Panelists
As a former athlete, business owner and award-winning orator, Libra champions elite personal behavior and thought partnership. She uses her education and elite athletic experiences to cultivate effective goal setting that is manageable and sustainable. In addition, over 25 years corporate, social justice and orator experiences enable her to relate to multiple levels of communities, professionals and people. Libra is currently the Executive Director for Women’s Foundation of Oregon, a philanthropist non-profit organization that focuses on gender justice. She is also an elected official as a North Clackamas School board member and in 2022 was the first person of color to run for Clackamas County Commissioner. Libra sits on the Board of Northwest Outward-Bound Schools and was appointed to the Governors Racial Equity Education Recovery Committee. Libra’s past executive roles include being the Chief Operating Officer for the second largest minority social service non-profit agency in Oregon, the founder of the largest hybrid charter school in Hawaii, and has been honored with awards in social justice, equity and world championship speaking.
Annessa Hartman (she/her) is a member of the Haudenosaunee, Cayuga Nation, Snipe Clan—the first Indigenous City Council member and a resident of the city of Gladstone, Oregon. Hartman is the Marketplace & Retail Coordinator for the Native American Youth And Family Center (NAYA) dedicated to empowering Native businesses to realize and achieve their full potential and success.
Jamie McLeod-Skinner is a small business owner and Regional Emergency Coordinator. Raised by a single mom when she was young, Jamie watched her mom work three jobs at times to put food on their table. Jamie paid her own way through college and law school — so she knows how tough it is to make ends meet. That’s why she focused her career on rebuilding communities and protecting our natural resources. A former union member, Jamie is an outspoken advocate for Oregon’s working people, family farmers, urban and rural communities.
Jamie began her public service managing the repairs of schools and hospitals in Bosnia and Kosovo before returning to the U.S. to manage refugee resettlement programs, work in city and regional planning, and serve on a city council. She has led organizational change, mediated community disputes, helped develop affordable housing, and managed teams through crises. In 2021, Jamie led wildfire recovery efforts as the City of Talent’s Interim City Manager, bringing in millions of dollars in aid and emergency housing.
Jamie holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, a Master’s in Regional Planning, and a law degree with a focus on Natural Resources Law. She serves as an elected board member of the Jefferson County Education Service District and was appointed by Governor Brown to serve on the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board.
As a rural Oregonian, Jamie understands the importance of water, natural resources and agriculture. In Congress, she will fight for rural communities.
Jamie lives on a gravel road in rural Central Oregon. Jamie is a stepmom and lives with her wife in Central Oregon where they raise dogs, goats, and chickens. In her spare time, she enjoys hanging out with family and hiking with her dogs.
Jessica Vega Pederson has served on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners since elected in 2016. As Commissioner, Jessica led work on Preschool for All which voters passed in November 2020 to provide universal preschool for children in Multnomah County. She also sits on several regional transportation committees and champions legislation on environmental justice, climate and air quality. Before being elected to the Board, Jessica served as a State Representative in the Oregon legislature where she was the first Latina elected to the House.