Message from the Oregon State Director, Vicki L. Walker

On behalf of the USDA Rural Development staff in Oregon, welcome to our web site. I invite you to explore our web pages for valuable information related to our programs. The Rural Development staff is a team working to ensure that rural Oregonians have quality housing, economic opportunity, clean drinking water, supportive community facilities, and modern utility services and telecommunications.

We are building for the future, and working in partnership with business and community leaders and all levels of government. We are making certain that available resources are invested wisely in a coordinated manner in order to improve the quality of rural communities and the vitality of their residents' lives.

Please, take a look at each of our program areas. We have a lot to offer! Through the use of this website, I hope that you'll gain a better understanding of how USDA Rural Development is fulfilling its mission and creating new opportunities for rural Oregonians. If you need additional information give our staff a call, send an e-mail message, or set up an appointment to come in and see us.

Thanks for visiting. Let's work together!   Vicki L. Walker
 

Biography for Vicki L. Walker

Vicki Walker serves as Oregon State Director for USDA Rural Development. Walker served for ten years in the Oregon State Legislature, in both the House and the Senate, before being appointed by President Obama to Rural Development in November 2009. Ms. Walker served on numerous committees and task forces on topics ranging from renewable energy, health care, youth suicide prevention, education, judiciary, and public safety, to name a few. She earned a reputation in Oregon capitol for demanding accountability and transparency in government, spearheading landmark legislation on many issues. In the 2009 Legislative Session, she was a member of the Joint Committee on Ways & Means, co-chaired the Subcommittee on Natural Resources, and was a member of the Subcommittee on Public Safety. In 2007, she won the Legislator of the Year Award from the Special Districts Association of Oregon.

Prior to her appointment to Rural Development, Walker operated her own court reporting firm for 25 years, providing court reporting services to grand juries, federal courts, and attorneys in Oregon. She earned a B.S. degree from the University of Oregon in 1978, and studied court reporting at Lane Community College. Ms. Walker lives in Eugene, Oregon, with her husband Steve Walker, to whom she's been married since 1975. They have two grown children, Adam and Sara.
 

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