Bev Stein

beverly@psg.us

The best job I ever had was serving as the elected Chair of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners and Chief Executive of the county for eight years. There I was responsible for managing 5,000 employees and a billion dollar budget.  I had a chance to focus on my passions such as linking schools and social services, expanding access to health care, creating a sound public safety system, and implementing quality management techniques in government. One of my proudest moments was when the county won the Oregon Quality Award (based on Baldrige criteria) after a year-long assessment process. At the celebration party my mouth hurt from smiling so much.

Counties and cities are notorious for not getting along so I was pleased when I was selected, along with the Mayor of the City of Portland, as “Local Public Official of the Year” by Governing Magazine in recognition of our outstanding cooperation.

I had a chance to meet some incredible people and hear their stories when Secretary of Labor Robert Reich appointed me to his Task Force on Excellence in Government through Labor Management Cooperation and when I served on the board of the Alliance for Redesigning Government where I first met David Osborne.

Before I was elected to my county position I served as a State Representative in the Oregon Legislature for three terms.  Prior to that I was an attorney in private practice (I call myself a recovering attorney now!) and a strategic planner and facilitator for non-profit organizations, small businesses and government.  

I received my BA from the University of California at Berkeley in Urban Studies in 1970 and my law degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1976.   I live in Portland, Oregon with my husband Rob who is a writer.