Photo of Sage Johnson and a graphic of the OCJ logo.
Sage Johnson, a 2025 graduate of the Portland State University Master of Social Work (MSW) program, recently joined the team at Oregon Consumer Justice (OCJ) as a Policy Fellow! This is a first-of-its-kind position at OCJ, with Johnson being the inaugural individual taking on the newly designed role.
Oregon Consumer Justice (OCJ) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing and safeguarding consumer rights in Oregon. OCJ works across policy advocacy, community engagement, and the law to prioritize people over profits, with a particular focus on solutions that support consumers and communities most affected by exploitative practices. In 2025, OCJ played a pivotal role in the passage of several bills, including House Bill (HB) 3178, which enhances transparency for vehicle purchasers; Senate Bill (SB) 605, which removes medical debts from credit reports; and HB 2008, which positions Oregon as the only state besides Maryland to prohibit the sale of consumer location data pinpointing an individual's whereabouts within a 1,750-foot radius.
As Policy Fellow, Johnson has been tasked with identifying opportunities to strengthen protections for Oregon consumers. She has been conducting extensive research surrounding policy and advocacy, and has also been working closely with the OCJ Communications + Engagement Team to analyze the findings from their most recent consumer survey. During our interview, Johnson had this to say about the work that OCJ has been doing for communities most impacted by consumer injustices, “In the consumer space in general, unfortunately, those who tend to be the most impacted by predatory practices are traditionally underserved communities, (such as) Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), lower-income, rural, and older populations. By addressing consumer-based issues, we are inherently serving those communities and fostering equity in those spaces. Specifically, the passing of SB 605 serves many in the disabled community, as they often face large sums of medical debt.”
Johnson also highlighted the connections between her time as an MSW student and the work environment at OCJ. Notably, OCJ's State Policy Director, Angela Donley, is a fellow PSU MSW program alum and was also the professor of the Policy and Advocacy course that Johnson took while pursuing her graduate degree at PSU. Additionally, OCJ is hosting its first PSU MSW student this year in an internship, which will serve as their practicum placement to gain professional experience in a social work setting. In relating the values expressed in her social work education to the culture she has witnessed at OCJ, Johnson stated, “OCJ is very human-centered, and they value your overall well-being. They are more project-based than hour-based. For example, some folks take an hour or two off when their kids get home from school, so that they can spend time together, and it's no problem with OCJ. They display their values in every area of the organization, and I’m able to see the actualized version of the type of spaces that we dreamed of creating during my time at the PSU School of Social Work.”
Some things that Johnson hopes to address through her fellowship with OCJ include the exploitative nature of debt-collection practices, which disproportionately affect low-income and BIPOC populations, and also take a more active role in changes happening at the Federal level that could impact consumers nationwide. As for what individuals can do to mitigate exploitation, scams, and other consumer-related issues, Johnson emphasized the importance of knowing your rights and taking advantage of available resources that support a more equitable world for all people. A great place to start is the OCJ website, which offers numerous resources that can be accessed via the related links section that follows.
We are grateful to Sage for providing these insights into the work that she is doing with OCJ! We are extremely proud to see the passion and joy that she carries, and we are excited to see what this newly designed role has in store for her!