ASHLAND - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- City Council ( View All )
- City Councilor
Bob Kaplan serves in Councilor Position No. 4 through December 2026.
Bob was born in New York's Hudson Valley, the middle of five children. His family moved to North Carolina when he was 12 years old. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received a Bachelor's degree in public policy analysis - and that's where he met his wife, Lorrie! They served together in the Peace Corps in a small village in rural Paraguay. He worked on water and sanitation issues, and Lorrie was a health educator. After returning home with their first child, he completed a Master's degree in Public Affairs at Princeton University.
Bob's career has been dedicated to addressing the root causes of poverty, inequity, social exclusion, and environmental degradation in Latin America. Over more than two decades leading teams at the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank, he learned how to craft workable solutions to a wide range of social, economic, and environmental challenges. During the last six years of the Obama administration, he had the honor of serving as head of the Inter-American Foundation, a small federal agency dedicated to supporting Latin American community organizations working to help their communities thrive.
After living near Washington, DC for 30 years, and with his two kids fully fledged, Lorrie and Bob were ready for something new. They spent eight months seeing the country in a pickup truck - camping almost every night, and hiking, biking, or kayaking almost every non-driving day. They chose to move to Ashland in 2019 because it's a community that aligns with their values. They love this small city with so many interesting people, abundant culture, and a university, surrounded by incredible natural beauty, and easy access to delicious, fresh local food.
Before joining the Council, Bob served on Ashland's Citizens Budget Committee and Climate Policy Commission. He has been a volunteer, and then board member with OHRA, which operates a community resource center and temporary shelter on Ashland Street; a volunteer with Uneté, where he co-taught the US citizenship exam in Spanish; and a volunteer on the reading committee of the Ashland New Plays Festival. He continues to serve on the boards of the Ashland Food Co-op and Semilla Nueva, a non-profit dedicated to eradicating micronutrient malnutrition in Guatemala.
Bob speaks Spanish and Portuguese. He loves riding his bike, hiking, canoeing, reading literature and poetry, making homemade pizza and fresh pasta, and talking with people wherever he meets them.
He is honored and humbled by the trust you've placed in him, and is determined to do the very best he can for all Ashlanders. As your City Councilor, you can always count on him to do his homework, ask questions and listen attentively, act with integrity, and stay focused on solutions.
Job Titles:
- Division Chief Forestry Division
Job Titles:
- City Council
- City Council ( View All )
- City Councilor
Dylan Bloom was appointed to Position No. 2 on City Council on March 15, 2023 and will serve until the November 2024 election.
Dylan, who was born in Southern California, settled in Ashland with his grandmother, due to his parents moving frequently as his step-father was in the Army. At this time is where he discovered a wide range of interests, from sports like Rugby and Fencing to hobbies like Theatre and Video production.
In Junior High, Dylan's passion for government began to take shape, and he competed in speech and debate competitions. This passion continued into university, where he studied Political Science at Southern Oregon University. During his time there, he served as Director of Government Affairs for the Associated Students of Southern Oregon University and represented students during retrenchment.
Despite his long-standing desire to work in politics, Dylan's life took an unexpected turn when he met his future wife, Anna. He decided to step away from campaign politics and focus on building a career in business and management.
Today, Dylan works in Sales and distribution for an Electric Go-Kart manufacturer while also being a devoted husband and father. He is excited to give back to the community where he grew up and do so with integrity, openness, and positivity.
Job Titles:
- City Council ( View All )
- City Councilor
Eric Hansen serves in Councilor Position No. 6 through December 2026.
Eric moved to Ashland in 1992 from Portland to attend Southern Oregon University with a backpack, bike and pair of skies. He immediately fell in love with the Ashland's natural wonders and tight community. He worked his way through University in our local tourism economy and building trades. After graduating in 1996 with a journalism degree he freelanced in different publications from Medford's Tri-County Journal of Business, to Paddler magazine, and briefly at the Ashland Daily tidings. In 1999 he landed at Home Power magazine, which, as it turned out, was published near Ashland. There he learned about Renewable Energy and worked as an editor, writer, and graphic artist. The position allowed him to get to know a lot of pioneers in the solar industry. It also gained him hands-on training with the solar equipment and systems of both on-grid and off-grid living.
In 2005 Eric left Home Power magazine to enter the solar electrician's apprenticeship program. He attended electrical classes at Rogue Community College and Solar Energy International and worked for both Energy Outfitters and Electron Connection. Four years later he had his license, was lead installer, and was training his own apprentice.
Eric founded True South Solar in 2010 with friends out of their home offices and a storage unit in Ashland. Now True South is a team of twenty-five serving the Rogue Valley from its own solar powered office on Clear Creek Dr. in Ashland. True South Solar designs and installs turnkey grid-tied, battery backup, and off-grid solar-electric systems for residential, commercial, not for profit, and municipal clients.
In addition City Councilor he sits on the Ashland Chamber Board, volunteers as a Mountain Bike coach, and races bikes regionally. He was Treasurer of the Oregon Solar Energy Industry Association for eight years, and sat on the NW Apprenticeship board helping in workforce development of solar-electricians for six.
Eric lives in Ashland with his two school age boys in a solar powered home. They love playing in the mountains on bikes and skies.
On City Council Eric is focused on:
• Economic Development and Livability
• Address Climate Change through City business and policy
• Proactively address Housing and sustainable development
Job Titles:
- Innovation & Technology Director
Job Titles:
- Member - CHAIR - Position 3
Job Titles:
- Commissioner - Position 6
Job Titles:
- Emergency Management Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Director
- Public Works Director
Job Titles:
- Director
- Electric Director