News

Portland Mayor Vera Katz has been selected to receive the 2005 Nohad A. Toulan Urban Pioneer Award for Public Service from the College of Urban and Public Affairs at Portland State University.

“Mayor Katz honors our College by accepting this award,” said Dean Lawrence Wallack. “Her dedication, commitment, vision and tireless effort have made a difference in the lives of all Oregonians. She has certainly shaped Portland and is a role model for anyone who believes in public service.”

Mayor Katz will receive her Urban Pioneer Award at the fourth-annual dinner and banquet April 13, 2005, at the Portland Hilton Hotel. The Urban Pioneer Award was created to honor state and community leaders who exhibit many of the ideals taught to students, and valued by College of Urban and Public Affairs’ faculty and community partners. The college trains and educates the next generation of leaders who will address government, health and urban issues.

“I love the positive contributions of Portland State and the great work of the College of Urban and Public Affairs. I am honored to receive this recognition,” said Mayor Katz. “I believe that partnerships with great students, researchers and professors at the College have made Portland and our region a great place to live and study.”

Vera Katz was elected Portland mayor in 1992 after serving 20 years in the Oregon Legislature, including three terms as Speaker of the House—the first woman to hold that position in Oregon. Prior to her election to public office, she spent time as a citizen activist on issues of equal rights and environmental and livability causes.

Nearing the end of her third and final term as Portland mayor, Vera Katz has led the city through a great period of revitalization and has kept it on the move through the recent recession. The Pearl District, the newly begun South Waterfront, the Classical Chinese Garden and Eastbank Esplanade are just a few of her recent additions to the city’s urban landscape. Her overall achievements in the areas of neighborhood improvements, public safety and assistance to local schools have fueled the reputation of Portland as one of the nation’s most livable communities.

Urban Pioneer awards recognizing civic leadership and an outstanding community organization will be announced at a later date. In 2004, Urban Pioneer Awards were given to Don Clark (Nohad A. Toulan Urban Pioneer for Public Service), Barbara Farrow Walker (Urban Pioneer for Civic Leadership) and REACH Community Development, Inc. (Urban Pioneer Community Organization).

Sources:
John Ray (503-819-0589)
and
Lawrence Wallack (503-725-4043)
College of Urban and Public Affairs