Wheeler’s Bios Over 20 Years - The Often Missing Banking Experience

Monday, February 22, 2016

GoLocalPDX Research Team

The following are Ted Wheeler's bios over a 20-year span. His bios published only include one reference to his ten plus year career in banking and investing -- the reference is not included consistently over the years. The only reference is "he was a financial services industry executive."

There are no references to his tenure at Bank of America, Bay State, Cooper Mountain Trust or Union Bank.

SEE THREE SAMPLE BIOS OVER A 20 YEAR CAREER BELOW

Sept 11, 2006

Who Is Ted Wheeler?

Ted Wheeler Knows How To Make an Organization Successful.

Ted is a progressive businessperson with the skills we need to make Multnomah County work for us. He’s been helping businesses and non-profits to succeed his entire adult life.

A sixth generation Oregonian, Ted helped grow a local financial services company into one of the largest of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. Now he works with local businesses to help them compete in a global economy and keep jobs in Oregon.

Ted is a leader in local non-profits such as Neighborhood House, which provides quality services to families, children, and seniors in economically disadvantaged communities. He is a volunteer shelter host at Goose Hollow Family Shelter, which works to provide transitional housing for homeless families and their children. He started Portland YouthWorks to enhance mentoring and educational opportunities for local disadvantaged children.

Ted is a product of Portland Public Schools and is a rescuer with Portland Mountain Rescue, based out of the East Precinct of the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. He also is active in environmental work: Ted started the Walk for the Wildwood to raise money for the maintenance and preservation of Forest Park and was a founding member of the Heron Point Wetlands Rehabilitation Project.

Ted worked recently as a citizen volunteer representative with Mayor Tom Potter and community leaders to help bring common sense and sound fiscal practices to Portland’s city budget. Ted also works as Multnomah County’s citizen representative to advise the Metro Council on issues such as land use planning, urban growth boundary, fish and wildlife, and annexation issues.

July 16, 2011

About Ted

State Treasurer Ted Wheeler is focused on the numbers.

Ted knows that if we pay attention to the numbers, we’ll have more money for schools, health care and the environment – and more money to invest in creating Oregon jobs and making college more affordable for Oregon families.

That’s why Ted is laser-focused on helping reduce our state budget deficit, making sure that Oregonians get good value, and protecting the Common School Fund from being raided by the Legislature for other projects.

Ted knows what he’s doing, because he’s done it before.

As Multnomah County Chair, Ted closed a $45 million budget gap through innovation and hard work and balanced the budget three years in a row. Using his experience as a former director and manager of a firm that oversaw $6 billion in assets, Ted found cost savings and efficiencies that helped the county deliver vital services like public safety, health care to the poor, libraries and senior citizen assistance.. His careful financial management helped maintain the county’s bond rating through the toughest economic times.

As State Treasurer, Ted will protect education funds and retirement pensions from being used for other purposes, just like he protected emergency funds as county chair so that community services would not be cut by state budget shortfalls. He will direct more state investments to Oregon businesses for job creation to help lead Oregon out of the recession.

And Ted won’t sign any checks until he is sure Oregon taxpayers are getting good value for their money.

Protecting Our Tax Dollars, from Day One

Ted was appointed Oregon State Treasurer on March 12, 2010 after the untimely death of former Treasurer Ben Westlund. As treasurer, Ted protects taxpayer funds, retirement funds, and the state’s Common School Fund.

Leading by example, Ted is already ordering an independent review of internal operations in the Treasurer’s office based on what’s best for Oregonians as well as successes in other states.

Under his watch, the Oregon Treasury will make unbiased information about financial products – like mortgages and credit cards – available to the public so they can protect their own future.

An Experienced Professional for the Toughest Economy

Ted knows that Oregonians cannot afford a politician who plays politics with their money. That’s why Ted is already focused on:

Working to help reduce the state’s budget deficit by maintaining the state’s bond rating so that every possible dollar can go into services that Oregonians need

Helping make college accessible and affordable for Oregon’s families by re-launching the Oregon College Savings Plan to make it even safer and more productive than ever
Overseeing the Oregon Growth Account which is responsible for investing $100 million in state funds to start-up businesses and projects that provide economic stimulus and create jobs in our state

Directing the effort to find more cost-savings in state government including compliance oversight in the treasurer’s office, and independent review of internal practices

Overseeing the continued, careful investment of state pension and school funds to earn the highest possible return while also protecting these funds from risk and Wall-Street-type speculation

Joining with other institutional investors to use proxy voting to curb uncontrolled CEO pay, bonuses and environmentally-damaging corporate practices

Pushing to get more funds invested in Oregon for efforts that create jobs, put Oregonians back to work and lead us out of the recession

At a time when every single dollar is precious — when one in five Oregonians is seeking food assistance, school teachers are buying school supplies out of their own pocket to support low-income students, and our state’s unemployment rate is among the top five in the nation — Oregon needs a treasurer who is focused on the numbers.

Oregon needs State Treasurer Ted Wheeler.

On a personal note...

A fifth generation Oregonian, Ted is proud to serve our great state. His family has historical ties to rural Oregon, coastal communities, and timber towns throughout the state. One of Ted’s favorite activities is traveling around Oregon with his wife, Katrina, and their young daughter, Quinnlan.

Ted graduated from Lincoln High School in Portland. He earned his BA in Economics from Stanford University, an MBA from Columbia University and a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University. Ted even taught college government courses for a time and was the author of the book “Government That Works: Innovation in State and Local Government” published by McFarland & Company.

Business Development and job creation have always been priorities for Ted. Prior to being elected to public office, he was a financial services industry executive.

Ted enjoys being active in the community. For many years, he volunteered as an overnight shelter host at the Goose Hollow family shelter, and served on the board of Neighborhood House, Inc. He was the founder of the Walk for the Wildwood Trail, an outgrowth of Ted’s passion for hiking.

A former Eagle Scout, Ted has a lifelong passion for the outdoors. He is a veteran of three expeditions to Mt. Everest, which he successfully summited in 2002. And more importantly, Ted came back with all his fingers and toes! He was a rescuer with Portland Mountain Rescue for many years prior to entering public life. He snow-shoed to the North Pole with Katrina, and twice completed the Ironman Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii.

Katrina, Quinnlan and Ted live in Southwest Portland.

Feb 20, 2015

A Pragmatic, Innovative Oregon Leader

Ted Wheeler is known for innovative solutions and a pragmatic approach to governing, first as chairman of Multnomah County and now as state treasurer.

During his time as Multnomah County chairman, Ted’s leadership proved critical. Faced with a global recession, he is credited with balancing the budget and reducing the debt while maintaining safety net programs for the elderly, drug and alcohol treatment programs, and forging partnerships to fund a Mental Health Crisis Center. He also jump-started long overdue construction projects including the East County Courthouse and the Sellwood Bridge, a critical piece of infrastructure for the families and businesses of Multnomah and Clackamas counties.

In 2010, Ted was appointed to be Oregon’s treasurer and voters have since elected him twice to the office.

Delivering Results on What Matters Most

Because Ted knows education is directly tied to Oregon’s economic future, he helped to reform the Oregon 529 College Savings Network to cut fees and offer a new, more secure investment option for families. Additionally, his most ambitious proposal – the Oregon Opportunity Initiative – will reverse the state’s divestment in higher education and put vocational training and college within reach for more Oregonians.

Ted also championed the effort to eliminate bank fees for Oregonians who receive unemployment benefits on state issued debit cards and also promotes financial literacy education in Oregon’s K-12 schools.

To support Oregon’s economy, Ted led the passage of the Oregon Investment Act, which will consolidate the state’s economic development incentives and invest them more wisely. He also is working to increase retirement savings and options for private sector employees.

Responsible Management of State Resources, Saving Taxpayer Dollars

Ted believes the state’s financial health is a linchpin to future competitiveness. One of his first actions as treasurer was to refinance state investments, a move that resulted in saving more than $51 million in taxpayer dollars.

It is also his job to protect public deposits and invest the Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund, which is the most-significant asset under state management. It was recently named the best-performing large public pension fund in the nation.

Ted’s careful stewardship of the state’s finances helped Oregon receive an upgrade to its credit rating. A good credit rating means that Oregon is in good financial standing, on a solid fiscal path and more attractive to investors and businesses. It also means that Oregon is doing a good job of providing the vital public services its citizens expect and deserve as taxpayers.

Lifelong Dedication to Oregon

Ted is a sixth generation Oregonian whose family came across the Oregon Trail. The town of Wheeler on the coast is named after his great-grandfather who founded a sawmill there in 1912.

A graduate of Lincoln High School in Portland, Ted went on to earn an economics degree from Stanford University and master’s degrees in Business Administration and Public Policy from Columbia University and Harvard University, respectively. He was employed in the financial services industry before entering elected office.

Giving back to Oregon has always been a Wheeler family value and Ted entered public life through his passion for community service. It is why Ted first ran for office to serve as Multnomah County chairman. The county’s primary mission is to care for the most vulnerable citizens.

Ted volunteered as a host at the Goose Hollow Shelter, and driven by his passion for the outdoors, he was a longtime volunteer for Portland Mountain Rescue and a founder of Walk for the Wildwood Trail. His accomplishments beyond his job as treasurer include snowshoeing to the North Pole, summiting Mount Everest, climbing Mount Hood and competing in Ironman triathlons every chance he can.

Ted lives in southwest Portland with his wife and daughter.