Portland observer., October 31, 2012, Page 3, Image 3

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October 31, 2012
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O bservador
page 7
New Urban Leader
Humble roots lead
Michael Alexander
to public service
page 8
R eligion
C ari H achmann
T he P ortland O bserver
bv
“I understand how to serve a com ­
munity, because I grew up in one,” said
New York-raised Michael Alexander,
who has taken the reigns as the Urban
League of Portland’s 13th president
and chief executive officer.
A Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield
executive in Portland for the past seven
years, A lexander was selected to guide
the local civil rights and com m unity
service organization because o f his
success as a leader in business and
public service. He has worked in large
healthcare organizations for the past 25
to 30 years, but cam e looking for a
unique opportunity like this one.
“I wanted to spend the last couple
years o f my career where I started,” Michael Alexander is the new president and chief executive
A lexander said in an interview with the officer of the Urban League of Portland.
Portland Observer.
The Urban League began its search for a new and later, a behavioral health m anager for m ultiple
leader in March after the resignation of form er large health divisions and corporations including
League president, M arcus Mundy in December. Aetna, M agellan and Regence.
Am ong a pool of highly-qualified candidates,
Anderson moved to Portland in 2005 to become
Anderson took the position in August.
vice president of account m anagem ent at Regence.
“The Urban league is a critical voice in advocat­ Since his arrival, he has served on boards for
ing and elevating the interests o f Portlanders and Lifeworks Northwest, Portland Parks and Recre­
Oregonians who want and deserve to share more ation, the Oregon Am erican Leadership Forum, and
fully in all this- very special city has to offer,” he the cabinet for United Way of Columbia-W illamette.
said.
O f all the cities h e ’s lived in, Alexander says he
Humble New York beginnings, working hard loves Portland the most.
alongside three brothers, saving money for college
“It’s a peculiar paradise,” he said. He likes the
as a lifeguard, and doing a jo b no one else would city ’s progressive bent and that Portland doesn’t
as a claim adjuster in Harlem, pointed him to a life just tolerate, but invites differences among its in­
dedicated in the hum anities and touching the lives habitants.
of others, said Alexander.
T h ere’s room at the table for everyone,” he said,
His highest degree, a M asters in Social Services but that doesn’t mean the city is without its failings.
from Bryn M awr College in Pennsylvania, helped
Alexander said h e’s never lived in a city where the
guide his rich work history in social work as a
continued
on page 4
com m unity organizer and mental health director
F ood
pages 10
I
METRO-
page 11
O pinion
pages 12-13
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Portland Schools Enrollment Up
Arts
V t N IMUIAISMtNI
If ll
pages 15-18
C lassifieds
C alendar
pages 18
page 19
Enrollment is up for Portland
Roosevelt High School in north
Public Schools by more than 200 Portland gained 74 students to reach
students from last year to 47,508 826, a 10 percent increase and the
students, according to the district’s largest enrollment in nearly a de­
fall student count.
cade.
That’s makes four years of grow­
Lane M iddle School’s enroll­
ing enrollment and an increase of ment increased 10 percent to 486.
nearly 1,500 students since the 2008- Jam es John Elementary gained 37
09 school year, school officials said. students to 439 - an increase of 9
Some individual schools saw percent. A bernethy Elem entary
even more notable increases.
School gained 50 students - an
increase of 11 percent.
Overall, the trend o f triple digit
growth in early grades continued
this year. W ith the exception of
second grade, all grades K-7 have
more students than the year be­
fore.
While overall high school enroll­
ment decreased this year, the num­
bers ate predicted to rise in the com­
ing years.