Multnomah County’s newest commissioner sworn in

Published 12:34 pm Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Shannon Singleton was sworn in Tuesday, Dec. 3, as Multnomah County’s latest elected commissioner.

Singleton serves District 2, which includes much of North and Northwest Portland. She replaces Jesse Beason, who’d been appointed by the rest of the board of commissioners to a seat vacated by Susheela Jayapal, who resigned to run for Congress.

Singleton’s rookie term runs through Dec. 31, 2026.

“Growing up around Philly, I never thought this would happen,” Singleton said.

This is her first time in elected office. She joined Gov. Kate Brown’s administration as her housing policy adviser in 2019. Brown later appointed Singleton to lead Oregon’s Racial Justice Council.

“We worked through the pandemic, through the wildfires, through Donald Trump and mourning George Floyd, trying to find reason in this world,” Singleton said at Tuesday’s ceremony. “It was hard, but I learned if you want to change the world, you have to start at home.”

Single and her husband, Titus, have lived in Portland since 2007. She is a social worker who has worked with survivors of domestic violence, youths in foster care and people experiencing homelessness. She earned a master’s degree from Portland State University.

She began working in homeless services at the former Salvation Army SAFES shelter in downtown Portland. She later worked at the Portland Housing Bureau and led JOIN, a nonprofit provider that helped hundreds of people leave homelessness, many directly from the streets, for housing.

Singleton served as an interim director of the Joint Office of Homeless Services, operated by the city of Portland and the county. Most recently, she worked for a Black-owned consulting firm in Portland that specializes in equity and community engagement.