Jeanne Paquette Atkins (born 1949/1950) is an American politician who was the 25th Secretary of State of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, having been appointed on March 6, 2015, by Governor

Kate Brown Katherine Brown (born June 21, 1960) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 38th governor of Oregon from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she served three terms as the state representative from the 13th distr ...

following Brown's ascension to the state's highest office. Atkins is a member of the Democratic Party. She did not run for a full term as Secretary of State and later became state Democratic Party chair.

Early career

Atkins ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, the upper house being the Oregon State Senate. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of ...

twice, in 1992 and 1994. From 1998 until 2004, she was a division director for reproductive and women's health for the

Oregon Department of Human Services The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) is the principal human services agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. DHS provides services to more than 1 million Oregonians each year. History 1971: The Oregon Legislature cre ...

. Atkins also worked as staff director for Democrats in the

Oregon Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the state Sena ...

from 1993 to 1994. Between 2004 and 2009, she served as Chief of Staff for the Oregon House Democratic Caucus, then-House Speaker

Jeff Merkley Jeffrey Alan Merkley (born October 24, 1956) is an American politician who is the junior United States senator from Oregon. He was first elected to the Senate in 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 1999 to 2009 as the repres ...

, and then-House Speaker Dave Hunt. In the private and nonprofit sector, she has worked for

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization

, the

United Way of America United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual United Ways mobilize a sin ...

, and the

Women's Equity Action League The Women's Equity Action League, or WEAL, was a United States women's rights organization founded in 1968 with the purpose of addressing discrimination against women in employment and education opportunities. Made up of conservative women, they use ...

. On August 24, 2009, Atkins was appointed as United States Senator

's State Director. She assumed the office on October 5, 2009. She retired from the post in January 2015.

Oregon Secretary of State

Atkins was reportedly one of the first people

considered for the position of secretary of state after Brown became governor in February 2015. She said after her appointment that she did not plan to run for a full term in 2016. Atkins was appointed on March 6, 2015 and formally sworn in on March 11, 2015 at 1:00 PM.

Democratic Party chair

In May 2017, Atkins was elected chair of the

Democratic Party of Oregon The Democratic Party of Oregon is the Oregon affiliate of the Democratic Party. The State Central Committee, made up of two delegates elected from each of Oregon's 36 counties and one additional delegate for every 15,000 registered Democrats, is ...

, defeating Larry Taylor.

Personal life

Atkins resides in

Cedar Hills, Oregon Cedar Hills is a census-designated place and neighborhood in Washington County, Oregon, United States south of U.S. Route 26 (Oregon), U.S. Route 26 and west of Oregon Route 217 and within the Portland metropolitan area. Construction began in 194 ...

. She is married to John Atkins. She is originally from

Bremerton Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 43,505 at the 2020 census and an estimated 44,122 in 2021, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

References

External links