Jessie Maran, Adviser

“I love helping people identify and achieve their goals, especially when they realize a new perspective in the process.”

Jessie translates chaos into order—in process, written language, and visual information. She sees patterns and connections in ideas and brings them together into a clear form. Bringing over 25 years of experience in urban design, graphic communications, operations, and project management, Jessie is a systematic and compassionate leader focused on creating equitable cities.

picture of elderly white woman with teenage boy with glasses and white woman with shoulder length brown hair and glasses

She helps organizations develop and implement processes that deliver high-quality outcomes while fostering individual growth in a collaborative team environment. From her philosophy studies to her professional career in landscape architecture and urban planning, Jessie has been focused on the land use and transportation systems needed to reduce carbon emissions while creating equitable access to social and economic opportunity. She discovered that the predominately white male professions of urban design, planning, and engineering perpetuate a built environment with a patronizing and paternal perspective. Jessie is excited by the opportunities at The Formation Lab to broaden this perspective in planning and design.

Drawing on her expertise, Jessie combines project management and urban design strategies with business and marketing processes to create a rich environment where teams excel in creativity and efficiency. Her ability to translate the differences in the way people work motivates each individual while cultivating a team approach to problem solving.

Jessie is a passionate climate and transportation justice advocate, volunteering with community organizations committed to social justice, community building, and climate action. She co-leads the 350PDX Transportation Justice team to connect climate action with environmental equity and build awareness of the role of transportation infrastructure in climate emissions. Jessie also co-founded the Portland Bus Lane project as a home for advocates working to improve transit in the Portland Metropolitan region. The organization worked through the Better Block PDX program to develop a dedicated bus lane on SW Madison in downtown Portland. Officially opened in 2019, the SW Madison bus lane was the first in a series of bus improvements in downtown Portland and kicked off a citywide commitment to improving bus transit speed and reliability.

When she’s not working or volunteering, Jessie loves riding her bike across the city on quiet nights; painting tiny paintings; and laughing with her mom and son around the dinner table.