Erik Jensen, Principal 

Erik Jensen is the Principal and Founder of Jensen Strategies, LLC. He established the firm in 2012 after serving over 20 years as a public administrator, project manager, and public affairs consultant in Oregon and Washington. Erik has led numerous processes helping Northwest organizations navigate future policy and operational planning as well as recruiting upper-level public managers.  

Erik has assisted local governments and public policy organizations to set strategic courses of action for current and future decision-making. As a seasoned facilitator, strategic planner, recruiter, and organizational and public policy development expert, he has led significant initiatives for numerous entities including cities, counties, and professional organizations. These projects have included upper-level recruitments, city council retreats, strategic planning processes, community vision action planning, organizational assessments, committee facilitation, and public policy feasibility studies. 

As an experienced facilitator and trained mediator, Erik has helped clients build partnerships and reach consensus among diverse interests. Erik believes the best policy and organizational development initiatives are objective, inclusive, well informed, and lead to tangible outcomes. He emphasizes the importance of balancing community and organizational interests, involving key stakeholders, and ensuring the process is well informed to build sustainable results. 

Before forming Jensen Strategies, Erik was the Administration Department Director/Chief of Staff for the City of Hillsboro overseeing several organization-wide functions including city-wide projects (e.g., visioning, strategic planning, sustainability), legislative relations, community and media relations, and franchise management. Earlier, as a project manager for the same department, he led external and internal policy initiatives such as development and implementation of the international award-winning Hillsboro 2020 Vision. He led the process to develop the City’s first operational strategic plan. Prior to the City of Hillsboro, Erik was a public affairs consultant with another firm where he facilitated public engagement processes for large, high-profile projects such as Portland CSO Program, and Oregon Arena Project. He has also held staff positions at the Oregon Legislature and on political campaigns. 

Erik has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Lewis and Clark College and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Washington. He is a member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), Oregon City/County Management Association (OCCMA), and Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Erik spent the majority of his childhood living overseas in Denmark and Iran where he developed a first-hand appreciation for different cultures and international cuisine.  Outside of the office, he enjoys traveling and spending time with his family.