Meet the Board
Green Lents Board Members
Jalene Littlejohn
Co-Chair
Green Lents Teams: Community Tool Library, Watershed
Jalene has lived in Oregon most of her life and loves the culture and beauty of this state. She is currently working on a Master of Environmental Management at Portland State University focusing on habitat connectivity and climate change adaptation planning for wildlife. Jalene enjoys volunteering with many different organizations including the Johnson Creek Watershed Council, the Lents International Farmers Market, the Lents Neighborhood Association, and of course Green Lents! When not working on neighborhood initiatives or in the library at PSU, Jalene enjoys gardening and taking care of her urban farm with her husband, Justin.
Co-Chair
Melanie McCandless
Board Member
Green Lents Teams: Watershed (Team Leader), Trees
Melanie is an environmental scientist by trade with a focus on geology and hydrology and a Master of Science degree in environmental engineering. When not biking around the watershed, inspecting swales, or gawking at rocks she can be found snuggling with her cats, watching birds, and reading books. Melanie assists in coordination of the annual Johnson Creek stream clean in August in partnership with Overlook Park Coalition and Johnson Creek Watershed Council, Coordinates the new Green Streets Stewards program in Lents, and supports events and other organizations in the watershed.
Board Member
Xavi Cortal
Board Member
Green Lents Teams: Community Tool Library (Team Leader)
Xavi has lived in Portland since 2002. He and his wife Angela, a Southeast Portland native, purchased a home in Lents in 2010. Xavi ended a 21 year stretch in bakeries and natural foods kitchens to work for an employee- and grower-owned organic produce distributor in 2008. He was a 2011 recipient of Portland’s Office of Neighborhood Involvement’s Livability Award for his work with the city’s graffiti abatement program. Xavi spends his spare time home brewing, raising heirloom vegetables, and foraging wild edibles in the woods.
