The Oregon Government Ethics Commission has hired five new employees and also has selected four finalists to lead the agency. The new investigators are Andrew McIntyre and Daniel Pacheco. New trainers are Lex Tingey, Ruth Sylvester and Chris Brubaker.

The finalists to succeed Ron Bersin as executive director are Susan Myers, OGEC’s compliance and education coordinator; Michael Wood, former head of Oregon OSHA; Jay Messenger, internal controls officer at the Oregon Department of Revenue; and Robert Candrian, a former CIA officer who is an executive at AMD. The candidates will have a virtual interview on Friday, Dec. 15, a virtual session with commission staff on Dec. 20, and a virtual session with stakeholders on Jan. 4. The top candidates will meet with Gov. Tina Kotek and/or her staff before the commission conducts its final interview and selection on Jan. 11.

Tigard Police Chief Kathy McAlpine, who is retiring from that position, in January will become deputy director of professional standards at the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. She previously retired from the Tacoma Police Department as an assistant chief.

Shannon Davis is deputy director of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality after filling the interim role since May. The Environmental Quality Commission confirmed her appointment last week. Davis has worked for the DEQ since 2017, first as manager of the Materials Management Program and then as eastern region administrator. 

Erika McCalpine departed from ODOT after a year-and-a-half as an assistant director directing the Office of Social Equity. She now is senior director of equity, people and culture at Espousal Strategies. Before joining the Oregon Department of Transportation, she was director of the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Laboratory at Oregon State University-Cascades and executive director of strategic diversity initiatives. ODOT posted a job announcement last week for the position of assistant director, Office of Equity and Civil Rights. Applications are due Jan. 4.

Pablo Nieves-Valenzuela, who was legislative director for Rep. Courtney Neron, D-Wilsonville, now is government relations manager at Washington County.

The Oregon Legislative Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Caucus re-elected Sen. Wlnsvey Campos, D-Aloha, and Rep. Ricki Ruiz, D-Gresham, as co-chairs for the 2024 session.

The Oregon Health Authority is recruiting for an executive director to run the state’s Measure 110 program. The job pays $91,188 to $141,024. Applications are due Jan. 8. The minimum qualifications include, “Seven years of supervision, management, or progressively related experience; OR four years of related experience and a bachelor’s degree in a related field.”