The woman appointed by Gov. Tina Kotek to fill the vacant Oregon Secretary of State position after the former secretary stepped down in May is LaVonne Griffin-Valade, a John Day native and the author of a recent series of mystery crime novels set in Grant County.
As new Oregon Secretary of State, Griffin-Valade and her team oversee state elections, the registration of new businesses in Oregon, the Oregon state archives and the audits of state government agencies. Griffin-Valade said she would remain in the post until the end of 2024 – the term vacated by the former secretary, Shemia Fagan, who resigned in May after a conflict-of-interest scandal.