Dr. LaVerne Lewis elected first Black president of TriMet’s board of directors

East Multnomah County’s representative on the TriMet board of directors has made history.

Dr. LaVerne Lewis was elected president of the board during a meeting Wednesday, July 24. That selection makes her the first-ever Black president of the organization. She takes the role after being appointed to the board in 2021, representing District 6 (Gresham, Fairview, Troutdale, Wood Village), and serving as vice president from 2023-24.

Her term begins on Aug. 1.

“I am immensely grateful and proud to serve as President of the TriMet board of directors,” Lewis said. “It is a privilege to work alongside talented, dedicated and passionate board members and agency staff committed to improving our public transportation system for the benefit of our communities.”

She replaces District 2 Director Osvaldo “Ozzie” Gonzalez, who is resigning from the board due to a move outside the boundary of his district. District 1 Director Thomas Kim is the vice president, and District 7 Director Kathy Wai remains as board secretary/treasurer.

Lewis spent nearly 18 years with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, where she retired as a corrections deputy and as a training instructor at the Oregon Public Safety Academy.

She also owns a small business, LaVerne Lewis LLC, which provides tax and accounting services.

Lewis previously served on the Mt. Hood Community College board of education, and is an adjunct instructor in the Business Administration Department at Portland Community College. She has a bachelor of science in accounting, a master’s in education and human resource development, and a doctor of education degree.

She founded the nonprofit Women-SEW, which develops sewing collectives for women and girls, and is president of Faith Northwest United Methodist Foundation’s board of directors.