Senior Advisor Erik Sten helps Strategies 360 clients navigate the unique public affairs and business landscape of Portland, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.

Sten is a collaborative and strategic political leader, skilled manager and communicator who led Portland as it worked to build a vibrant city that meets the needs of all citizens. After leaving City Hall, he built a business that partners with government to address persistent problems using market mechanisms.

In addition to advising S360 clients, he is currently Chief Investment Officer of Blackstar Stability, a national impact firm working to end predatory lending practices. He is also the founder and former president of Further Development and Further Opportunity, two related private companies aimed at creating and executing entrepreneurial strategies to solve persistent housing problems.

From 1996 to 2008, Erik served in Portland’s unique form of government in which City Commissioners act as both policy makers and managers with executive authority over city departments. During his tenure, Sten led the city’s Bureaus of Housing and Community Development, Environmental Services, Fire and Rescue, Water, Emergency Management, Energy and Cable and Franchise Management.