John Kitzhaber, M.D.
President

Professional Background

John Kitzhaber served as Oregon Governor from 1995 to 2003. He was President of the State Senate from 1985 until 1993. Gov. Kitzhaber has been closely involved with natural resource issues in Oregon and the West during his entire public service career. As governor of Oregon, he an advocate for finding innovative and cooperative solutions to the natural resource issues confronting the region. He served as cochair of the Western Governors’ Association efforts that developed a comprehensive strategy to address forest health and the risk of catastrophic fire throughout the West. He took the lead on Columbia River management issues. His administration developed and implemented the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds as a way to involve local communities in the recovery of threatened and endangered salmon runs. Gov. Kitzhaber joined with former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt to develop the “Enlibra “ approach to resource management, and led the effort to address the forest health crisis in the Northwest through his work with the Blue Mountains Demonstration Area. Kitzhaber earned his bachelor of science degree from Dartmouth College and his medical degree from the University of Oregon Medical School.