Former State Senator Ryan Deckert Has a New Gig

After coming up short in a bid for Washington County chair, Deckert will lead Junior Achievement of Oregon and Southwest Washington.

Ryan Deckert
By Nigel Jaquiss

Former state Sen. Ryan Deckert (D-Beaverton) is the new president of Junior Achievement of Oregon and Southwest Washington.

Deckert served in the Oregon House from 1997 to 2001, when he moved up to the Senate, becoming the youngest state senator in Oregon history at age 29. In 2007, Deckert left the Senate to become president of the Oregon Business Association, a post he held until the OBA merged with Associated Oregon Industries in 2017.

An attempted return to electoral politics earlier this year did not pan out. Deckert came in third in the nonpartisan primary for Washington County chair, finishing behind front-runner Kathryn Harrington and veteran Washington County Commissioner Bob Terry.

He'll now take the reins at a 68-year-old non-profit that works with students from kindergarten to 12th grade, teaching them "skills they need to manage their money, plan for their futures, and make smart academic, career and economic choices."

"Ryan is a well-rounded leader with deep connections in Oregon who has assembled and led teams of internal staff and external partners to deliver results," Steve Gray, a U.S. Bank executive who chairs Junior Achievment's board, said in a statement.

Deckert, who started work Nov. 1, says he's "happy to be working with kids/financial literacy."

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