July 24, 2019
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INSIDE L O C A L N E W S
The
Week in Review
M ETRO
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New Portland Community College Board Member Tiffani Penson (second from left) is congratulated
Thursday as she begins her first four year term on the PCC Board of Directors. Oregon Supreme Court
Justice Adrienne Nelson (far left) presided over the oath of office ceremony and PCC President Mark
Mitsui and Board Chair Jim Harper (far right) also celebrate.
Penson Takes Oath
Begins term on Portland Community College board
Tiffani Penson, an education
advocate from the African Amer-
ican community and a city hall
staffer promoting equity in city
contracting has started her first
four year term on the Portland
Community College Board of Di-
rectors. On Thursday Penson took
the oath of office from Oregon
Supreme Court Justice Adrienne
Nelson, the first black woman
ever to serve on the state’s highest
court.
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
O PINION
C LASSIFIEDS
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Nelson swore in all of PCC’s
new directors during the special
ceremony. Penson was elected by
voters in May to represent PCC’s
Zone 2, which covers north and
northeast Portland along and Co-
lumbia County.
A native Oregonian and the
supplier diversity officer for the
city of Portland, Penson’s re-
sponsibilities include outreach
to disadvantage, minority, wom-
en, emerging small businesses
and service disabled businesses.
She implemented and man-
ages the Minority Evaluator
Program, which requires city
bureaus to include at least one
minority evaluator from the
community to serve on evalu-
ation panels awarding formal
contracts. She also serves on
the board of Architecture Foun-
dation of Oregon, Bound for A
Cure, Kairos PDX, and Oregon
Native American Chamber.
New Prison Chief Makes History
Named first
black woman to
run a prison
Nichole Brown, a state Depart-
ment of Corrections official with
more than 20 years of experience
was named Monday as the new
superintendent of the Columbia
River Correctional Institution in
Portland, the first African Ameri-
can woman to run a prison in the
state of Oregon. The appointment
is effective Aug. 1.
When asked to reflect on what it
means to be the first black woman
to run a prison in the state, Brown
acknowledged that law enforce-
ment and the African American
community, traditionally, have not
always had a good relationship.
staff and to normalize and human-
ize the corrections setting,” she
said. “I bring a diverse perspec-
tive – not only in ethnicity and
culture – but diversity of opinion,
thoughts and abilities. I will be a
role model to staff and to adults in
custody showing that our diversity
can be our greatest strength as we
share and grow with one another
as corrections professionals.”
Brown started her career in
1997 at the Powder River Correc-
tional Facility in Baker City in the
inmate work programs section.
From 2004 to 2012, she served
Nichole Brown
as the workforce development
administrator responsible for ed-
“My decision to apply for the ucation training and alcohol and
position was easy, as I know the drug treatment programs. She
leadership of the agency has made currently oversees programs and
a commitment to diversify the
C ontinued on P age 5
workforce with highly trained