Since the 1970s, Lee Beyer has been a real leader in helping Oregon stay open for business. Lee has led efforts to create a well trained workforce and the right infrastructure, and he has brought labor together, business, and community interests to foster growth.

In 1978, Lee began managing one of the largest employment and vocational training programs in Oregon.

In 1983, Lee joined the Eugene Business Assistance Team, formed in the midst of the 1980s recession to help promote economic recovery. Lee worked as a small business advocate and development consultant through 1997 when he was hired as the Executive Director for the Metro Partnership, Inc.

Lee’s community service began in 1978 when he was appointed to the Springfield City Planning Commission.  He was then elected as a Springfield City Councilor in 1986.  In 1991 he was voted in as a State Representative and, in 1998, Lee became a State Senator.

In 2001, Governor Kitzhaber asked Lee to join the Oregon Public Utility Commission. During his almost 9 years on the Commission, Lee earned a reputation for being tough but fair.  During Lee’s tenure, the Commission protected ratepayers from over $600 million in requested rate increases.  At the same time, Oregon became a national leader in shifting to renewable sources of energy.

Lee Beyer and his wife Terry have been married for 49 years. They raised all three of their children in Springfield and continue to live there today.

Throughout the years, Lee has served on numerous local, state, regional and national boards, commissions and task forces including:

• Oregon Global Warming Commission

• Oregon Energy Planning Commission

• Juvenile Task Force Subcommittee On Teen Runaways

• Oregon Progress Board Benchmark Evaluation Task Force

• Juvenile Crime Prevention Commission