Lori Stegmann

I grew up in East Multnomah County and still call it home. I want this community—and especially the kids—to have that same feeling of family and home.

Commissioner Lori Stegmann grew up in the Rockwood neighborhood in West Gresham after being adopted as an infant from an orphanage in South Korea. Lori put herself through college, attended Mt. Hood Community College and received her bachelor's degree in business from Portland State University. She has been a small business owner and insurance agent for over 30 years, specializing in commercial insurance.
Prior to serving on the Multnomah County Board, Commissioner Stegmann served six years on the Gresham City Council and as City Council President in 2014. She was then elected to her first term as a Multnomah County Commissioner representing District 4 in 2016 and re-elected for a second term in 2020. District 4 begins in East Portland at 148th Avenue and ends at the Hood River County line near the Bonneville Dam. District 4 encompasses East Portland and the cities of Fairview, Gresham, Troutdale and Wood Village, as well as the unincorporated areas of Corbett, Dodson, Latourell and Warrendale.

Making History

Commissioner Stegmann is the first Korean American and first Asian American ever to be elected to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners in 162 years. She is currently serving her eighth and final year on the board and was one of three elected women who comprised the first majority-minority board in Multnomah County’s history.

She has long been a champion for underserved communities in East County. Her advocacy and policies have contributed to increased housing stability, economic development, and public safety. As board vice chair in 2018, Commissioner Stegmann cosponsored a resolution to create the Construction Diversity Equity Fund to create apprenticeship training that continues to serve women and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community members today.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, she:

• Ensured East County geographic locations for testing and vaccine sites.
• Distributed over $1 million in business recovery grants to East Multnomah County.
• Funded a new pantry location to increase food access.

Her regional effort for a complete and accurate 2020 Census count resulted in a 3% increase from the prior census count, resulting in additional funding for the County, and enabled Oregon to add a 6th congressional representative.

Through her long-time participation on the Economic Mobility Leadership Network with the National Association of Counties and the Gates Foundation she developed local strategies for economic mobility and recovery to increase community resilience. She continues to direct more funding and resources to increase resiliency in her district during extreme weather events, local wildfires, and potential catastrophic disasters.

Because of her efforts to secure a $100,000 grant from the Gates Foundation she created the East County Resilience Network and developed and implemented the Common Application, a one stop portal for residents to more easily access county services.

Most recently she helped pass a $3.96 billion budget that will provide significant funding for increased shelter and housing, eviction prevention, behavioral health and substance use disorder resources, violence prevention, and increased public safety funding.

Other successful initiatives have included:

• Dedicated funding for supportive housing.
• The creation of a School-Based Health Clinic at Reynolds School District.
• Siting of the new East County Library in Gresham.
• Development of the Vance Properties master plan known as the Vance Vision Plan which will transform 90 acres of an underutilized brownfield into a regional asset.

She has also been a strong supporter of public safety by:

• Prioritizing service delivery enhancements to the Tri-Met Transit Crisis Response Team.
• Securing ongoing funding for the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) Homeless Outreach Program & Engagement (HOPE) team to better serve our communities.
• Ensuring funding for MCSO River Patrol to keep communities safe on our waterways.

Board liaison appointments and committees

• Columbia River Gorge Forum
• East County Homeless Services Coordination
• East Multnomah County Transportation Committee - Chair
• Governor's Regional Solutions Leadership Council
• Greater Portland Inc - Board Member
• Library Advisory Board
• Local Public Safety Coordinating Council
• National Association of Counties’ (NACo) County Officials Advancing
  Racial Equity Justice Network
• NACO Economic Mobility Leadership Advisory Committee
• NACO Large Urban Counties Caucus
• NACO Resilient Counties Advisory - Board Member
• Shelter Strategy Oversight Committee
• Transforming Justice Steering Committee
• Urban Flood and Safety Water Quality District Board
• Vance/Yeon Project Leadership Team
• Visitors Development Fund - Board Member
• Worksystems Inc - Executive Board Member