Nearly half a year into term, appointments seem to track with state’s diversity

Nearly six months into his third term as governor, John Kithaber has appointed 103 members to the state's various boards and commissions. Now that's just a fraction of the total number of members -- there are some 300 boards in all with about 2,000 members combined. That said, we figured it was as good a time as any to see if the governor was keeping good on his promise to have a "racially diverse” administration.

You might recall that in our first go on this promise (which you can read in its entirety by scrolling down) we found the governor's office staff of 37 did "mirror the overall diversity of the state” with the exception of Latinos, Oregon's largest minority group. In that category alone, he was falling short.

So how do things look on his board and commission appointments. Well, we recently spoke with Kendall Clawson, the governor's director of executive appointments, to find out.

According to her, 23 of the appointments (about 22 percent) went to people of color while the remaining 80 went to Caucasians. In terms of gender parity, 58 positions went to men while 45 went to women.

According to the 2010 Census, about 78 percent of Oregonians identified as white while the remaining 22 percent identified as Latino, Asian, African American, Native American or multiracial.

In that regard, he seems to be hitting the minimum goal we've established that his administration be at least as diverse as the state as whole in order for us to give him credit for his promise.

That said, there are two areas where he's coming up a little short. Of those 103 appointments 7 went to people who identify as Hispanic (7 percent). In Oregon, about 12 percent of the population identifies as Hispanic. Additionally, just under 47 percent of his appointments were women, that figure should be a few points higher to match the state as a whole.

Clawson said that work has to be done in both areas but underscored the fact that the governor has still made significant progress toward his promise of having a diverse, reflective administration. What's more, she said, the governor's push isn't just about head counting.

She said her office makes a point to "really dig deeper into people.”

"We call, and we meet with them, and we ask people, ‘Who are you as a person? What do you have to contribute to this giant community?' "

"We"re talking about diversity of all forms, so it"s not just race and ethnicity.”

It's also, she said, about age, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation and other factors.

"I think that's the great part about the inclusion method. No one is off the hook,” Clawson said. "Inclusion is about making sure everybody is included in the process.

"White, black, young, more seasoned, (gay), straight -- whoever -- we want them.”

So where does that put us as far as this promise is concerned? Well, the governor's appointments don't match perfectly with the state's composition -- those who identify as Hispanic are underrepresented, as are woman. That said, the numbers do seem to indicate he"s making progress toward his goal.

We'll keep this promise at its current ranking: In the Works.