The Senate Majority Office no longer is recruiting for communications director. Tess Seger will continue in that role.

On Oct. 28, Amy Baker will become Gov. Tina Kotek’s behavioral health initiative director, the third person in that role since Kotek took office last year. Baker is executive director at Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare. She previously was the state children’s mental health director, senior director of outpatient services at Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare, and Multnomah County’s child and family services director. Press secretary Anca Matica said of Baker: “Her strengths lie in building relationships with marginalized communities, fostering common ground and cultivating a positive work culture. Amy also has extensive experience working with media and political leaders, with a remarkable ability to communicate a vision in a way that resonates with non-behavioral health stakeholders.”

After being on paid leave since spring, Lindsey O’Brien is resigning Oct. 11 as Kotek’s deputy chief of staff for public engagement. O’Brien also had served in various roles when Kotek was House speaker and a gubernatorial candidate.

Kotek appointed Kate Lynch as Yamhill County district attorney, replacing the retiring Brad Berry. Lynch, who has been chief deputy district attorney since 2018, received 99% of the vote in the May primary. Her appointment is effective Oct. 31.

Gilliam County District Attorney Kara Davis is resigning Dec. 31. Kotek will appoint her replacement. Applications are being accepted through Oct. 18.

The Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development has several staff changes:

  —Jeff Burright was promoted to Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap Project coordinator. He was state-federal relations coordinator.

— Cynthia Smidt, natural hazards planner, moved to the new position of offshore wind energy enforceable policies specialist.

— Katherine Daniel, natural hazards planner, will retire at the end of October.

— Colin Lancaster, chief information officer for the Oregon Department of Energy, will move to DLCD as CIO on Oct. 7.

— Jess Miller and Tamara Linde also will join DLCD on Oct. 7. Miller will be executive support specialist for programs. Linde will fill the new role of executive support specialist for the Administrative Services Division.

— Joshua Tanner starts work Oct. 8 in the new position of chief data officer.

— Madeline Judokusumo is the new geographic information systems (GIS) intern, updating the agency’s mapping data for urban growth boundaries and local government zoning.

— In addition to the staff changes, former Baker County Commissioner Mark Bennett has joined the Land Conservation and Development Commission. Kotek appointed him to replace Nick Lelack as the LCDC’s Eastern Oregon representative.

— Jacob Wirt has been promoted to regional broadband project coordinator in the Oregon Broadband Office. Polk County Commissioner Jeremy Gordon this month joined the Oregon Broadband Advisory Council to represent Oregon counties. He was appointed by Kotek.

The Higher Education Coordinating Commission filled its three Future Ready Oregon Industry Consortia strategist positions:

— Maggie Foree is the new Healthcare Industry Consortium strategist, a position previously held by Sarah Foster. Foree worked most recently at LinkedIn as a team manager, team lead, program manager and project manager.

— Shauna Theiss is the first Technology Industry Consortium strategist. Theiss had worked at Workday as a partner enablement and communications program manager. 

— Nick Recktenwald will join the HECC on Sept. 30 as the new Manufacturing Industry Consortium Strategist, a job previously held by Carrie Weikel-Delaplane. Recktenwald has been director of curriculum and assessment at Central Oregon Community College.

Phil Creighton, who served as president of Eastern Oregon University (1999-2003) and then Pacific University (2003-09), died Sept. 17 at age 79 after battling cancer.

Mike Marshall, executive director of Oregon Recovery, in December will step down from the organization he co-founded in 2017. A longtime political operative, Marshall ran one of John Kitzhaber’s gubernatorial campaigns and the Oregon United for Marriage campaign.