Farewell Director Rhee

News Article
Former Civic Life Director Suk Rhee sits at a table and talks into a microphone while testifying to City Council
On Friday, May 14, Civic Life bid farewell to Director Suk Rhee
Published

On Friday, May 14, Civic Life bid farewell to Director Suk Rhee. Director Rhee joined the then-Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI) in August 2017 and was asked to reform a bureau suffering from limited accountability and outdated funding and program models. During this time, Director Rhee better aligned the bureau’s work with the City’s anti-racist and equity goals. Over the last three years, Director Rhee's leadership has guided Civic Life to deliver meaningful outcomes for communities, with a focus on those least well served by government, including:

  • Establishing the bureau’s mission of civic engagement as a means to achieve racial, disability, and social justice. 
  • First-in-the-nation partnerships following the leadership of communities around the 2020 Census, universal legal representation for deportation defense, and the Oregon Worker's Relief Fund.
  • Launching new bureau programs designed with racial, economic and social justice goals including the Cannabis Social Equity & Educational Development initiative, Portland United Against Hate, and the City’s 311 program.
  • Opening up previously closed funding opportunities to organizations led by communities of color and disability, and “minority-owned” and small businesses through Civic Life’s Constructing Civic Dialogues, Disability Justice Leadership, and graffiti removal programs.
  • Securing a home for the bureau in the Portland Building, bringing together teams on both sides of the river for more collaborative and cohesive functioning. 

“I thank our talented team and community partners who have always led the way,” said Director Rhee. “The pandemics of racism and COVID-19 have once again exposed how our society works and what transformation is necessary and possible through community leadership for justice. There is a time and season for everything; this part of the journey is over, the next begins. I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope.  Please continue to support the great people at Civic Life who work every day with Portlanders to promote the common good.”

“I appreciate Director Rhee’s service to the City and the accomplishments that she has made over the past several years,” said Commissioner Hardesty.  “As a result of her efforts, Civic Life is poised to lead collaboration directly with impacted communities and constituencies and with other City bureaus to develop more equitable processes and outcomes. The transformation from the Office of Neighborhood Involvement to the Office of Community & Civic Life (Civic Life) enables us to take on new efforts and partnerships for these challenging times.”

You can read Commissioner-in-Charge Jo Ann Hardesty and Director Suk Rhee's joint statement here.