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2026 OCFW Regular Commission Meeting Schedule

Public invited to attend - Please register using the links below:

November 20, 2026 | 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM CLICK HERE

2027 OCFW Regular Commission Meeting Schedule - Webinar Links Coming Soon 

January 15, 2027 | 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM

March - Women of Achievement Awards (no regular commission meeting)

May 21, 2027  | 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM

July 16, 2027  | 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM

September 17, 2027  | 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM

November 19, 2027  | 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM

The Governor is committed to ensuring that all Boards and Commissions represent the growing age, racial and gender diversity of the state.  This is an amazing opportunity to pool our collective viewpoints, visions and hopes for Oregon - and all residents are welcome and encouraged to serve.  

If you are interested in serving on this commission, please follow the link: OCFW - Commission Member Application


Our Vision:

We serve the people of Oregon to empower and support women through our special roles as policy advisors to Oregon state policy makers and leaders. The OCFW is a catalyst that empowers partnerships between state government and women in rural and urban areas to ensure success for all women by addressing issues at the policy level.


Our Mission:

The mission of the Oregon Commission for Women is to work for the implementation and establishment of economic, social, legal and political equality for women and to maintain a continuing assessment of the issue and needs confronting women and girls in Oregon.

Our Principles and Values:

  • Equity for women and girls in the economy, education, health, safety, family stability, environment and civic engagement.
  • Equal treatment and protection against discrimination.
  • Access to helpful information on services and available resources.
  • Working in partnership on research and policy analysis of longstanding issues and barriers to success for women and girls statewide.
  • Inclusion of women's viewpoints in policymaking at the state level.
  • Celebration of and education about the contributions and achievements of Oregon women.

Our Statutory Goals and Strategic Priorities:

  • Advocate for women's issues at the state policy level.
  • Engage community and state partners to promote equity for women and girls across Oregon.
  • Study and analyze issues affecting women and recommend policy remedies to state policymakers.
  • Grow and develop leaders among women at the state level in all branches.
  • Increase the viability and visibility of women's contributions and achievements in Oregon.

 

View our Biennium Report: CLICK HERE for 2021-23 Biennium Report


Meet the Commissioners


Portland

Irene Konev has over 20 years of experience in community organizing, outreach, public relations, working with non-profits and local governments. A caring and compassionate organizer, Irene does her work through an equity lens, providing linguistically and culturally relevant service focused on the systematically marginalized community. Irene has a particular focus on stakeholder engagement and community relationship building, gathering the voices that are systematically excluded.

Having lived and worked in northern Canada, Oregon and Washington, she embraces the responsibility of tailoring a best practice or process to the specific needs of an organization. Irene is skilled in building and maintaining relationships with diverse community including DREAMers, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ aging, older adults, economically disadvantaged, Native Americans, members of Oregon's nine federally recognized tribes, American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Black, African Americans, Latinx, Hispanic, Asian Pacific Islanders, Ukrainian/Eastern European immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented farm workers, migrant workers and living in rural parts of the states. Clients appreciate her over 13 years of experience in community and police relations work centered in the Portland Metro area.

Irene identifies as American – Slavic/Eastern European, community member with ancestry from both Ukraine and Russia. She runs her own business, Konev Consulting LLC, working closely with the Eastern European Community of Oregon and Washington. 


Portland

​Jackie Wirz is a biochemist by training, a nonprofit executive by profession, and a passionate advocate for the health and wellbeing of all Oregonians. She leverages her 15 years in academic medicine – first as a student, then as a faculty member, director, and dean – to develop and assess programs that advance healthcare. After pivoting to the nonprofit sector, she expanded her impact by advocating for K12 education, community engagement, and professional development.

She is exceptionally nerdy but surprisingly extroverted and combines these superpowers as a host for the popular Science on Tap lecture series. She believes that coffee is life and would be happy to grab a cup with you anytime. ​

Portland
Sheila A. Amoo-Ofori, M.A., is a human services leader, clinical operations professional, and dedicated community advocate with over 15 years of experience advancing health equity, language access, and socio-economic empowerment across the Portland metro area and statewide.

Appointed by state leadership to the Oregon Commission for Women (2026–2030), Sheila advises the Governor and State Legislature on policies impacting the health, civil rights, and economic self-sufficiency of women across Oregon. Her commitment to systemic change extends to her service as a Council Member on the ODHS Child Welfare Service Equity Council, where she works to eliminate racial disparities and embed trauma-informed, culturally responsive practices into state agency operations.

Sheila’s extensive background bridges clinical administration and grassroots advocacy. At Providence, she directed daily clinical reception, managed electronic health records in EPIC EHR, and ensured strict regulatory compliance while delivering low-barrier care to vulnerable older adults. As a Certified Community Health Worker, Certified Peer Support Specialist, and CNA II, she has spent years on the frontlines with organizations like Unite Oregon, ORCHWA, and AFHHO assisting immigrant, refugee, and marginalized families in navigating complex health and social service systems.

Deeply engaged in regional health advocacy, Sheila also serves as a Consortium Member for Multnomah County’s Healthy Birth Initiative, working to address racial disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes, and volunteers with Fresh Out – Miracles Club to support individuals navigating recovery and community re-entry.

Sheila holds a Master of Arts in Human Services from Warner Pacific University and a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration from Concordia University. Guided by principles of equity, cultural humility, and trauma-informed care, she continues to champion the dignity, safety, and self-sufficiency of women, children, and families throughout Oregon.​


Eugene

​

Myra Flores serves as Chief of Staff to Oregon State Senator Anthony Broadman, representing Senate District 27 in Central Oregon. In this role, she oversees legislative priorities, constituent services, community engagement, and office operations.

Born and raised in Eugene, Myra began her higher education at Lane Community College and later earned her Bachelor’s degree in social science from Oregon State University–Cascades, graduating summa cum laude. Her previous public service includes work in the Oregon House of Representatives and the United States House of Representatives. She is also a graduate of the Emerge Oregon Class of 2026.

As a Latina and lifelong Oregonian, Myra’s commitment to service is grounded in her family’s experiences and the example of her mother, who immigrated to the United States and built a small business while raising her family. Myra is passionate about ensuring women feel seen, heard, and empowered to participate in the decisions that affect their lives and communities. Living in Central Oregon, with rural eastern Oregon at her doorstep, she hopes to build relationships and open dialogue with women across the state, particularly those in rural communities. She wants to listen, learn, and better understand their experiences, needs, and perspectives.

Myra enjoys spending time outdoors, fishing, traveling, watching football, fútbol, and basketball, and listening to live music.​


Portland

Natasha Haunsperger has been a Portland Police Officer for eighteen years and is currently assigned to the Office of Community Engagement, Chief's office. In her current position, Officer Haunsperger has been working on addressing complex criminal justice-related issues with immigrant and refugee communities in the Portland Metro area. Ms. Haunsperger created a unique police program that focuses on connecting police officers with newly arrived refugees and immigrants to build trust, promote cultural awareness, and welcome and assist new community members in their adaptation process.

In her previous assignment at the Criminal Intelligence Unit, Ms. Haunsperger focused on both intelligence and criminal investigations involving subjects of foreign-born labor trafficking in the state of Oregon. Officer Haunsperger also co-produced a documentary film on foreign-born labor trafficking, "Reclaiming Their Lives," and is actively working on raising public awareness about trafficking trends in the Pacific NW. Officer Haunsperger is committed to developing a training curriculum for first responders and community-based stakeholders, focusing on early detection and identification of possible labor trafficking activities and victim identification and rescue.

Ms. Haunsperger received her B.A. in Russian Language from Portland State University in 2004. In 2015, She received the Rotary International Peace Studies scholarship and completed a three-month "Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies" course at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok,

Thailand. In 2020, She received a master’s degree at the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS).

Ms. Haunsperger is also a LEADS scholar with the National Institute of Justice, focusing on evidence-based research to advance contemporary policing practices and policies.

She is also a Commissioner with the America 2026 Oregon Commission.

As a former war refugee and an immigrant from Croatia, Ms. Haunsperger is deeply involved with the immigrant and refugee communities in Portland. Her commitment to promoting social and community justice is unwavering. In her personal life, she enjoys gardening, baking, and exploring the PCNW. She resides in Portland.


Sarah A. Koski is a homeless advocate and the Community Resource Liaison for Lane Transit District in Eugene, Oregon. In 2019, she stepped away from her role as Executive Director of a regional nonprofit to work directly in the trenches of homelessness, serving as a case manager and crisis interventionist at one of Oregon’s largest low-barrier shelters. Today, Sarah builds new programs, resource guides, and pathways at the intersection of transit, infrastructure, and unhoused support through her work at Lane Transit District.

A graduate of the Robert D. Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon with a degree in political science, Sarah found her calling in humanitarian advocacy through early work in emerging technology and disaster response. She currently serves on the American Public Transportation Association’s National Transit and Vulnerable Populations Workgroup. Her dedication to women’s advocacy and front-line service has earned her national and global recognition — including being named a 2022 Vital Voices & Estée Lauder Top 100 Global Woman and the 2024 Oregon Women’s Commission Woman of the Year.​

Pendleton

​Kola Shippentower-Thompson is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. A survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault & sexual harassment by law enforcement, she founded the Wisáwca Project, LLC. An organization working for change, for better communication and involvement. Kola has developed a Safety Plan to be utilized by anyone in identifying safety methods, contacts, and procedures to keep one safe, whether in an abusive relationship or a plan to track a missing person. She is a professional fighter and brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Kola is a wife and mother to three children and takes personal safety to heart, especially in advocating for MMIWP. Kola is also an actress, model & host of the I AM podcast. She is also a professional women’s tackle football player with the Oregon Ravens.​

Salem

Krystal Styles has served in the public sector at both the federal and state levels for more than a decade, supporting a diverse range of agencies and initiatives through project and program management. Her experience spans complex IT infrastructure projects, organizational initiatives, and legislatively mandated service programs, giving her a unique perspective on how systems, policy, and people intersect.


With a background in public safety and a passion for research, Krystal has increasingly devoted her personal time to examining Oregon’s approach to domestic violence and the systems that impact survivors and their families.

Her work is driven by a simple but powerful vision: an Oregon where women and young girls can be liberated from violence, surrounded by stronger systems of support, and given the safe, solid ground they need to pursue a healthy, empowered, and beautiful future.​


Eugene
​Lisa has called Eugene, Oregon home for over 30 years and lives there with her husband, Tibor Bessko. Before being elected to the Oregon Legislature she worked as an educator for over 25 years – first as an elementary classroom teacher and then at Pacific University's College of Education on teacher licensure and workforce development.  Lisa served on the Lane Community College Board of Directors from 2018 until 2024, including serving as chair for two years during the COVID pandemic.  She was appointed as a member of the City of Eugene Planning Commission in 2017 and served until starting in the state legislature in 2025.  As a member of the City of Eugene's Planning Commission she working to help identify housing solutions for our community.

Lisa ran for the state legislature because in her role as an elementary educator she saw first hand the struggles families face and because her service in local government provided her with the understanding that it is possible to make a difference.  Lisa knows the most important issues for voters, nationwide and here in Oregon, are affordability and the cost of living. This includes ensuring families have access to good paying jobs and prioritizing efforts to lower everyday costs for working people. She is honored at the opportunity to serve House District 8 in the Oregon State Legislature and committed to making sure our community is a great place for everyone to work, play, and raise a family.
Representative Lisa Fragala was elected in November 2024 and is currently serving in her first term as a state legislator in the Oregon House of Representatives.  She is currently a member of the House Labor and Workforce Development Committee, the House Education Committee, and the House Housing and Homelessness Committee.  She is also proud to have recently been appointed to the Oregon Women's Commission.

​


Salem

Oregon State Senator Deb Patterson represents District 10, which includes South and West Salem, Monmouth, and Independence. She has worked for over 20 years in healthcare administration and has served on the governing boards for a wide variety of health and human service organizations. She is also ordained clergy for over 30 years in the United Church of Christ.

Senator Patterson serves as the Chair of the Senate Health Care Committee, Co-Chair of the Ways and means Subcommittee on General Government, and a member of the Senate Labor and Business Committee and the Senate Housing Committee. She is a strong advocate for healthcare for all, for public education for all ages, and for climate action. She also works to make housing and childcare more affordable, to expand employment options such as apprenticeship opportunities, to help small businesses thrive, and to support clean energy jobs that pay living wages.

Deb is the Mom of two young adults, one of whom has special needs, and is married to Dr. Stephen Patterson, who holds the George H. Atkinson Chair of Religious and Ethical Studies at Willamette University.​


OCFW Statute

Public Records Requests (PRR)

The Oregon Advocacy Commissions Office (OACO) responds to requests for public records in the general way described in the Oregon Department of Administrative Services' (DAS) Public Records Requests policy (pdf).

The DAS Public Records Requests Fees and Charges policy outlines the fees the department charges for records, and the process the agency uses to fulfill requests.

Please choose one of the following methods to request public records from OACO:
1. Email your request to Jeff Selby, Executive Director with "PRR" included in the subject line: jeff.selby@oac.oregon.gov

OR

2. Mail a written request to this address:

Oregon Advocacy Commissions Office
PO Box 123
West Linn, OR 97068





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