April 15th, 2020

​Secretary
​of State: Jamie
McLeod-Skinner

Jamie McLeod-Skinner

RESIDENCE: Terrebone
OCCUPATION: Attorney and Natural Resources Consultant
WORK HISTORY: City Manager, Regional Director, Board Member, Senior City Planner, Organizational Effectiveness Management Analyst, Program Manager, Law Clerk, Environmental Planner, Public Works Consultant, Assistant Civil Engineer, Agricultural Engineering Research Assistant, Mediator
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree, civil engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; master’s degree, city and regional planning, Cornell University; Doctor of Jurisprudence, University of Oregon School of Law; and five professional and civic certificates.
PRIOR EXPERIENCE: Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) Member, Jefferson County Education Service District (ESD) Board Member, Santa Clara (CA) City Councilor, City of Santa Clara Audit Committee Member, City of Santa Clara Economic Development Committee Member, City of Santa Clara Ethics Committee Member, City of Santa Clara Housing Rehabilitation Committee Chair, City of Santa Clara General Plan Update Steering Committee Co-Chair, San Jose-Santa Clara Clean Water Financing Authority Board Member, Santa Clara County Recycling & Waste Reduction Commission Chair, Bay Area Water Supply & Conservation Agency Board Member.
WEBSITE: jamiefororegon.com
FACEBOOK: @JamieForOregon 
INSTAGRAM: @jamiefororegon
TWITTER: @JamieforOregon
OTHER LINKS:

• April 16 Oregon Secretary of State Democratic Candidates Virtual Town Hall.
• Letter to the editor

• ​KBOO interview
• KOBI5 article
• DEMCast article
• Video and audio page on her campaign website​

WHY I'M RUNNING: 
When I was a child, my mom told me to leave a place better than I found it. After completing my Master’s in regional planning at Cornell, I decided to use the privilege of my education to make a difference. The U.S. government was engaged in ending the war in Bosnia, but military service was not an option for out gays and lesbians in the 1990s, and I had come out as a young adult. So, I went to work for the International Rescue Committee (IRC), a humanitarian organization founded at the request of Albert Einstein to get Jews out of Nazi Germany. I managed multi-million dollar projects on the ground in Bosnia and Kosovo, rebuilding schools and hospitals. 
When you work in the aftermath of a war zone, particularly one marked by ethnic violence, you see firsthand what happens when the government fails. Trust is broken, and there is no safe space. You also see the flipside — the resiliency of people and the potential for great kindness. And how, when given the right tools, people can rebuild their lives and their government. Heroism takes many forms. 
When I returned to the U.S., the IRC asked me to manage its refugee resettlement office in San Jose. Instead of joining the private sector, I stayed in the nonprofit and public sectors — empowering underrepresented communities, improving organizational effectiveness, and developing land use and environmental policies. 
I began my public service with the intent of helping others. I stayed because I have been inspired by people committed to building healthier communities and functional democracy
This vision has shaped my life’s work. As your Secretary of State, I will bring that same commitment to community building and good governance to all Oregonians.
CONTACT: 541-777-7797; jamie@jamiefororegon.com.