The Land Use Board of Appeals will lose two of its three members next year. Melissa Ryan, who has served since 2006, is departing Feb. 28. Michelle Rudd, a board member since 2019, is resigning March 31. Both said they were leaving to take on new challenges. Gov. Tina Kotek will appoint their replacements, pending confirmation by the state Senate. Applications are due by Sunday. Ryan and Rudd were private-practice attorneys in Portland before joining LUBA.

The Department of Corrections promoted Josh Highberger to assistant director of operations, effective Nov. 1. He was superintendent of Oregon State Correctional Institution but recently took over as acting superintendent at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. Highberger will continue at Coffee Creek until a new superintendent is chosen. Nichole Brown, who was Coffee Creek superintendent, is now the institution’s superintendent for gender-informed practices, a job that ends in December 2025. Jeremy Wagner is acting superintendent at OSCI.

Deputy Inspector General Ryan Dwyer, a retired FBI agent, leads Corrections’ new Professional Standards and Investigation Unit. It comprises Special Investigations, led by Assistant Inspector General Jason Brown, and Administrative Investigations (previously HR Investigations), led by AIG Bonny McCoy. Two new drug teams are managed geographically by AIG Forest Ledbetter (West team) and AIG Rebecca Krueger (East team).

Audra Anderson was named chief of staff at the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. Anderson, who was Human Resources director, now oversees the Administrative Services Division, including HR, Facilities, Information Technology, Payroll and Procurement. Bill Steele, recently appointed deputy director, will oversee the Training Division, Fire Program and Business Services. Steele had been training resource manager. He previously was chief of police in Tualatin, interim police chief in Forest Grove and Aumsville, and chief deputy at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Chris Enquist was named Training Division director. He joined the agency in 2016 as a parole and probation training program coordinator before becoming skills and tactical training manager and, in 2023, deputy training director.

Rosa Klein is serving as interim executive director of the Oregon Board of Pharmacy until a permanent replacement for Jamal Fox is selected. Fox last month became deputy director in the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Klein is on loan from the Department of Administrative Services, where she is strategic initiatives project manager.

Gov. Kotek’s events manager, Courtney Ryman, is moving to the Secretary of State’s Office as an investigations specialist in the Elections Division. That role includes investigating possible election law violations and recommending enforcement actions. Her last day in the Governor’s Office is Oct. 18. Meanwhile, Kotek’s education adviser, Pooja Bhatt, has resigned as of Oct. 14.

The Oregon Senate confirmed Kotek’s appointment of Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang to the five-member Oregon Transportation Commission. He replaces Sharon Smith, who left in August.

Two members of the Secretary of the Senate staff have new titles. James Goulding, who was publications coordinator, is now deputy secretary. Britton Taylor moved up to senior deputy secretary.

The Senate Majority Office hired Katie Morrison as senior policy director and Alex Blosser as policy director. Morrison, who was chief of staff for Sen. Kathleen Taylor, D-Portland, will work with the Education, Finance and Revenue, Judiciary, Labor and Business, Joint Addiction and Community Safety Response, Joint Information Management and Technology, and Joint Transportation committees. Blosser was with Strategies 360. His committee assignments are Energy and Environment, Natural Resources and Wildfire, Housing and Development, Human Services, Health Care, Veterans, and Emergency Management, Federal and World Affairs.