Senator Kathleen Taylor has lived in Oregon for over 25 years. She lives in Southeast Portland with her husband, and two children who attended Portland Public Schools. Her professional background spans the private, public and volunteer sectors.
Senator Taylor began her career as a recruiter for Boly:Welch where she worked with small businesses to find jobs for hundreds of Oregonians. She left to pursue a graduate degree in public policy at Rutgers University. When she returned to Oregon, she went to work as Management Auditor, examining and analyzing government programs. Kathleen has worked for the City of Portland, Metro, Multnomah County, and the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office to help make government at all levels more efficient and transparent.
As a volunteer, Kathleen has been a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), defending the rights of Oregon’s children, and VISTA volunteer, helping at-risk children in rural Idaho. She has also served as a member of the Portland Public Schools’ Citizen Budget Review Committee and as PTA President at her children’s school.
Senator Taylor has a B.A. in Political Science and Psychology from University of Wisconsin, Madison and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Rutgers University. She was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 2015 and has served in the Oregon State Senate since 2017.
