Gov. Tina Kotek appointed Jonna Papaefthimiou of Portland as state resilience officer, subject to confirmation by the Oregon Senate. Papaefthimiou has been chief resilience officer in the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management. She also worked for Portland Mayor Sam Adams, the city of Lake Oswego and the Sierra Club. The Senate Rules Committee will interview her on May 2.

Cailin O’Brien-Feeney, the inaugural director of the Oregon Office of Outdoor Recreation, has departed to become director of Quantified Ventures. A Bend resident, he had joined state government in 2018.

The Legislature’s bipartisan Joint Committee on Conduct unanimously selected Bor Yang of Vermont as legislative equity officer. Yang is executive director and legal counsel for the Vermont Human Rights Commission. The Senate and House must approve her hiring by passing Senate Concurrent Resolution 15. The position has been vacant since June 2021 when acting officer Nate Monson was forced out.

Former congressional aide Hazel Tylinski, who is communications advisor for House Speaker Dan Rayfield, is taking over as his main press contact. As of May 5, Communications Director Andrew Rogers is leaving for family reasons. After interning for 4th Congressional District Rep. Peter DeFazio in 2018, Tylinski worked up to being legislative assistant in DeFazio’s office.

Rachel Mann, who managed Christina Stephenson’s winning campaign for state labor commissioner, is her communications director at the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries.

Clackamas County Circuit Judge Thomas J. Rastetter is retiring June 30. Gov. Kotek will appoint his replacement. Applications are due May 18.

Oregon Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer teamed with Democrat Jared Moskowitz, who represents Florida’s 23rd Congressional District, to launch the bipartisan Congressional Sneaker Caucus. “From expressing style to demonstrating athleticism and innovation, sneakers are a fun part of our culture. It will be a light-hearted way to build relationships with other members of Congress and our constituents,” said Chavez-DeRemer, who represents the 5th Congressional District.