# Oregon Women of Achievement

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. 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. As of 2013, 81 women have been honored by the Oregon Commission for Women.

## Inductees

Oregon Women of Achievement :
| Name | Birth–Death | Year | Area of achievement |
| Sarah Koski | | 2024 | Emerging Leader Award |
| Solome Mekbib | | 2024 | Professional Achievement Award |
| Liani Reeves | | 2024 | Lifetime Achievement Award |
| Mari Watanabe | | 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. |
| LaNicia Duke | | 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. |
| Fatuma Mohamed | | 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. |
| Ginny Burdick | | 2022 | Oregon Senate 1997–2021, Majority Leader 2015-2020 |
| Karol Collymore | | 2022 | LGBTQIA leadership and volunteerism |
| Laila Hajoo | | 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. |
| Debra Porta | | 2020 | First executive director for Pride Northwest |
| Laura Salerno Owens | | 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. |
| Amira Streeter | | 2020 | Natural Resources Policy Advisor |
| Belinda Carroll | (b. 1976) | 2019 | Writer, stand-up comedian, actor, activist |
| Sharon Gary-Smith | | 2019 | Social activist |
| Adrienne Nelson | (b. 1967) | 2019 | Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court |
| Andrea Paluso | | 2019 | Co-founder and executive director of Family Forward Oregon and Family Forward Action |
| Susan Stoltenberg | | 2018 | Executive Director of the YWCA of Greater Portland |
| Erlinda Gonzales-Berry | (1943–2010) | 2017 | Author, chair Department of Ethnic Studies at Oregon State University |
| Guadalupe Guajardo | | 2017 | Senior consultant of Nonprofit Association of Oregon for 30 years |
| Liliana Luna | | 2017 | DACA immigrant student. Coordinator of Portland Community College's Multicultural Center on the Rock Creek campus |
| Anita Yap | | 2017 | Founding partner of the MultiCultural Collaborative |
| Nancy Campbell Mead | | 2016 | Retired judge, founded the Central Coast Chapter of the National Organization for Women |
| Chanpone Sinlapasai-Okamura | | 2016 | Chairman Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs. Advocate for the rights of immigrants and refugees. |
| Jan Campbell | | 2015 | Portland advocate for persons with disabilities |
| Donna Maxley | | 2015 | Portland creator of the nonprofit RACE TALKS, to promote racial understanding |
| Kay D. Toran | | 2015 | President and chief executive officer of Volunteers of America Oregon |
| Gwendolyn Trice | | 2015 | Founder of Maxville Heritage Interpretative Center in Wallow County; advocate and researcher for the roles of minorities in the logging industry |
| Peg Malloy | | 2014 | Founder Portland's Housing Center |
| Lisa Schroeder | | 2014 | Owner of Mother's Bistro & Bar in Portland |
| Cheryl Strayed | (b. 1968) | 2014 | Author |
| Jill Tanner | | 2014 | Presiding Magistrate of the Oregon Tax Court |
| Joanne Verger | (1930–2023) | 2014 | Politician, first female mayor of Coos Bay, Oregon |
| Gun Denhart | | 2013 | Businesswoman, founder of Hanna Andersson |
| Mary Katherine Eaton | (1924–2018) | 2013 | Women's rights and clean government activist |
| Cecilia Giron | | 2013 | Mentor, director of the after-school Adelante Chicas for young women of Hispanic heritage |
| Sheila L. North | | 2013 | Former Executive Director of De Paul Treatment Centers |
| Robin Morris Collin | | 2012 | Law professor at Willamette University |
| Jane O'Keefe | | 2012 | Vice-chair of the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission |
| Gina Warren | | 2012 | Vice President of Global Diversity and Inclusion for Nike, Inc. |
| Serena Stoudamire Wesley | | 2012 | Coalition of Communities of Color |
| Jill Ginsberg | | 2011 | Medical director of the North by Northeast Community Health Center |
| Jane Lubchenco | (b. 1947) | 2011 | Environmental scientist and marine ecologist |
| Minalee Saks | | 2011 | Founder and executive director of the Birth To Three parenting program |
| Rita Sullivan | | 2011 | Executive Director of OnTrack, a chemical dependency treatment organization |
| Gretchen Kafoury | (1942–2015) | 2010 | Representative in the Oregon Legislative Assembly, Multnomah County Commission and the Portland City Council |
| Melody Rose | | 2010 | Vice provost for academic programs and instruction at Portland State University; founder and director of The Center for Women, Politics & Policy |
| Latricia Tillman | | 2010 | Administrator for the Oregon Office of Multicultural Health and Services |
| Gert Boyle | (1924–2019) | 2009 | Chair of Columbia Sportswear |
| Arlene Schnitzer | (1929–2020) | 2009 | Patron of the arts and philanthropist alongside her husband Harold Schnitzer; namesake of the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall |
| Nancy Golden | (b. 1951) | 2008 | Former superintendent of Springfield Public Schools, Education Advisor to Governor Kitzhaber, and Chief Education Officer for the State of Oregon. |
| Darlene Hooley | (b. 1939) | 2008 | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives who represented Oregon's 5th congressional district |
| Sydney Sherwood | | 2008 | Executive Director of Tigard Chamber of Commerce |
| Keren Brown Wilson | | 2008 | Gerontology professor at Portland State University's Institute on Aging |
| Mary Overstreet | | 2007 | Pastor and founder of the Power House Temple Church |
| Carmen Ramirez | | 2007 | Farm worker and board member with PCUN |
| Gretchen Schuette | (b. 1946) | 2007 | Former president of Chemeketa Community College |
| Donalda Dodson | | 2006 | Executive Director of the Oregon Child Development Coalition |
| Joan Palmateer | | 2006 | Assistant director for facility operations for the Oregon Youth Authority |
| Cherri Pancake | | 2006 | Professor and Intel Faculty Fellow at the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Oregon State University |
| Johanna Brenner | (b. 1943) | 2005 | Professor and coordinator of the women's studies program at Portland State University |
| Harriet Isom | (b. 1936) | 2005 | Former U.S Ambassador to Benin and Cameroon |
| Serena Ota St. Clair | | 2005 | Professor and Pathways and Articulation Coordinator at Rogue Community College in Southern Oregon |
| Joan Brown-Kline | | 2004 | Executive director of the Washington and Multnomah counties program of Oregon CASA; former president and owner of Brown-Kline & Company |
| Victoria Burton | | 2004 | Helped build the Crisis Response Teams for the Portland Police Bureau |
| Martha Young | (−2006) | 2004 | Executive Director for the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation |
| Phyllis Lee | (b. 1936) | 2003 | Director of Multicultural Affairs at Oregon State University |
| Diane Rosenbaum | (b. 1949) | 2003 | Senate President Pro Tempore of the Oregon State Senate |
| Jerralynn Ness | | 2003 | Anti-poverty activist |
| Connie Ashbrook | | 2002 | Founding member and the executive director of the non-profit Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. |
| Susan Castillo | (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. |
| Katherine Jensen | | 2002 | Writer and certified Nurse Midwife |
| Clariner Boston | | 2001 | Executive Director of Better People |
| Margaret Jean Hallock | | 2001 | Economist and founding director of the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics at the University of Oregon |
| Kathleen Margerum | | 2001 | Member of the Florence Area Coordinating Council |
| Elmo Bloom | | 2000 | Manager of the Hermiston Neighborhood Center and developer of a successful senior meal program |
| Roslyn Hill | | 2000 | Developer nicknamed the "Queen of Alberta" for her efforts to revitalize Alberta Street in Northeast Portland |
| Sue Shaffer | (1922–2017) | 2000 | Tribal leader of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians |
| Avel Gordly | (b. 1947) | 1999 | First African-American woman to be elected to the Oregon State Senate |
| Kathryn Jones Harrison | (1924–2023) | 1999 | Tribal leader from the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon |
| Katherine Huff O'Neil | (b. 1938) | 1999 | Attorney and member of the ABA Board of Governors |
| Amy Aldrich Bedford | (1912–2006) | 1998 | Co-owner of the East Oregonian |
| Bev Clarno | (b. 1936) | 1998 | Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives |
| Joan Priscilla Kilbourn | (1936–2011) | 1998 | Microbiologist, educator |
| Margaret Carter | (b. 1935) | 1997 | Served in the Oregon State Senate and the Oregon House of Representatives |
| Patricia Davis Hinrichs | | 1997 | Attorney |
| Nellie Fox-Edwards | (1923–2017) | 1997 | Former political director of the Oregon AFL-CIO |
| Dianne Middle | | 1996 | Attorney and director of the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training |
| Cheryl Perrin | | 1996 | Executive director of Campaign for America and trustee at Lewis and Clark College |
| Judith Ramaley | (b. 1941) | 1996 | Former president of Portland State University |
| Myrlie Evers-Williams | (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 |
| Kate Brown | (b. 1960) | 1995 | Governor of Oregon (first openly bisexual governor) Oregon Secretary of State and former member of the Oregon Senate |
| Mary Alice Ford | (1935–2008) | 1994 | Pro-choice Republican who served in the Oregon House of Representatives for 15 consecutive years representing Washington County |
| Annabelle Jaramillo | (b. 1940/41) | 1994 | Former Executive Director of the Oregon Commission on Hispanic Affairs; Benton County Commissioner |
| Ellen Lowe | | 1994 | Board member and commissioner; Public Policy Director for Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon; advocate for low-income Oregonians |
| Janet Stevenson | (1913–2009) | 1994 | Writer and professor. Stevenson served as Mayor of Hammond, Oregon. |
| Ann Aiken | (b. 1951) | 1993 | Attorney and jurist |
| Tricia Smith | | 1993 | Government Relations Specialist for Oregon School Employees Association |
| Judith Armatta | | 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. |
| Susan Helms | (b. 1958) | 1992 | Lieutenant General in the United States Air Force and a former NASA astronaut at the International Space Station |
| Joan Biggs | | 1992 | |
| Ursula K. Le Guin | (1929–2018) | 1991 | Author of novels, children's books, and short stories, mainly in the genres of fantasy and science fiction |
| Gail Shibley | (b. 1958) | 1991 | First openly gay member of the Oregon House of Representatives; served on the Portland Planning Commission |
| Clarice Parr-Sandoz | (1909–1999) | 1990 | Member of the Walla Walla tribe |
| Y. Sherry Sheng | | 1990 | President Clackamas County Master Gardeners; former director Seattle Aquarium and the Oregon Zoo (1988–97) |
| Mary Wendy Roberts | (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 |
| Nancy Wilgenbusch | (1947–2017) | 1989 | President of Marylhurst University from 1984 to 2008 |
| Marsha Congdon | | 1988 | Vice President of Policy and Strategy at US West and director of Mentor Graphics |
| Betty Roberts | (1923–2011) | 1988 | 83rd Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court |
| Nancy Ryles | (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 |
| Susan Hammer | (1948–2020) | 1987 | Attorney and mediator |
| Barbara Roberts | (b. 1936) | 1986 | 34th Governor of Oregon from 1991 to 1995 |
| Norma Paulus | (1933–2019) | 1986 | Oregon Secretary of State and Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction |
| Vera Katz | (1933–2017) | 1985 | First woman to serve as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives and the 49th mayor of Portland |