The Oregon Government Ethics Commission voted unanimously on Thursday to elevate its compliance and education coordinator, Susan Myers, to executive director. She will replace Ron Bersin, who led the OGEC since 2006. He officially retired in 2022 but stayed on the job while the commission recruited his successor. A lawyer, Myers joined the agency in 2018 as an investigator. 

After helping prepare his replacements, policy analyst Sam Herscovitz will leave the Senate Republican Office to manage Republican Will Lathrop’s campaign for attorney general.

Coming to the SRO as policy analysts are former Marion County Commissioner Mike Ryan, who was chief of staff for the Senate Republicans in the mid-1980s, and William Martin, a Marine who recently earned a master’s in jurisprudence from the University of Washington. In addition, Monica Davis, who was executive director of Brown County NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) in Wisconsin, will be senior advisor and policy analyst. The new hires join Raquel Moore-Green, caucus administrator and chief of staff for Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp of Bend; Justin Brecht, legislative director; Bryan Iverson, senior advisor; Ashley Kuenzi, communications director; and Seth Root, member services and policy analyst. Reagan Knopp remains chief of staff for Sen. Knopp’s legislative district. 

The new administrative officer and parliamentarian for the Oregon Senate arrived from the other side of the Capitol. Obie Rutledge, the House’s deputy chief clerk, will become secretary of the Senate once he’s approved by the full Senate in February. Senate President Rob Wagner appointed Rutledge as acting secretary until then. Deputy Secretary Britton Taylor had been acting secretary after Lori Brocker resigned Nov. 1.

Legislative aide Gabii LeGate is now outreach coordinator for the Senate Democratic Caucus.

Matt West was appointed as Workers’ Compensation Division interim administrator. Sally Coen retired from that job after more than 35 years with the division. West, who started with the agency as a bilingual benefit consultant, has been deputy administrator. 

Kate Denison is moving to the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care as government affairs manager. She was deputy legislative director for Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum.

The Rev. Joseph Santos-Lyons, who was the longtime executive director of the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, will be chief of staff for Rep. Khanh Pham, D-Portland. 

Cynthia Branger Muñoz, who was a senior policy advisor for the Oregon Health Authority, is now a public affairs consultant with the Oregon Education Association.

Leading the new Oregon Rural School Board Members Caucus are president, Nichole Schott, Condon School Board; vice president, Tracy Adevai, Glide School Board; and secretary-treasurer, Mary Anne Crandall, Pinehurst School Board.

Gov. Tina Kotek appointed attorney Hafez Daraee to the Washington County Circuit Court, replacing Judge Beth L. Roberts, who retired.