Oregon Permit Technicians Association

President: Michele Linbarger, City of Springfield

Hi I’m Michele, President for the OPTA.  Being new to this field, I’ve thrown myself in to learn as much as possible.  Having spent the last 20 years in kitchen and bathroom design in Northern California’s Bay Area, I was burnt out and needed change. That led me and my family to move to Eugene, Oregon.  Currently I am a Commercial Plans Examiner for the City of Springfield, I am a certified Permit Technician, and I was employed with Northwest Code Professionals, a third party building services provider for Oregon, Washington and Idaho.   My next leap is getting my certification for Residential Structural and Mechanical building Inspector and Plans Examiner.
When not studying and working, I have two kiddos that are busy in Robotics clubs, dirt bike riding and general exploring. My husband is a mechanical contractor and I get to pick his brain, which helps me in my training. When he’s not working he is camping with the kids.  We are all completely in love with Oregon!

Secretary: Regan Trapp, City of Ashland

Hi! I’m Regan Trapp, Secretary for the OPTA.  I have worked for the City of Ashland Community Development Department since 2014.  I had ONLY “customer service” experience when they took a chance on me back then.  Since then, I have grown in my career and have obtained my Permit Technician Certificate as well as doing what I can with OPTA. In my spare time I enjoy reading, wine tasting, and traveling.  I have 2 sons (15 and 20) and have been married to my husband for 22 years.  I look forward to meeting you in person soon!!

President Elect: Serena Locke, Jackson County

Hello, I am Serena Locke, Vice President for the OPTA.  I have worked for Jackson County as a Permit Technician since September 2016.  This is my first foray into this kind of field, and I love it.  My first OPTA conference was in November 2016, and I really support this organization and the passion behind it.  I became an ICC Certified Permit Technician in September 2018 with a lot of help from the classes offered by OPTA.  I thought the best way to give back to an organization that helped me is to join it.  I want to encourage and empower permit technicians to continue their learning experiences.  I think that continued education leads keeping us engaged in our lives and our jobs.  When I am not at work, I am a wife and mother of a 16 year old son.  In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my family, in nature, watching movies, or reading. 

Treasurer: Melany Klemmer, City of Cottage Grove

Bio coming soon!  That is what she said, but we will accept samples and ideas for this bio.

Board Member at Large: Cailin Tang, Northwest Code Professionals

Hi, I’m Cailin and I work for Northwest Code Professionals as the supervising Permit Technician. I’ve been a certified Permit Technician since 2018. I graduated from the University of Oregon in 2007 with a bachelor’s in art, but never really found a career that I enjoyed until I started working as a permit technician. I was recently awarded Employee of the Year with my fantastic company and couldn’t be prouder to work for a Third-Party Building services company. I get the privilege of working with several jurisdictions around Oregon and Washington which helps me diversify my knowledge of how building departments work. I never have two days alike working for so many jurisdictions.

When I’m not working, I love spending time with my family. I have three children (ages 11, 4 and 2) and a husband who keep me super busy all the time. We love to cheer on my oldest daughter at her soccer games, and I recently coached her volleyball team with little to no experience but had the best time doing it! I’m super excited to work with OPTA this coming year to gain more knowledge about our field and to have a community I can help support as well as grow from.