Kayse Jama
Kayse Jama is the first immigrant and refugee as well as the first Muslim, Somali-American to serve in Oregon Senate, he was appointed in January 2021. Currently, he is serving as the Chair of the Senate Housing and Development Committee and members of the Senate Labor and Business Committee and the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development. Before he came to the Oregon Senate, Kayse was the co-founder and Executive Director of Unite Oregon. From 2005 to 2007, he trained immigrant and refugee leaders in Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Utah, and Idaho with Western States Center under a prestigious New Voices Fellowship. Kayse has numerous awards including the 2016 Rankin Award in recognition of "lifelong activism and extraordinary service" and the Northwest Workers’ Justice Project’s 2017 Tribune of Worker Justice Award, celebrating his dedication to uplifting the lives of Oregon immigrants and low-wage workers.