OREGON CAPITAL INSIDER - Carpet in the Oregon governor's ceremonial office in the state Capitol in Salem

Oregon Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, reduced his own committee assignments and made several other changes in interim legislative committees this week. He took himself and Sen. Art Robinson, R-Cave Junction, off Senate Education; replaced himself with Sen. Kathleen Taylor, D-Portland, on Joint Information Management and Technology; and removed himself from Joint Transportation. Sen. Chris Gorsek, D-Troutdale, is now co-chair of Joint Transportation instead of Lew Frederick, D-Portland. Wagner remains co-chair of the Emergency Board and the joint Legislative Administration, Legislative Counsel, and Legislative Policy and Research committees.

Corissa Neufeldt has been hired as regulatory deputy director in the Office of Aging and People with Disabilities, a new position, in the Oregon Department of Human Services. She previously led Marion County’s Human Services Division, where she directed the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Program and several residential and housing programs for people with serious and persistent mental illness. She also has worked for ODOT, DHS and Columbia County Mental Health.

Tenneal Wetherell is the new chief of staff at the Oregon Department of Education. She was ODE’s assistant superintendent in the Office of Enhancing Student Opportunities.

Jay Remy moved to the Oregon Department of Revenue as a public affairs specialist in a new, one-year limited duration position to work on the agency’s continuity of operations plan. He previously was deputy administrator for information and education at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife after a short stint as DHS communications director.

House Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, appointed Rep. Lucetta Elmer, R-McMinnville, to the Oregon Business Development Commission, replacing Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Happy Valley. He appointed Reps. Lisa Reynolds, D-Beaverton, and Court Boice, R-Gold Beach, to the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program and Mark Gamba, D-Milwaukie, to the Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board, replacing Tawna Sanchez, D-Portland.

Rayfield reappointed Rep. John Lively, D-Springfield, to the Oregon Infrastructure Finance Authority Board and Roberta Janssen to the Residential Ombudsman and Public Guardianship Advisory Board. Janssen retired from state government as a human resource program manager and as a colonel in the Oregon Army National Guard. She then became a certified long-term care ombudsman for Washington County.

After less than a year as director of public affairs at the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, Ann Gravatt moved to Portland-based Triple Oak Power as vice president of external affairs.