The Oregon Commission for Women established the Oregon Women of Achievement in 1985 to recognize the accomplishments of Oregon women and to demonstrate appreciation for their endeavors.[1] Qualifying candidates to be nominated for the Oregon Women of Achievement are exemplary role models who promote the status of women in society, are committed to diversity and equity and have earned recognition for success and leadership in their fields.[2], 81 women have been honored by the Oregon Commission for Women.
Name | Image | Birth–Death< | --Leave parentheses/brackets in place per MOS:BLPLEAD--> | Year | Area of achievement | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | Emerging Leader Award | |||||
2024 | Professional Achievement Award | |||||
2024 | Lifetime Achievement Award | [3] | ||||
2023 | Lifetime Achievement Award - Mari is a former Co-Chair of the Oregon Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (OCAPIA), OCFW's sister commission. Now retired, Mari is a former Executive Director of Partners in Diversity, founding member of the City of Beaverton Diversity Advisory Board and serves on other nonprofit boards that support veterans, Japanese Americans, women, and the arts. She holds a diversity and inclusion certificate from Cornell University and an undergraduate degree from Washington State University in fashion merchandising. | |||||
2023 | Professional Achievement Award - LaNicia Duke is the founder and CEO of Humble Beginnings, a nonprofit dedicated to serving rural communities in Oregon. Her latest program, Black Rural Network, provides outreach, networking, and civic engagement opportunities for Black residents of rural communities. | |||||
2023 | Emerging Leader Award - Throughout her career, Fatuma Mohamed has shown dedication to ending food insecurity, supporting and advocating for underrepresented communities, bridging the racial wealth gap, and advocating for accessible housing. | [4] | ||||
2022 | Oregon Senate 1997–2021, Majority Leader 2015-2020 | [5] | ||||
2022 | LGBTQIA leadership and volunteerism | [6] | ||||
2020 | Co-founder and president of Islamic Social Services of Oregon State (ISOS); co-chair of Muslim Advisory Council with Portland Police; chair of IRCO's Greater Middle East Center Advisory Council. | [7] | ||||
2020 | First executive director for Pride Northwest | |||||
2020 | First woman attorney to serve as president of Markowitz Herbold litigation firm. Created Leaders and Executives Across Professions (LEAP) to provide support for women professionals. | |||||
2020 | Natural Resources Policy Advisor | |||||
(b. 1976) | 2019 | Writer, stand-up comedian, actor, activist | [8] | |||
2019 | Social activist | |||||
(b. 1967) | 2019 | Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court | ||||
2019 | Co-founder and executive director of Family Forward Oregon and Family Forward Action | |||||
2018 | Executive Director of the YWCA of Greater Portland | [9] | ||||
(1943–2010) | 2017 | Author, chair Department of Ethnic Studies at Oregon State University | [10] | |||
2017 | Senior consultant of Nonprofit Association of Oregon for 30 years | [11] | ||||
2017 | DACA immigrant student. Coordinator of Portland Community College's Multicultural Center on the Rock Creek campus | [12] | ||||
2017 | Founding partner of the MultiCultural Collaborative | [13] | ||||
2016 | Retired judge, founded the Central Coast Chapter of the National Organization for Women | [14] | ||||
2016 | Chairman Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs. Advocate for the rights of immigrants and refugees. | [15] | ||||
2015 | Portland advocate for persons with disabilities | [16] | ||||
2015 | Portland creator of the nonprofit RACE TALKS, to promote racial understanding | |||||
2015 | President and chief executive officer of Volunteers of America Oregon | [17] | ||||
2015 | Founder of Maxville Heritage Interpretative Center in Wallow County; advocate and researcher for the roles of minorities in the logging industry | [18] | ||||
2014 | Founder Portland's Housing Center | [19] | ||||
2014 | Owner of Mother's Bistro & Bar in Portland | [20] | ||||
(b. 1968) | 2014 | Author | [21] | |||
2014 | Presiding Magistrate of the Oregon Tax Court | [22] | ||||
(1930–2023) | 2014 | Politician, first female mayor of Coos Bay, Oregon | [23] | |||
2013 | Businesswoman, founder of Hanna Andersson | [24] | ||||
(1924–2018) | 2013 | Women's rights and clean government activist | [25] | |||
2013 | Mentor, director of the after-school Adelante Chicas for young women of Hispanic heritage | [26] | ||||
2013 | Former Executive Director of De Paul Treatment Centers | [27] | ||||
2012 | Law professor at Willamette University | [28] | ||||
2012 | Vice-chair of the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission | [29] | ||||
2012 | Vice President of Global Diversity and Inclusion for Nike, Inc. | [30] | ||||
2012 | Coalition of Communities of Color | [31] | ||||
2011 | Medical director of the North by Northeast Community Health Center | [32] | ||||
(b. 1947) | 2011 | Environmental scientist and marine ecologist | [33] | |||
2011 | Founder and executive director of the Birth To Three parenting program | [34] | ||||
2011 | Executive Director of OnTrack, a chemical dependency treatment organization | [35] | ||||
(1942–2015) | 2010 | Representative in the Oregon Legislative Assembly, Multnomah County Commission and the Portland City Council | [36] | |||
2010 | Vice provost for academic programs and instruction at Portland State University; founder and director of The Center for Women, Politics & Policy | [37] | ||||
2010 | Administrator for the Oregon Office of Multicultural Health and Services | [38] | ||||
(1924–2019) | 2009 | Chair of Columbia Sportswear | [39] | |||
(1929–2020) | 2009 | Patron of the arts and philanthropist alongside her husband Harold Schnitzer; namesake of the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall | [40] | |||
(b. 1951) | 2008 | Former superintendent of Springfield Public Schools, Education Advisor to Governor Kitzhaber, and Chief Education Officer for the State of Oregon.[41] | [42] | |||
(b. 1939) | 2008 | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives who represented Oregon's 5th congressional district | [43] | |||
2008 | Executive Director of Tigard Chamber of Commerce | |||||
2008 | Gerontology professor at Portland State University's Institute on Aging | [44] | ||||
2007 | Pastor and founder of the Power House Temple Church | [45] | ||||
2007 | Farm worker and board member with PCUN | [46] | ||||
(b. 1946) | 2007 | Former president of Chemeketa Community College | [47] | |||
2006 | Executive Director of the Oregon Child Development Coalition | [48] | ||||
2006 | Assistant director for facility operations for the Oregon Youth Authority | [49] | ||||
2006 | Professor and Intel Faculty Fellow at the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Oregon State University | [50] | ||||
(b. 1943) | 2005 | Professor and coordinator of the women's studies program at Portland State University | [51] | |||
(b. 1936) | 2005 | Former U.S Ambassador to Benin and Cameroon | [52] | |||
2005 | Professor and Pathways and Articulation Coordinator at Rogue Community College in Southern Oregon | [53] | ||||
2004 | Executive director of the Washington and Multnomah counties program of Oregon CASA; former president and owner of Brown-Kline & Company | [54] | ||||
2004 | Helped build the Crisis Response Teams for the Portland Police Bureau | [55] | ||||
(−2006) | 2004 | Executive Director for the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation | [56] | |||
(b. 1936) | 2003 | Director of Multicultural Affairs at Oregon State University | [57] | |||
(b. 1949) | 2003 | Senate President Pro Tempore of the Oregon State Senate | [58] | |||
2003 | Anti-poverty activist | [59] | ||||
2002 | Founding member and the executive director of the non-profit Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. | [60] | ||||
(b. 1951) | 2002 | Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction and member of the Oregon State Senate. Castillo was the first Latina in the Oregon Legislative Assembly. | [61] | |||
2002 | Writer and certified Nurse Midwife | [62] | ||||
2001 | Executive Director of Better People | [63] | ||||
2001 | Economist and founding director of the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics at the University of Oregon | [64] | ||||
2001 | Member of the Florence Area Coordinating Council | [65] | ||||
2000 | Manager of the Hermiston Neighborhood Center and developer of a successful senior meal program | [66] | ||||
2000 | Developer nicknamed the "Queen of Alberta" for her efforts to revitalize Alberta Street in Northeast Portland | [67] | ||||
(1922–2017) | 2000 | Tribal leader of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians | [68] | |||
(b. 1947) | 1999 | First African-American woman to be elected to the Oregon State Senate | [69] | |||
(1924–2023) | 1999 | Tribal leader from the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon | [70] | |||
(b. 1938) | 1999 | Attorney and member of the ABA Board of Governors | [71] | |||
(1912–2006) | 1998 | Co-owner of the East Oregonian | ||||
(b. 1936) | 1998 | Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives | [72] | |||
(1936–2011) | 1998 | Microbiologist, educator | [73] | |||
(b. 1935) | 1997 | Served in the Oregon State Senate and the Oregon House of Representatives | [74] | |||
1997 | Attorney | |||||
(1923–2017) | 1997 | Former political director of the Oregon AFL-CIO | ||||
1996 | Attorney and director of the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training | |||||
1996 | Executive director of Campaign for America and trustee at Lewis and Clark College | [75] | ||||
(b. 1941) | 1996 | Former president of Portland State University | [76] | |||
(b. 1933) | 1995 | Civil rights activist and journalist who worked tirelessly to seek justice for the murder of her well-known civil rights activist husband Medgar Evers in 1963 | [77] | |||
(b. 1960) | 1995 | Governor of Oregon (first openly bisexual governor) Oregon Secretary of State and former member of the Oregon Senate | [78] | |||
(1935–2008) | 1994 | Pro-choice Republican who served in the Oregon House of Representatives for 15 consecutive years representing Washington County | [79] | |||
(b. 1940/41) | 1994 | Former Executive Director of the Oregon Commission on Hispanic Affairs; Benton County Commissioner | [80] | |||
1994 | Board member and commissioner; Public Policy Director for Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon; advocate for low-income Oregonians | [81] | ||||
(1913–2009) | 1994 | Writer and professor. Stevenson served as Mayor of Hammond, Oregon. | [82] | |||
(b. 1951) | 1993 | Attorney and jurist | [83] | |||
1993 | Government Relations Specialist for Oregon School Employees Association | |||||
1993 | Lawyer, journalist and human rights activist. Legal counsel to the Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. During 2002–2005 she represented the Coalition for International Justice monitoring the Trial of Slobodan Milošević. | [84] | ||||
(b. 1958) | 1992 | Lieutenant General in the United States Air Force and a former NASA astronaut at the International Space Station | [85] | |||
1992 | ||||||
(1929–2018) | 1991 | Author of novels, children's books, and short stories, mainly in the genres of fantasy and science fiction | [86] | |||
(b. 1958) | 1991 | First openly gay member of the Oregon House of Representatives; served on the Portland Planning Commission | [87] | |||
(1909–1999) | 1990 | Member of the Walla Walla tribe | ||||
1990 | President Clackamas County Master Gardeners; former director Seattle Aquarium and the Oregon Zoo (1988–97) | [88] | ||||
(b. 1944) | 1989 | Daughter of Frank L. Roberts and member of the Oregon House of Representatives and the Oregon State Senate; served as Commissioner of Labor and Industries from 1979 to 1995 | [89] | |||
(1947–2017) | 1989 | President of Marylhurst University from 1984 to 2008 | [90] | |||
1988 | Vice President of Policy and Strategy at US West and director of Mentor Graphics | [91] | ||||
(1923–2011) | 1988 | 83rd Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court | [92] | |||
(1937–1990) | 1987 | Served in the Oregon House of Representatives, the Oregon Senate and as one of three members of the Oregon Public Utility Commission | [93] | |||
(1948–2020) | 1987 | Attorney and mediator | [94] | |||
(b. 1936) | 1986 | 34th Governor of Oregon from 1991 to 1995 | [95] | |||
(1933–2019) | 1986 | Oregon Secretary of State and Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction | [96] | |||
(1933–2017) | 1985 | First woman to serve as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives and the 49th mayor of Portland | [97] | |||