Scott Moore is on his way in and Jenn Baker is on her way out as chief of staff for new House Speaker Julie Fahey, D-Eugene. Baker is still chief of staff on an interim basis during the transition. And Moore, who was Fahey’s chief of staff in the House Majority Office, also is handling his old role on an interim basis. He worked for the House Democrats for nearly 10 years. Baker was former House Speaker Dan Rayfield’s chief of staff after working for Gov. Kate Brown and others.

Gov. Tina Kotek on Wednesday appointed directors for two state water agencies, subject to confirmation later this month by the state Senate. Ivan Gall will head the Oregon Water Resources Department, which has lacked a permanent director since 2022. A longtime OWRD employee, Gall was interim deputy director of water management. Sara O’Brien, executive director of Willamette Partnership, will lead the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board. The previous board director, Lisa Charpilloz Hanson, was appointed last year by Kotek to head the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

Kotek nominated Betsy Imholt for another four-year term as director of Revenue. Gov. Brown first appointed Imholt in 2020.

An Do, Kotek’s public affairs and communications director, left the Governor’s Office this week. She submitted her resignation April 24, six days after Kotek listed her among a revamped executive leadership team.

The Oregon Department of Education has two new assistant superintendents. Ramonda Olaloye is assistant superintendent of the Office of Enhancing Student Opportunities. She has 20 years’ experience at the district and state levels in Texas, including the past two years as assistant superintendent of research and accountability for a large district in suburban Houston. Cassie Medina is assistant superintendent of the Office of Education Innovation and Improvement. Medina, who has been interim assistant superintendent, joined ODE in 2017.

The two remaining finalists for director of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife are Debbie Colbert, ODFW deputy director for fish and wildlife programs, and Kaitlin Lovell with the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services. The Fish and Wildlife Commission will consider them at its meeting on Friday. A screening panel that met May 3 did not advance finalists Shannon Hurn, ODFW deputy director for administration, and Jason Miner, who was Gov. Brown’s natural resources policy adviser. The panel consisted of commission chair Mary Wahl of Langlois; vice chair Becky Hatfield-Hyde of Paisley; Geoff Huntington, Kotek’s natural resources policy adviser; and Shana McConville Radford, Kotek’s tribal affairs director.

Doug Fuller of the Department of Revenue begins work May 20 as the ODFW deputy administrator for information and education.

Former West Linn legislator Scott Bruun will join the Oregon Bankers Association as its new president/CEO on June 10. Bruun, vice president for government affairs at Oregon Business & Industry, worked for US Bank and KeyBank earlier in his career. The OBA’s longtime president/CEO, Linda Navarro, is retiring July 15. Last week the OBA board presented Navarro with the inaugural award established in her honor – the Linda W. Navarro Trailblazer Award.