The Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) is a 24-member staff of professional employees with broad duties and skill-sets. Each team member has a personal story, and unique attributes that help make AOC the success it is today. Here is an opportunity to meet a member of your AOC team.

Meet AOC County Road Program Director, Brian Worley

Brian Worley joined the AOC family in March of 2017. In his role as County Road Program Director, Brian wears many hats. In his work, he oversees the work of the County Road Program and the work of its 10 staff members. More specifically, Brian serves as a liaison, information source, and advocate between county, state, and federal agencies and contractors on issues related to county road operations and financing; oversees the management, development and operation of AOC’s Integrated Road Information System (IRIS); and provides staff support for the Oregon Association of County Engineers and Surveyors (OACES).

Brian has over a decade of experience in state and local government. Prior to joining AOC, Brian served as the public information officer for Portland Mayor Charlie Hales. Brian has worked in numerous positions in the Oregon State Senate, including leadership staff roles in the Senate Majority Office. One of Brian’s proudest moments working for the State Senate was as Redistricting Coordinator providing technical mapping support in the successful bipartisan passage of Oregon’s legislatively adopted redistricting maps in 2011.

Brian is a graduate of Oregon State University (OSU). At OSU, Brian received a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Science with a Geographic Information Science (GIS) Undergraduate Certificate.

AOC County Road Program Department

Brian’s position is housed in the County Road Program department of AOC. The Association of Oregon Counties Road Program was established in 1990 as a cooperative with the Oregon Association of County Engineers and Surveyors (OACES) to provide advocacy, education, and cost-effective solutions as a trusted central resource for information and technical assistance for Oregon’s county road departments. The purpose of the County Road Program is to enhance county road management capabilities with programs of shared technical assistance. The core functions of CRP include: advocating for the county road system; providing education and information to road officials; providing cost accounting software the Integrated Road Information System (IRIS) for county road departments; and staffing the Oregon Association of County Engineers and Surveyors (OACES). 

Why Brian Loves AOC

“I love AOC because it is everything Oregon, an organization that brings rural and urban together, and does real work for local communities.”

What Interests Brian in His Work

“Transportation is a huge part of everyone’s daily life. I can attest to it being a large part of our daily personal experience. Not only for our jobs, but we use transportation infrastructure for everyday tasks like trips to the grocery store, to visit our friends and family, or travel to parks and public lands to recreate. I’m interested in transportation policy because it is the largest and most critical public infrastructure–but rarely thought about as critical, or how it’s funded, by most people—affecting everything from economic development, environment, land-use, housing, social equity, and health.”

What Brian Wants to See in the Future for AOC

“Financial sustainability that allows for the most effective organization to advocate for counties needs. I’d also like to see AOC provide more research, technical, and best-practice services.”

Outside of AOC

Brian, who is a third-generation Oregonian resides in the Lents neighborhood of Southeast Portland with his wife Heidi and two cats Merlin and Musubi. In his free time, Brian enjoys cooking, gardening, camping, hiking, fishing, skate/snowboarding, and traveling. He is a self-proclaimed “transportation policy nerd” and loves history, cartography, and old maps.

More About Brian

Brian’s grandfather was an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (North Dakota), and Brian enjoys learning and experiencing from family members of his Métis heritage (mixed indigenous and Euro-American ancestry), as well with Oregon’s tribal members and indigenous people, about living, supporting, and protecting Native American culture and rights.

Brian is also a proud Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America).

Contributed by: Megan Chuinard | Public Affairs Associate