Prineville resident Jason Carr has been named to lead the Partnership to End Poverty, a Redmond-based nonprofit dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty in Central Oregon. Carr has been the Prineville/Crook County economic development manager with Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) for the past five years. He played a pivotal role in bringing the Facebook and Apple data centers to the community. Prior to joining EDCO, Carr was a television news anchor with KTVZ in Bend and with KEZI in Eugene. Carr is currently the vice chair of the Partnership to End Poverty.
Carr is replacing current executive director Scott Cooper, who is leaving the organization at the end of September to become executive director of NeighborImpact.
Carr noted that the transition from economic developer to poverty-fighter may seem counterintuitive at first glance but that the two fields actually have a lot in common. “Communities need jobs for vitality and the ability to get and maintain a job is at the heart of any anti-poverty strategy,” noted Carr. “Issues such as workforce training, expanding educational opportunities, building transportation, medical and childcare systems that support a productive workforce are shared goals in both economic and community development.”
Partnership Secretary/Treasurer Robin Dowty noted, “Jason brings talent, public visibility and energy to our organization. The Partnership prides itself on innovation and entrepreneurship, and Jason has the background to continue that work.
Carr will lead a staff of five and administer a budget of around $1 million annually. Its funding comes from the Northwest Area Foundation in Minneapolis. The Partnership is an intermediary organization which through investment and engagement empowers other agencies in their efforts to permanently disrupt poverty for the 66,000 Central Oregonians living at or near poverty. The Partnership also pursues public policy solutions to help alleviate poverty statewide and within Central Oregon.
