Fellow Profile
Jessy Olson
“For farmworkers and their families in Oregon—and throughout the United States—thoughtfully designed housing can act as a vehicle for integration into a new community, economic stability and education for both children and adults. Housing is the most critical need for this very low-income population, and this fact should only emphasize the role that design plays in the development of projects that address such a basic need. It is not only the provision of shelter, but the foundation for a sense of identity and social connectedness that creates a strong and sustainable community.”
— Jessy Olson
Fellowship Host:
Farmworker Housing Development Corporation
Now in her second year of the Rose Fellowship, Jessy Olson is thrilled to be part of a growing network of conscientious and responsible designers who are advocates for sustainable architecture on all levels. Jessy particularly values design that integrates a community’s needs with the environmental, cultural and economic conditions, and is working to better understand the particular needs of the farm-worker community in Oregon.
A recent graduate of the University of Oregon with a bachelor of architecture and the recipient of a Walter G. Brown Student Grant for study in Nagoya, Japan, Jessy has assembled her academic and professional experiences from across the fields of sustainable design and development. She has been involved with the design and implementation of projects in both rural and urban environments, from green custom homes in the Northwest and prefabricated shelters in Tokyo, to LEED certified, mixed-use, high-rise developments in downtown Portland, Ore., and now migrant farm-worker communities in southern Oregon.
Jessy’s host, the Farmworker Housing Development Corporation (FHDC), has been working on building its in-house development capacity, and Jessy continues to be a valuable addition. She has taken the lead on the design and development of a new 40-unit, farm-worker housing community in Woodburn, Ore., and is assisting in the rehabilitation of 90 existing units. Her work also keeps her in close contact with the Portland Enterprise office, which offers investment partnerships as well as mentoring and development guidance. Jessy is looking forward to working on larger rural housing research and policy efforts in collaboration with Enterprise and other rural Rose Fellows.
A recent graduate of the University of Oregon with a bachelor of architecture and the recipient of a Walter G. Brown Student Grant for study in Nagoya, Japan, Jessy has assembled her academic and professional experiences from across the fields of sustainable design and development. She has been involved with the design and implementation of projects in both rural and urban environments, from green custom homes in the Northwest and prefabricated shelters in Tokyo, to LEED certified, mixed-use, high-rise developments in downtown Portland, Ore., and now migrant farm-worker communities in southern Oregon.
Jessy’s host, the Farmworker Housing Development Corporation (FHDC), has been working on building its in-house development capacity, and Jessy continues to be a valuable addition. She has taken the lead on the design and development of a new 40-unit, farm-worker housing community in Woodburn, Ore., and is assisting in the rehabilitation of 90 existing units. Her work also keeps her in close contact with the Portland Enterprise office, which offers investment partnerships as well as mentoring and development guidance. Jessy is looking forward to working on larger rural housing research and policy efforts in collaboration with Enterprise and other rural Rose Fellows.
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Jessy Olson
