About Ruth
I live in the Hillsdale neighborhood of SW Portland with my husband of nearly 20 years, Todd, and my daughters Jane (16), Louise (13), and Harriet (8). The girls currently attend Wilson High School, Robert Gray Middle School, and Rieke Elementary. (If elected, I will be the only Board member who has a child enrolled at each level of Portland Public Schools.) We moved to Hillsdale in 2001 after living on SE Belmont near Mt. Tabor Park for many years, where our daughters attended Glencoe Elementary.
My decade of experience and involvement in Portland Public Schools includes:
- PTA officer, including president of Robert Gray Middle School PTA
- Founding member of the Neighborhood Schools Alliance
- Member of Hillsdale Neighborhood Association, active in Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. (SWNI) Schools Committee
- Member of committee that developed Rieke/Hillsdale growth plan
- Volunteer on many school funding campaigns dating back to the 1990s
- Classroom volunteer at my children's schools
Apart from being a mom, volunteer for schools, and citywide schools advocate, my "day job" is as a market research analyst. This means that I take piles of data, both quantitative and qualitative, and distill the complex numbers and concepts into clear, actionable solutions for our clients. As an analyst, I figure out what the numbers really mean and convey that meaning clearly and concisely. Part of my job is to determine a budget for the research project that will provide the best quality product at the lowest possible price. I am accountable to the client to keep the job on budget and on schedule. My analytical and budgeting skills will serve me well as a School Board member.
In my role as PTA president, I was responsible for overseeing the budget and was accountable to our members for how their money was spent. Every spending decision needed to take into account the best interests of all children at the school. I will follow the same principle and accountability as a School Board member responsible for approving and overseeing the Portland Public Schools budget.
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend Yale University for both my undergraduate and graduate education. My husband gre
w up in Beaverton and I grew up in San Francisco. We moved to Portland in 1988 in part because, unlike San Francisco, at the time we could afford to buy a home here. As we started to raise a family, we realized how lucky we were to have settled in a community where schools are valued so highly and so many people are passionate about creating great public schools for all our children.
Portland is one of the best places to live in the country. We need to make sure that it remains family-friendly, with strong schools and strong neighborhoods.
For more detail on my work experience, volunteer service, and education, click on the resume link below. I've also included a bit of personal history--my first published letter to the editor, when I was in 3rd grade. Thank you for your interest in my campaign!
Campaign launch press release
Text of press release announcing the launch of Ruth's campaign:
Longtime schools activist Ruth Adkins to enter race for School Board
Ruth Adkins, a 43-year-old mother and research analyst known citywide for her tireless advocacy on behalf of Portland schools, will file this Wednesday as a candidate for the Portland School Board from Zone 1 in the May 15 citywide election.
At 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 21, a group of family and supporters will join Adkins as she files at the Multnomah County Elections Office, 1040 SE Morrison St., in Portland.
Adkins states: “I am very excited to bring new energy to the School Board. If elected, I will work in partnership with the community, Portland Public Schools teachers and staff, the Superintendent, and the School Board to reach our common goal — outstanding schools for every child in this city.”
As a Portland School Board member, Ruth Adkins will:
- Foster open, collaborative decision making involving the community
- Ensure equal opportunities for all students in all neighborhoods
- Support initiatives to increase school enrollment and strengthen neighborhoods
Adkins has over a decade of experience and involvement with schools citywide. She has served as a PTA president and board member, and as a classroom volunteer in her three children’s schools; was a founding member of the Neighborhood Schools Alliance; is active in the Hillsdale Neighborhood Association and the Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. schools committee; has volunteered on many local school funding campaigns and has lobbied continually for adequate funding from Salem. She works part-time as a market research analyst for Campbell DeLong Resources, Inc.
Early endorsers of Ruth Adkins for School Board include:
- Sue Hagmeier, former School Board member
- Mike Roach, owner, Paloma Clothing
- Amanda Fritz, former City Council candidate and community activist
- Don Baack, SW community leader
- Nancy Smith, member, Jefferson High School site council
- Rick Nitti, executive director, Neighborhood House
- Nancy Clark, Humboldt neighborhood leader
- Lakeitha Elliott, Vernon Elementary School parent
- Sharon Ross, president, Mt. Tabor Middle School PTA
…and a rapidly growing list of parents, teachers, and neighbors throughout the city.
Stay tuned for more information on Ruth Adkins and her campaign, coming soon!
Ruth Adkins's resume
EMPLOYMENT
Current: Senior Research Analyst, Campbell DeLong Resources, Inc., Portland www.cdri.com
2006: Development Assistant, NAMI Oregon (National Alliance on Mental Illness), Portland
2003–2005: Administrative Director, The Neighborhood Partnership Fund, Portland
2001–2003: Freelance Writer/Analyst, Campbell DeLong Resources, Inc., Portland
2000–1988: Market Research Analyst/Writer, Griggs-Anderson Research, Portland (note: these years included lengthy breaks for maternity leaves)
COMMUNITY SERVICE
2007: Candidate for Portland School Board, Zone 1
2005–2006: President, Robert Gray Middle School PTA
Coordinator, Oregon Rapid Response Network
Steering Committee, Democracy for Oregon
Founding member, Neighborhood Schools Alliance
Founding member, Hillsdale Alliance
Volunteer, school funding campaigns (dating back to 1990s)
2003–2004 : Volunteer for various political campaigns in 2004 election
Lead organizer and spokesperson, Community Advocates for Rieke Elementary
Member, Research Committee of Westside Boundary Task Force
Board member, Rieke Elementary and Robert Gray Middle School PTAs
2001–2003: Secretary, Board of Directors; Auction Co-Chair, Multnomah Playschool
1994–1998: President, Co-Treasurer, Class Representative on Board of Directors
Tillamook Preschool, Portland
EDUCATION
1985 B.A. cum laude, Renaissance Studies, Yale University
1988 M. Phil., Renaissance Studies, Yale University
My first letter to the editor, 1971
I got started early on political awareness and advocacy. In 1971 I was in the 3rd grade at Sanchez School, a few blocks from Castro St. in San Francisco. Here I am with my classmates, front row in the center. 
I was among the kids being bused to Sanchez to help integrate the schools. Anti-busing protesters greeted our bus each morning that September. One of the protesters had appropriated the "war is not healthy for children and other living things" slogan for her picket sign, imitating the design and substituting the word "busing" for "war."
I can still remember seeing the sign, and getting mad when I realized what she had done. Being a good liberal child of the 1960s, living in San Francisco, I recognized the "war is not healthy" design. I didn't like that the protesters were hounding us and I really didn't like that this person was using an anti-war slogan to protest busing, which I thought was great (other than a long ride home around the hills of San Francisco, which in retrospect was rather delightful).
Here's the original and published version of the letter, which my mom, Jane Willsea, saved in my scrapbook:
