Queer Heroes Northwest 2015:
Kendall Clawson
Kendall Clawson and her wife Michele moved to Oregon from Massachusetts in 2007 when Kendall became Q Center’s first Executive Director. With the support of the LGBTQ community, she grew the organization from its tiny quarters on Water Avenue to its current Mississippi Avenue location.
In December 2010, she was appointed as Governor John Kitzhaber’s Director of Executive Appointments and joined his senior staff in January of 2011. Kendall was responsible for working with the Governor to recruit volunteers and make appointments to 312 boards, commissions, task forces, and work groups. She also served as the Governor’s Arts and Culture Policy Advisor.
One of the Governor’s goals was to change the face of state government, which included increasing the number of women, LGBTQ people, and people of color represented at the decision-making level. And that’s exactly what Kendall did. When she took the Appointments position, only 6% of the individuals serving were people of color. 4 years later, that percentage averages 22%. The percentage of women in these positions rose from 17% to 48%. Appointments have also included the full range of the LGBT spectrum, including the first appointments of transgender people to statewide commissions.
In August 2014, Kendall Clawson was promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff, a role which she maintained in Governor Kate Brown’s administration until May of 2015, when she accepted the position of Executive Director of the American Leadership Forum of Oregon, a national Leadership program that was started by Congressman Earl Blumenhauer.
We begin announcing a hero per day on June 1, and the heroes' posters are unveiled in a reception at Q Center on June 11, 2015, 5-7PM. The public is invited. A traveling version of the Heroes posters will be displayed by GLAPN and Q Center at Portland Pride.
P.O. Box 3646 • Portland, OR 97208-3646 • info@glapn.or
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