Jessica Vega Pederson, a technology businesswoman and mom who first ran for office to tackle issues facing her east Portland neighbors, will be sworn in as the Multnomah County Chair tonight, Jan. 3, at the Multnomah County Central Library.
Vega Pederson was elected to lead Oregon’s most populous county in November 2022 after having served on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners since 2017. Oregon Supreme Court Justice Adrienne Nelson will administer the oath of office.
The evening ceremony kicks off three days of inaugurations for Multnomah County officials. On Wednesday, Jan. 4, Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell will be sworn in as Multnomah County Sheriff. Also Wednesday, former state legislator Diane Rosenbaum will be sworn in as Commissioner for District 3, replacing Vega Pederson on the Board until voters can select a permanent replacement in May.
On Thursday, Jan. 5, Commissioner Susheela Jayapal will be sworn into a second term representing District 2 in North and Northeast Portland. County Auditor Jennifer McGuirk will also be sworn in for a second four-year term at the regular Board meeting. Committee assignments will also be announced.
Vega Pederson becomes Chief Executive
As the Chair, Vega Pederson was elected countywide and serves as the County’s chief executive, overseeing a $3.3 billion budget and more than 6,000 employees. She also chairs the Multnomah County Board of Health and the Multnomah County Library District Board.
Raised in a large Mexican-American family in northwest Indiana, Vega Pederson earned a bachelor’s degree in Information Systems Management and Philosophy from Loyola University of Chicago. She spent 14 years in the technology industry, helping startups, small businesses and Fortune 500 companies grow their business using communication technologies.
After settling in east Portland, Vega Pederson ran for the Oregon Legislature and became the first Latina elected to the House of Representatives. In Salem, she focused on working families, championing paid sick time and pay equity. As chair of the House Committee on Energy and Environment, she also supported the renewal of the Clean Fuels Program and passage of a bill to remove coal from Oregon's energy mix.
After being elected the District 3 County Commissioner representing east and Southeast Portland in 2016, she chaired the Preschool for All Task Force, spearheading the effort to build a quality, universal preschool program that voters ultimately approved in November 2020. She also represented the County at regional transportation tables and championed the County’s efforts to combat climate change and build a just, renewable energy economy.
Vega Pederson lives with her husband and two children in the house they moved into nearly two decades ago — and the same neighborhood that inspired her entry into public service.
Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell is 41st Multnomah County Sheriff
Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell will be sworn in as Multnomah County’s Sheriff on Wednesday morning, Jan. 4, after more than 25 years in public safety at the agency. She is one of only two Multnomah County sheriffs to hold dual certifications in both police and corrections, and is the first woman ever to serve as County Sheriff.
Morrisey O’Donnell earned her degree at the University of Portland and received subsequent training at the Oregon Executive Development Institute and Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association Command College. She holds executive-level certification from the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.
Community engagement is a cornerstone of her approach to public safety. Throughout her career, Morrisey O’Donnell has helped the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office develop strategies to understand and address the unique needs of our community. She is deeply dedicated to building trust through open, honest community partnership and service.
As Sheriff, Morrisey O’Donnell oversees a $184 million budget and more than 750 employees, while also managing the County’s more than 1,100 jail beds. A lifelong Oregonian, she lives in Portland with her husband, a retired sheriff’s deputy.
Diane Rosenbaum to serve until permanent District 3 replacement elected
Diane Rosenbaum, a longtime legislator who has been Vega Pederson’s designee for six years, will be formally admitted to the Board of Commissioners on Wednesday afternoon. She will serve until a replacement is selected by a majority of voters in the May or November elections.Rosenbaum joins the board after nearly 18 years in the Oregon Legislature, including 10 years in the House and eight years in the Senate. During that time she served as Senate Majority Leader, House Speaker Pro Tempore, Democratic Whip and the chair of multiple committees. In the Senate, she served as Chair of the Rules and Executive Appointments Committee for six years, presiding over hundreds of confirmation hearings for the Governor’s appointments of agency heads, boards and commissions.Rosenbaum’s priorities included work to alleviate poverty and hunger, address women’s healthcare and equal rights, and provide revenue reform. She lives in the Richmond neighborhood of Southeast Portland with her husband, Jas Adams, and their cairn terrier, Seabiscuit, and rescue cat, Tosca.
Susheela Jayapal to be sworn in for second term representing District 2
Commissioner Susheela Jayapal was reelected to the Board of Commissioners in May 2022 after serving North and Northeast Portland since January 2019.
Born in India, she came to the United States at 16 to attend Swarthmore College, graduating with a degree in Economics. After two years as a financial analyst at an investment bank, Commissioner Jayapal earned a degree at the University of Chicago Law School. She was a litigator in San Francisco and Portland before becoming General Counsel at adidas America.
Commissioner Jayapal left law to spend nearly two decades working in nonprofit leadership positions with community organizations before running for County office. She represents the Board on numerous committees, including the Supportive Housing Services Tri-County Planning Body and Oversight Committee, and the Metro Policy Advisory Committee. Sheis also co-chair of the Domestic and Sexual Violence Systems Accountability Workgroup and is a liaison to the Regional Arts & Culture Council.
Commissioner Jayapal was an early advocate for the Supportive Housing Services Measure, approved by voters in May 2020, and has championed programs for youth, survivors of violence, and clean air and environmental sustainability...
The mother of two now-grown Grant High School graduates, she lives in the Sabin neighborhood of Northeast Portland.
Auditor Jennifer McGuirk to begin second term
Jennifer McGuirk was reelected as Multnomah County Auditor in May 2022. She earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oregon and wrote and managed grants at institutions including Lewis & Clark College and Portland State University.
She earned a master's degree in public administration from Portland State University and became a certified internal auditor and a senior performance auditor in the Multnomah County Auditor’s Office.
During her first term, McGuirk oversaw the County Auditor’s Office’s first-ever audit of county jail conditions, audited the county’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased follow-ups on audit recommendations, and guided investigations of reports to the county’s fraud, waste, and abuse hotline. She established the office’s first community advisory committee. McGuirk has integrated an equity lens, primarily focused on racial equity, into the office’s work and has developed community engagement processes - also used across every project the office takes on. McGuirk secured funding to increase the size of the office by four auditors, bringing it into better alignment with the County Charter’s mandates to the Auditor. She oversees a staff of 12, including 10 staff auditors.
McGuirk also advocated for amendments to the County Charter to support government accountability. The Multnomah County Charter Review Committee brought amendments McGuirk supported before voters in November 2022. One was to establish an ombudsperson in the Auditor’s Office. The other was to ensure the Auditor’s access to information. Both measures passed overwhelmingly.
McGuirk lives in the Roseway neighborhood in Portland with her husband and two children.
Find photos, news videos and remarks from the week’s events on multco.us and the County’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts. Streamed events will be found on MultcoPresents on YouTube.
