Commissioner Brad Avakian

Brad Avakian, Oregon’s 9th Labor Commissioner, was born February 4, 1961. He attended Beaverton’s public schools, received a B.S. in Psychology from Oregon State University in 1984 and a J.D. degree from Lewis and Clark Law School in 1990.

Prior to law school, Brad worked as a laborer, counselor and teacher’s assistant. After law school, Brad opened a civil rights law practice, serving people statewide who had suffered housing and employment discrimination. Brad was elected to the House of Representatives in 2002, reelected in 2004, and then elected to the Senate in 2006, serving northeast Washington and northwest Multnomah Counties.

During his legislative career, Brad was a strong advocate for public education, Oregon’s environment and workers’ rights. He served on the Joint Ways and Means, Commerce, Education and Rules Committees and chaired the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee. Brad successfully passed the Oregon Renewable Energy Act, the expansion of Oregon’s landmark Bottle Bill, the Agriculture and Community Water Act, which will bring desperately needed water to Oregon’s farms and rural communities, and expanded the rights of workers to organize and bargain.

In the 2007 legislative session, Brad was named “Consensus Builder of the Year” for his ability to bring people together in resolving some of Oregon’s most pressing issues.

Brad, his wife Debbie, and their two children live in northeast Washington County.