Johnnie Mae Bell

Through her more than thirty years of public service, Johnnie Bell has been an outstanding public administrator, first in the city of Portland and then with the State of Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries where she held several different leadership positions, most recently Administrator of the Civil Rights Division from 1992 until her retirement in 2002. In addition to being one of the few Black women to hold executive positions in state government, especially in the earlier years of her career, Ms. Bell has been active in electoral politics and service organizations. Currently, she is a member of Links, Inc, and Chair of their major annual fundraising event, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and the White Rose Educational Fund. She was elected delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1984, and active with the Oregon Women's Political caucus during the 1980s, and over the years she has organized campaign fundraising for many different candidates.