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

Attorney General Dan Rayfield added a top executive at the Oregon Department of Justice and belatedly announced three other staff changes:

— Berri Leslie begins work Sept. 2 in the new DOJ position of chief operating officer. Citing her desire to spend more time with her family, Leslie last month left her job as director of the Department of Administrative Services and chief operating officer for the state.

— Christian Stringer is special counsel for public safety. He spent over 24 years as a prosecutor, most recently with DOJ’s Criminal Justice Division. He previously worked in Dallas-Fort Worth, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Eugene, Corvallis and Vale. Stringer also is an instructor at the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.

— Marta Hanson is strategic events and constituent services director. She was deputy finance director on Kamala Harris’ 2014 reelection campaign for California attorney general, assistant dean and associate director of Stanford University’s Women’s Community Center, and co-chair of Portland’s Independent Districting Commission.

— Katy DeLuca is constituent services manager. She was executive assistant for the Universal Health Plan Governance Board, an Aflac market coordinator and event coordinator at Robert’s Crossing.

Tad Fergusson joins the Oregon State Treasury on July 28 as director of private market investments. Fergusson, who will report to Chief Investment Officer Rex Kim, has been managing principal at Meketa Investment Group since 2019. Michael Langdon was the Treasury’s director of private markets from 2015 until March of this year.

Kevin Bovenkamp begins work on Aug. 12 as assistant director of health services at the Department of Corrections. He comes to Oregon from Washington state, where he was assistant secretary of behavioral health and habilitation administration at the Department of Social and Health Services and assistant secretary at the Washington DOC’s Health Services Division.

Tuesday was Clare Lanusse’s last day as Gov. Tina Kotek’s natural resources, climate and energy policy coordinator.

Megan Channell this week left the Oregon Department of Transportation, where she led the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project. After six years with ODOT, Channell in August will go to work with the Port of Hood River.

George B. Lopez, who was general manager for The Klamath Tribes, joined the Department of Human Services last week as director of the Office of Tribal Affairs. Sherril Kuhns was interim director.

The State Land Board appointed Kaitlin Lovell to a four-year term as director of the Department of State Lands. Vicki Walker, a former legislator who had served as director since 2018, retired on June 30. Deputy Director Bill Ryan will serve as interim director until Lovell begins work in early August. Since 2007, she has led habitat protection and restoration initiatives for the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services. The Land Board comprises Secretary of State Tobias Read, State Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner and Gov. Kotek.

Blythe Janssen joined the Oregon State Fire Marshal as special operations administrative specialist.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, 68, announced he would seek a fourth term in next year’s elections, ending speculation he might retire. The Portland Democrat has been in the Senate since 2009. The Center for Effective Lawmaking ranked him as the fifth-most effective Senate Democrat during the 2023-24 congressional session.

Merkley’s longtime aide Stacey Jochimsen was promoted to state director. She previously was outreach director.

State Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, appointed Sen. Deb Patterson, D-Salem, to the Capitol Planning Commission.

Candy Emmons, deputy director of the Democratic Party of Oregon, is filling in as interim executive director. Brad Martin departed this month after 12 years in the job,

Marshall McGrady left his role as political director for IBEW Local 48 and is now training director at the NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center. He previously was an instructor at the center.

With the end of the 2025 legislative session, Susan Grabe retired as chief communications and public affairs officer at the Oregon State Bar, where she worked for 22 years.

If you have an update on who’s coming or going – or taking on a new assignment – in state government or organizations involved with it, email Dick Hughes at TheHughesisms@gmail.com.