It is with great enthusiasm that I write this letter to announce my endorsement of Briana Spencer for the Pendleton School District Board Position 7 candidacy.

Ms. Spencer has served as a very reliable and dependable community organizer since my introduction to her work in July of 2020. We have accomplished much in a short period of time due to Briana’s professional network and her dedication to racial equity.

Briana is an intelligent, hard-working team player. I know her to be an effective leader with a high level of computer skills and outstanding people skills.

As part of the Pendleton School Board, Briana Spencer would have extensive training and developed expertise to draw on. She is an accomplished public speaker and advocate for local policy change. She has developed, planned and delivered volunteer training. She has regularly been asked to facilitate social media engagement for various grass roots alliances, including Pendleton Community Action Coalition and Umatilla County Responds.

These engagements have allowed her a unique insight into the community’s immediate and long-term needs. They have also fostered a deep relationship with other organizers, volunteers and nonprofit organizations throughout rural Oregon.

I am confident that Ms. Spencer will contribute to any district’s learning community in countless ways as she has already for us here in the city of Pendleton.

Jessica S. Pedersen, LMT

Pendleton

The East Oregonian does not run endorsements of more than 400 words.

The East Oregonian will institute a deadline for letters to the editor, so we can be fair with all the letters we receive and allow for responses before Election Day, if necessary.

We run the letters on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please submit your endorsement letters to the editor by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 7. You can email them to editor@eastoregonian.com, or mail them to East Oregonian, c/o Andrew Cutler, 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton, OR 97801.

We will publish our last letters on Saturday, May 15. Any letters received after the deadline will not run. Election Day is May 18.