Meet Metro Councilor Kathryn Harrington
Kathryn Harrington was elected in November 2006 to represent Metro District 4 in Washington County.
Kathryn was appointed Deputy Council President for 2009. Kathryn is the lead council liaison for the Regional Reserves project, a collaborative effort between Metro and its three counties and 25 cities, to designate urban and rural reserve areas for the region. In 2007, the Oregon Legislature directed Metro and the counties to develop long-range, 40-50 year plans for growth, and allowed
the governments to work in concert to set aside lands outside the current urban growth boundary for future urban growth. At the same time, the governments have to set aside areas to protect farm and forest lands from urban development for the same period of time. This process is intended to provide greater certainty for property owners about the future of their land, and more predictability about how and where development will occur.
Kathryn also serves as a council liaison to the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) and with her fellow Councilors is active in the Making the Greatest Place program. Kathryn works on creative solutions to improve roads and highways and to expand public transit in order to handle the increased traffic congestion caused by growth, including the needs of freight movement.
Personal History
Kathryn, the daughter of an Air Force Colonel, grew up moving around to many different parts of the country, but when she arrived in Washington County sixteen years ago with her husband Marc, she knew they were going to stay. Attracted to the good jobs and great quality of life, Kathryn and Marc settled in the Bethany area where they lived for fifteen years before moving to Beaverton in May 2005.
An Electrical Engineering graduate, Kathryn built a 22-year career in the high-tech industry. In Oregon, Kathryn led teams and developed and sold new products, first at Central Point Software and then at Intel in Hillsboro, where she worked for 10 years.
In early 2004, Kathryn left the high-tech industry to give back to her community full-time, working as a community advocate. Her community work included serving as vice chair of Citizen Participation Organization 7, acting as a citizen representative on the Metro Regional Travel Options Subcommittee, and working with other organizations including transportation planning committees and Washington County's road project advisory committees. Kathryn is passionate about improving our community, and has pushed for more effective land use and citizen input on county issues.
Kathryn’s unique background has given her the experience and expertise to effectively represent Washington County at Metro. She has a history of collaborative leadership and of bringing all parties together to get the job done.
Kathryn’s Collaborative Approach in Business
In her high-tech career, Kathryn and the teams she led consistently delivered results. Doing this required effective problem-solving skills and the ability to bring people together. Kathryn is someone who sees both the big picture and the details that come with it. During her high-tech career, Kathryn:
All contents except "Facts About Metro" Copyright © 2006-2010, Harrington for Metro
Kathryn Harrington was elected in November 2006 to represent Metro District 4 in Washington County.
Kathryn was appointed Deputy Council President for 2009. Kathryn is the lead council liaison for the Regional Reserves project, a collaborative effort between Metro and its three counties and 25 cities, to designate urban and rural reserve areas for the region. In 2007, the Oregon Legislature directed Metro and the counties to develop long-range, 40-50 year plans for growth, and allowed
the governments to work in concert to set aside lands outside the current urban growth boundary for future urban growth. At the same time, the governments have to set aside areas to protect farm and forest lands from urban development for the same period of time. This process is intended to provide greater certainty for property owners about the future of their land, and more predictability about how and where development will occur.
Kathryn also serves as a council liaison to the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) and with her fellow Councilors is active in the Making the Greatest Place program. Kathryn works on creative solutions to improve roads and highways and to expand public transit in order to handle the increased traffic congestion caused by growth, including the needs of freight movement.
Personal History
Kathryn, the daughter of an Air Force Colonel, grew up moving around to many different parts of the country, but when she arrived in Washington County sixteen years ago with her husband Marc, she knew they were going to stay. Attracted to the good jobs and great quality of life, Kathryn and Marc settled in the Bethany area where they lived for fifteen years before moving to Beaverton in May 2005.
An Electrical Engineering graduate, Kathryn built a 22-year career in the high-tech industry. In Oregon, Kathryn led teams and developed and sold new products, first at Central Point Software and then at Intel in Hillsboro, where she worked for 10 years.
In early 2004, Kathryn left the high-tech industry to give back to her community full-time, working as a community advocate. Her community work included serving as vice chair of Citizen Participation Organization 7, acting as a citizen representative on the Metro Regional Travel Options Subcommittee, and working with other organizations including transportation planning committees and Washington County's road project advisory committees. Kathryn is passionate about improving our community, and has pushed for more effective land use and citizen input on county issues.
Kathryn’s unique background has given her the experience and expertise to effectively represent Washington County at Metro. She has a history of collaborative leadership and of bringing all parties together to get the job done.
Kathryn’s Collaborative Approach in Business
In her high-tech career, Kathryn and the teams she led consistently delivered results. Doing this required effective problem-solving skills and the ability to bring people together. Kathryn is someone who sees both the big picture and the details that come with it. During her high-tech career, Kathryn:
- Led teams, projects and departments that developed and marketed software products, ranging in size from a half-dozen employees to nearly fifty.
- Worked with complex budgets, delivering results with the funds allotted and not more.
- Built consensus to lead teams of diverse backgrounds through difficult times.
- Represented her company around the globe, building business partnerships inside and outside the company.
- Finished what she started – Kathryn developed long-range strategies, implemented them and followed them through to the end.
