Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Walters on Tuesday announced her retirement. Gov. Kate Brown previously had set Wednesday as the deadline for applying for any vacancies on the Supreme Court or Court of Appeals before Brown leaves office in January. As of mid-September, more than two dozen judges, private practice attorneys and government lawyers already had applied for appointment. Walters’ retirement takes effect Dec. 31. The Supreme Court justices unanimously elected Associate Justice Meagan Flynn as their next chief justice.

The Oregon Public Defense Services Commission chose Jessica Kampfe to lead the embattled Office of Public Defense Services. Laurie Bender, Brian DeForest and Shannon Flowers have shared the role of interim acting directors since the commission ousted Stephen Singer. Kampfe is executive director of Multnomah Defenders Inc.

Melanie Mesaros now is external communications program manager at the Oregon Lottery, coming from the state’s Early Learning Division. Chuck Baumann, the Lottery’s longtime spokesman, retired in September.

House Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, and Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, appointed Sarah Worthington to the Wildfire Programs Advisory Council. She has worked for Deschutes County Health Services since 2014 and recently took a new position that works regionally to address climate and health, focusing on wildfire and prescribed-burn smoke. She had the support of legislative leadership in both parties and chambers for the appointment.

The League of Oregon Cities has elected its 2023 board, which includes president, Steve Callaway, Hillsboro mayor; vice president, Dave Drotzmann, Hermiston mayor; and treasurer, Travis Stovall, Gresham mayor.

In media moves, Ben Botkin is joining The Oregon Capital Chronicle website in Salem to cover executive agencies, including the Oregon Health Authority. He moves over from The Lund Report, the health newsletter, where he was senior reporter.