Who We Are

Heidi Larwick has over 15 years of experience working with nonprofits, and is committed to collaborative processes, strategic visioning, innovative ideas, and sustainable planning. As the Executive Director, Heidi leads with passion, intention, and the belief that we can each make an impact around us. She is committed to creating a community where her two young children will have the opportunity to thrive, and where all children will have equitable access to opportunities.

Heidi’s accolades include being a “20 Under 40” winner in 2017, a Register Guard Innovation and Talent Winner in 2018, a TAO People’s Choice Finalist in 2018 & 2019, and was selected as a Silicon Shire Ambassador in 2020. When she is not breaking down barriers, she enjoys trail running, navigating the local food scene, playing team sports, and creating with her daughter and son.

Michelle Martin has over 25 years of experience as a Program Assistant for Lane ESD. She supports Connected Lane County and its workgroups, as well as managing Lane County truancy services for public schools and homeschool compliance. Michelle provides support to CLC’s Board of Directors and the many innovative projects and initiatives that CLC have created. In her free time, she enjoys camping and spending time with her family.

Maddy Ahearn serves as a math specialist for schools in Lane County, Oregon. She comes to this work having served as administrator of curriculum and instruction for Eugene Public Schools and teaching secondary mathematics in schools in Eugene and Baltimore City. She is currently a PhD student at the University of Oregon studying Critical and Socioculture Studies in Education.

She is passionate about educational equity and supporting educators with instruction and curriculum that inspires and empowers students. If she is not in a classroom (or Zoom!), you can find her hiking in the Cascades with her daughter and husband, paddle boarding on a coastal lake, or out on the soccer field (with a mask on!).

Matt Hayes is the Data & Evaluation Coordinator for Connected Lane County and Lane ESD. He grew up in England but has lived in the United States for the last twenty five years, having moved here to attend graduate school. He has over 15 years of experience in K12 education, beginning as a classroom teacher before moving to a data support position. In his current position he provides data support, consultation, and collection services.

His work for CLC includes writing reports, running queries on our longitudinal dataset, survey building, and providing data support for the agency’s many programs. Matt serves on both the Oregon Data Warehouse Leader Group and the Oregon Data Suite Governance Committee. Matt lives with his wife, youngest son, and a seemingly ever increasing family of animals. He has played guitar since he was in high school and continues to play local venues with his current band.

For two and a half years, Lizzie has been a vibrant, enthusiastic member of the Connected Lane County team. She is a Lane County native, a product of the Eugene 4J school district, and the Spanish Immersion program. Her academic achievements led her to the University of Portland, where she graduated in 2015 with degrees in Spanish and Sociology.

Now a seasoned member of the CLC team, Lizzie’s passion and enthusiasm around equitable access to education for all students has grown stronger than ever. Though she doesn’t have any two-legged children of her own, Lizzie is an active and involved cat-mom to her boys Boomer and Gus. Pre-COVID-Lizzie enjoyed going out to the Lane County wineries, biking to summer shows at the Cuthbert, and supporting local restaurants.

Olivia Goodheart is the Projects Assistant for Connected Lane County and a caseworker for the WIOA program. Having grown up in Lorane, OR, Olivia went from being homeschooled to graduating from Churchill High School in Eugene, and then attending Williams College in Massachusetts. She graduated with a BA in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Political Science, and Spanish.

Olivia brings experience in the classroom and direct support work with adults with disabilities. She is passionate about student advocacy and helping youth follow their dreams for their futures. In her free time, Olivia enjoys snuggling her three cats, rock-climbing, and curating her vast collection of indoor plants.

Christian Chase is Connected Lane County’s Communications Coordinator, serving as the team’s go-to graphic designer, press release writer, video expert, and much more. Christian is new to the education sphere but is glad to be a part of it, bringing years of experience in media creation and marketing.

An alumni of the University of Portland like Lizzie, Christian moved from Portland to Eugene in 2019 to work with Connected Lane County. He likes photography, gardening, and holding alienating-ly strong opinions about movies.

Brianna grew up on the Northern Oregon Coast and moved to Eugene to attend the University of Oregon, where she graduated with a degree in Psychology. Bringing half a decade of experience working with at-risk and low income youth, she believes that connecting youth with college and career opportunities is an essential part of their basic education and can have a huge impact on their future. Outside of work, she loves the fall season (because it means decorating for Halloween) and attending football games at Autzen Stadium.