The Oregon School Boards Association named Willamette University College of Law alumnus Jim Green JD’91 its next executive director. Green succeeds Betsy Miller-Jones, who retires January 1, 2017.
Since 2012, Green has served as the OSBA’s deputy executive director. Dr. Doug Nelson, president of the OSBA Board of Directors, said Green is uniquely qualified and was the top candidate because of his passion for public education, knowledge of issues and well-known reputation.
“He thoroughly understands the important volunteer work that school board members perform,” Nelson said, “and through his legislative expertise, he has helped position OSBA as a leading voice for public education in Oregon.”
Green has also been an elected member of the Salem-Keizer School Board since 2011. He is an advocate for investing in young people and creating a better future for them.
“I’m a product of Oregon’s public schools,” Green said, “so I know firsthand how public education changes lives.”
Nelson said the OSBA Board believes Green will build on the momentum he’s had in his previous position and push to ensure public schools are properly funded, lift graduation rates and close the achievement gap.
Green has previous experience serving as a legislative specialist at OSBA from 1992 to 2007. He worked as a lobbyist and practiced law privately for five years before returning to OSBA in 2012. Green received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Oregon State University and his JD from Willamette Law in 1991.
About Willamette University College of Law
Opened in 1883, Willamette University College of Law is the first law school in the Pacific Northwest. The college has a long tradition at the forefront of legal education and is committed to the advancement of knowledge through excellent teaching, scholarship, mentoring and experience. Leading faculty, thriving externship and clinical law programs, ample practical skills courses, and a proactive career placement office prepare Willamette law students for today's legal job market. According to statistics compiled by the American Bar Association, Willamette ranks first in the Pacific Northwest for job placement for full-time, long-term, JD-preferred/JD-required jobs for the class of 2014 and first in Oregon for the classes of 2012, 2013 and 2014. Located across the street from the state capitol complex and the Oregon Supreme Court in downtown Salem, the college specializes in law and government, law and business, and dispute resolution.