Governor Kate Brown has announced the appointment of Connie Seeley as Special Advisor for COVID-19 Vaccination Implementation, effective Friday, December 11. In the role, Seeley will serve as a senior advisor to the Governor on COVID-19 issues, with a focus on directing the implementation of Oregon’s vaccine distribution and public communications plans, as well as coordinating efforts across state government, and with local, state, and federal partners.

Seeley had previously worked as a legislative director for Kate Brown in the state legislature.

“I appreciate Connie’s willingness to step up for the critical task of ensuring that COVID-19 vaccines are available and distributed across the state as rapidly as possible,” said Governor Brown. “She has the expertise in health care and governmental relations to help coordinate this vast and important vaccination campaign, making sure that COVID-19 vaccinations are equitably available to everyone in Oregon, particularly to historically-underserved communities that have felt the disproportionate impact of this pandemic and existing health disparities––including Black, Indigenous, Latino, Latina, and Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and Oregonians of color.”

Seeley is joining the Governor’s Office on temporary assignment through an intergovernmental agreement with her current employer, Oregon Health & Science University. She has over 20 years of experience in the public sector, including organizational governance, administration, governmental relations, public affairs, and crisis communications. She is the chief administrative officer, executive vice president, and chief of staff of OHSU, where she has worked since 2010. She also has 13 years of experience working in the Oregon Legislature. She is a graduate of the University of Oregon.

Seeley joins the Governor’s health policy team, which includes Linda Roman, Health Policy Advisor, Jackie Yerby, Policy Advisor for Health Care Licensing and Behavioral Health, and Tina Edlund, Health Care Finance Advisor.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-12-11 11:09:32

Last Update: 2020-12-11 20:07:24