Steve Marks is resigning as executive director of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission at the request of Gov. Tina Kotek. Marks led the OLCC since October 2013. He was a longtime aide to John Kitzhaber as Senate president and governor.

Secretary of State Shemia Fagan appointed longtime Democratic insider Molly Woon as state elections director. Woon served as acting director after Deborah Scroggin was forced out late last year. Woon had been Fagan’s senior adviser and strategic projects director. She previously was deputy director of the state Democratic Party, communications director for Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins and a staffer for the Oregon Senate Democrats.

Gov. Kotek added three people to her communications team:

• Press Secretary Elisabeth Shepard was communications director for Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt. Former Gov. Kate Brown’s press secretary, Liz Merah, took Shepard’s old job in the DA’s office.

• Danny Moran is strategic communications adviser, overseeing strategic planning, speechwriting and interagency communications. He was Kotek’s communications director as House speaker and stayed on under House Speaker Dan Rayfield.

• Courtney Ryman is events manager, continuing that role from Kotek’s gubernatorial campaign. She will handle logistics for Kotek’s One Oregon Tour and other public events and press engagements. She previously worked on Katie Hobbs’ campaign for Arizona governor and for the Democratic National Committee.

Senate President Rob Wagner appointed Sens. Kayse Jama, D-Portland, and Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln City, to the 25-member Governor’s Housing Production Advisory Council. Kotek is seeking applicants for the 18 members whom she will appoint.

Andrew Phelps, who was Oregon’s director of emergency management until Kotek became governor, joined Denver-based AC Disaster Consulting as vice president of emergency management and homeland security. 

Fourth Congressional District Rep. Val Hoyle announced three more senior staff members, who join Chief of Staff Karmen Fore and Deputy Chief of Staff/District Director Dan Whelan:

• Legislative Director Bobby Puckett, who held that same role for Rep. Peter DeFazio, is based in Washington, D.C.

• Vanessa Cornwall, director of constituent services, will lead Hoyle’s casework team. Cornwall was DeFazio’s director of constituent services and district aide assisting constituents with Social Security, retirement, health care and health insurance issues. She is based in Eugene.

• Marissa Sandgren, communications director, had that role on Jamie McLeod-Skinner’s campaign for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District. She is based in Washington, D.C.

Eric Noll, who was state government relations manager for the city of Portland, is now project manager in the Portland State University Office of University Relations.

Tyler Frisbee, who spent more than six years at Metro in government affairs and policy development, is taking a few months off before starting as director of government affairs at the Nature Conservancy Oregon chapter.

Barbra Anderson is the new ombuds for Oregon workers in the Department of Consumer and Business Services. She succeeds Jennifer Flood, who retired Dec. 31. Anderson joined state government in 1999 with the Workers’ Compensation Department. Most recently she managed the Employment Services Team.