White Stag

Barbara Smith Warner was elected representative of District 45 in 2013 and was elected House Majority Leader after the conclusion of the 2019 session.

Rep. Smith Warner has been a grassroots organizer and community activist, largely for affordable health care and education access. She served as field representative to now U.S. Senator Ron Wyden. She also worked as a labor organizer in Washington, D.C., and ran the Oregon House Democratic Caucus.

In addition to volunteering at her children’s schools, Rep. Smith Warner also volunteers with her Neighborhood Association, the PTA, St. Andrew’s Food Pantry, and the Children’s Book Bank.

District 45 includes Northeast Portland, the city of Maywood Park and the Parkrose area.

When not working or volunteering, Barbara enjoys running, biking, and spending time with her husband Chris and two kids, Emmett and Eleanor.

B.A., English, University of Connecticut; M.A., Comparative Literature, Indiana University.

In addition to his legislative committee assignments, Sen. Dembrow also serves on the Oregon Workforce Investment Board, the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps Advisory Committee, the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education, and the Oregon Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs.

Sen. Dembrow is a retired English instructor at Portland Community College’s Cascade campus in North Portland. He taught writing and film studies at the college beginning in 1981, and served as the President of the PCC faculty union for 16 years. He continued to teach one or two classes per term after being elected to the House in 2008, and recently retired fully from teaching.

In 2007, Sen. Dembrow was appointed by Gov. Ted Kulongoski to the State Board of Education. His passion for film drives his involvement in the Cascade Festival of African Films, which he helped create in 1991. The Festival, which Michael is co-director of, has grown in size each year since its founding. He was also one of the first members of the Portland chapter of Jobs With Justice.

District 23 covers parts of east Portland, including the neighborhoods of Parkrose, Laurelhurst, Hollywood, and Mount Tabor.

Sen. Dembrow lives in Portland with his wife, Kiki. They have two children and two grandchildren.

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