use policies. Cassie previously worked as a legislative aide to Representative Dacia Grayber for the 2024 short session, and she first connected with 1000 Friends as a member of our Land Use Leadership Initiative (LULI) cohort in 2021. This experience ignited her passion for local land use and transportation advocacy. Cassie later joined 1000 Friends as our 2023 Paul Gerhardt Jr. intern, during which she completed the Oregon in Motion report, interviewing subject matter specialists on critical transportation policies and programs around the state.
Outside of work, Cassie enjoys taking in Oregon’s natural beauty, reading, crocheting, and seeing live music. Raised in unincorporated Clackamas County, Cassie is deeply rooted in the local community and is excited to contribute to creating livable communities for all Oregonians through her work at 1000 Friends of Oregon.
cassie@friends.org | (503) 694-3893 | she/her/hers
Read Cassie’s latest article, "Oregonians voiced their transportation needs, and transit is top of the list"