Governor Kate Brown has announced additions to her leadership, policy, and legislative staff.

In addition to Connie Seeley, special advisor to the Governor on vaccines, and Gina Zejdlik who recently took over as chief of staff, the following staff will join the Governor’s team.

Andrea Cooper will join the Governor’s Office on December 21 as a deputy chief of staff. Cooper has worked as the political director for the SEIU, Local 503 since 2018. She has extensive experience in government and politics in and out of the State Capitol, including as chief of staff for the Oregon House Democrat Majority Office from 2015 to 2017. She managed Governor Brown’s reelection campaign in 2018. She has served on the boards of the Alliance for Youth Action, Bradley Angle, and Emerge Oregon. She is a graduate of the University of Portland.

Christian Gaston began serving as budget director and an executive team member in the Governor’s Office on December 7. He has served in the Governor’s Office as a policy advisor since 2018, in the areas of revenue, workforce, and labor. He worked previously for Governor John Kitzhaber and Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury, and was a reporter for the Oregonian and the Forest Grove News Times. His predecessor, Debbie Koreski, joined Columbia Public Affairs in December after serving for Governor Brown since 2016.

Jennifer Baker joined the Governor’s Office as labor and workforce policy advisor on December 15. She served previously on the Governor's policy team in 2019. She returns to the Governor’s Office after serving as the director of the SEIU Oregon State Council. She has also worked as the executive director of Future PAC, and the director of government relations and health policy for the Oregon Nurses Association. She has served on the boards of Our Oregon, NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon, and the Oregon AFL-CIO. She is a graduate of the University of Portland.

Christopher Madden joined the Governor’s Office as deputy legislative director on December 15. He has worked for the Oregon Health Care Association since 2016, most recently as the director of legislative and political affairs. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon. He joins legislative director Elana Pirtle-Guiney.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-12-20 12:25:18

Last Update: 2020-12-20 14:36:21