Leslie Carlson

Leslie Carlson is an Oregon native who fled the state in 1989 because it seemed "too small; a state where everyone seemed to know one another or were related by birth or marriage." She came back for precisely the same reason: she valued the deep personal connections that one could forge in Oregon with neighbors, colleagues, politicians and other citizens. "It sounds trite, but I believe that Oregon is a place where ordinary citizens can and do make a difference."