Save the date!
2026 Honored Citizen
October 8
Hyatt Regency Portland
Our Signature Celebration of the Year
Every year, the broader architecture community comes together for one night to honor the contributions of a member of our community and support the mission of the Architecture Foundation of Oregon. AFO Honored Citizens are celebrated for their significant contributions to Oregon’s designed environment. Chosen by a committee of peers from across the field, the Honored Citizen award is one of the most prestigious in the state.
Since 1993, AFO has honored public officials, community advocates, statewide organizations, philanthropists, developers, artists, architects and more. The annual celebration serves as AFO’s signature event.
2026 Honored Citizen, Vailey Oehlke
As the Portland Metropolitan region celebrates the completion of the last three library projects in the 2020 library bond, it is time to tip our hats to Vailey Oehlke, the leader whose vision and tenacity ensured that our libraries were shaped by innovative thinking, inclusive processes, and community-centric and sustainable design.
Vailey Oehlke, this year’s Honored Citizen, was the transformative Executive Director of Multnomah County Library (MCL) from 2009-2024. As the oldest public library on the west coast, Central Library and eighteen other neighborhood libraries are the second busiest library system among its peers in the country. In 2024, visits to all the libraries exceeded two million patrons. For fifteen years, Vailey was totally committed to ensuring Multnomah County Library remained valued, relevant, and responsive to the community.
During Vailey’s tenure, MCL became a national leader in providing innovative programs, services, and facilities to meet the emerging needs of the community. Her energy and leadership have shaped Multnomah County Library in profound ways. One of her first initiatives was to open long-promised branch libraries in the underserved communities of Kenton and Troutdale and she pushed for a new type of library – with increased access to technology, community-centered spaces, and award-winning design.
Vailey also set the goal to serve people who need us the most – the people furthest from opportunity. With community-centered staff she built culturally relevant services for those once excluded or marginalized because they were Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
Perhaps her greatest legacy stems from her vision for the successful $387 million capital bond campaign of 2020 to rebalance, expand, and modernize the entire library system to better serve the county’s growing and diverse population. It is the most comprehensive rethinking of the library system in its 162-year history. Her goal of an innovative and hyper-inclusive public outreach process that gave voice to historically marginalized communities was foundational to the bond’s success. Between all the library projects, there were hundreds of in-person and online opportunities to participate – from programming spaces to voting on finish materials and color schemes.
Finally, Vailey’s aspirations for architectural excellence are evident with the inspiring architectural designs created in combination with robust sustainable measures. All buildings, new and renovations, significantly reduce embodied and operational carbon and are Fossil Fuel free. LEED certifications include 1 LEED Platinum, 7 LEED Gold, and 1 LEED Silver. Six libraries are constructed using mass timber structural systems. These libraries were designed, engineered and constructed by an impressive array of firms in our local AEC community.
Vailey was born in Portland, where her father taught at Jefferson High School. After growing up mainly in the Midwest and teaching high school English, she returned to Portland and was working as a copy editor at Stoel Rives law firm when the law librarian urged her to consider library studies. Vailey joined Multnomah County Library’s School Corps program as a youth librarian in 1997, became the Director of Central Library, then was promoted to Deputy Director in 2008, and appointed Executive Director of Multnomah County Library District in 2009.
Join us on Thursday, October 8 to celebrate this story of growth, collaboration, and fierce commitment to our community.
2026 Honored Citizen
Thursday, October 8
5pm Reception | 6:30pm Dinner
Hyatt Regency Portland
Sponsorship Opportunities
AFO works directly with sponsors to develop a mutually rewarding partnership. Our reputation for commitment to Oregon’s built environment, our constituency of a wide range of industry citizens and our strong relationship with other sponsors and donors make an association with AFO highly rewarding for our sponsors. Sponsorships are available at a variety of levels to fit budgetary and marketing requirements.
2025 Sponsors
The Nines Ballroom offers tables of 10 with the exception of Supporting Sponsors who will receive a full table of 8. Inspiring and Uplifting Sponsors will share tables as pictured.
Event Sponsor
$10,000
- Logo below event title on invitation, newspaper ads, event programs and projections, and media releases
- 2 seats at the President’s Table
- 2 complimentary tables of 10 with signage, in prime location
- 4 additional tickets to the pre-event reception
- Invitation for all guests to private Honoree Welcome Reception with the Honored Citizen (1 week prior to the event)
- Short speaking opportunity at the Honoree Welcome Reception
- Premium wine or champagne service at dinner
- Complimentary parking for all guests
- Half page ad in the event program
- Listing in newspaper “thank you” ad
- Year-long presence on AFO Honored Citizen web page
- Social media recognition on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram
Sustaining Sponsor
$8,000
- Corporate/firm name and/or logo below event title on invitation, newspaper ads, event programs and projections, and media releases
- 1 complimentary table of 10 with signage, in prime location
- 4 additional tickets to the pre-event reception
- Invitation for all guests to private Honoree Welcome Reception with the Honored Citizen (1 week prior to the event)
- Complimentary parking for 3 vehicles
- Quarter page ad in the event program
- Listing in newspaper “thank you” ad
- Year-long presence on AFO Honored Citizen web page
- Social media recognition on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram
Supporting Sponsor
$6,000
- Corporate/firm name and/or logo on invitation, newspaper ads, event programs and projections, and media releases
- 1 complimentary table of 8 with signage, in prime location
- 3 additional tickets to the pre-event reception
- Invitation for 4 guests to private Honoree Welcome Reception with the Honored Citizen (1 week prior to the event)
- Complimentary parking for 2 vehicles
- Listing in newspaper “thank you” ad
- Year-long presence on AFO Honored Citizen web page
- Social media recognition on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram
Inspiring Sponsor (previously “Table Sponsor”)
$3,500 ($3,000 for AFO members of $1,000 or more)
- 6 guests (at a table of 10)
- 2 additional tickets to the pre-event reception
- Primary table signage at event
- Listing in event program and on projection screens
- Listing in newspaper “thank you” ad
- Social media recognition on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram
Uplifting Sponsor (previously “Half Table Sponsor”)
$1,850 ($1,600 for AFO members of $500 or more)
- 4 guests (at a table of 10)
- 2 additional tickets to the pre-event reception
- Secondary table signage at event
- Listing in event program and on projection screens
- Listing in newspaper “thank you” ad
Questions?
Contact:
Susan Myers
Director of Operations
susan@af-oregon.org
503-542-3824
Member Spotlight
“I enjoy the event because of the diversity of people it attracts – I see people there that I don’t see anywhere else… It’s a great cross-section, and I think it leads to introductions and conversations that benefit our community that wouldn’t happen elsewhere.”