The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care has added three key employees:

• Paulina Whitehat, tribal affairs director, is an enrolled tribal member of the Navajo Nation. Whitehat has collaborated with tribal communities for more than 24 years as an educator and, most recently, as a researcher.

• Koffi Dessou, social equity director, helped create Portland’s Office of Equity and Human Rights in 2012 and was deputy director. Since leaving the city in 2022, he has been a consultant on social equity training and coaching, organizational development, emotional intelligence, and culturally appropriate community engagement.

• Kate Denison, government affairs manager, spent more than 15 years at the Oregon Department of Justice, including serving as deputy legislative director.

Familiar faces at the Department of Administrative Services have been promoted to leadership roles in the Chief Human Resources Office:

• Jen Coney, classification and compensation administrator, served in a variety of human resources roles, including HR director for the Oregon Youth Authority and administrator in the Chief Human Resources Office.

• Nettie Pye, labor relations unit administrator, was a DAS labor relations manager and the state’s chief negotiator with SEIU.

• Krista Campbell, workforce development administrator, transitioned from DAS/client agency HR director.

• Carol Williams, HR policy, investigations and compliance administrator, was senior policy human resources consultant. 

Oregon House Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, added Reps. Tawna Sanchez, D-Portland, and Greg Smith, R-Heppner, to the Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response. Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, added Sens. Elizabeth Steiner, D-Portland, and Fred Girod, R-Lyons.

Rayfield and Wagner appointed Cynthia Branger-Munoz to the Task Force on Statewide Educator Salary Schedules, replacing Louis De Sitter.

The Oregon Senate unanimously elected Obie Rutledge as secretary of the Senate. The longtime deputy chief clerk in the House, he is the Senate’s chief legislative officer and parliamentarian. Rutledge is serving a 10-year term on the 2030 Mason’s Manual Commission and has been an active member of the American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries. The senators handling the selection process were Wagner, President Pro Tempore James Manning Jr., D-Eugene; Majority Leader Kate Lieber, D-Portland; Republican Leader Tim Knopp, Bend; and Bill Hansell, R-Athena. The Senate secretary’s staff for the 2024 legislative session consists of Britton Taylor, deputy secretary; James Goulding, publications coordinator; Bonnie Allen, reading clerk; McKenzie Barker, measure liaison; Wendy Cortes, assistant to the secretary; and Kristina Wallsten, sergeant at arms.

 The U.S. Senate confirmed Multnomah County Circuit Judge Amy M. Baggio as a federal judge for the Oregon district.

Dr. Sara Kennedy will join Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette as its president/CEO on March 4. Anne Udall retired last August and Kenji Nozaki has been interim president/CEO. A board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist, Kennedy has been chief operating officer and chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood Northern California.