Executive Director

Portland Streetcar Project
Portland, OR

Mr. Gustafson is Vice President of Shiels Obletz Johnsen, a project management firm with offices in Portland and Seattle. Mr. Gustafson joined Shiels Obletz Johnsen in 1987 and serves as a principal in the company. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Economics from Yale University and a Masters Degree in Urban Economics from Wayne State University.

Mr. Gustafson moved to Portland, Oregon, his original home, and was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1975 serving on the Ways and Means Committee for two terms and Chairing the Transportation Subcommittee. In 1978, he was elected as Metro's first Executive Officer, a post he held until 1986. Mr. Gustafson was a key political leader in supporting the first light rail in Portland which has proven to be very successful.

In 1994, Mr. Gustafson was retained by the City of Portland to prepare the Central City Transportation Management Plan. The purpose of the CCTMP was to expand the parking policies of the downtown to the entire area of the Central City of Portland. The project involved considerable modeling evaluation, air quality, transit circulation and parking policies. The CCTMP was successfully implemented in 1996.

In 1990, Shiels Obletz Johnsen was retained by the City of Portland to investigate the potential for development of a streetcar system that would support a higher density of development in the Central City. The Portland Streetcar Project was developed and Portland Streetcar, Inc. non-profit corporation was contracted by the City of Portland to design, build, operate and maintain the streetcar. Mr. Gustafson was retained by PSI to serve as Chief Operating Officer in 1999. The operations of the streetcar began in 2001. Mr. Gustafson is now the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer for Portland Streetcar.