Congresswoman Maxine Dexter M.D. has dedicated her entire life to caring for her community. As a pragmatic progressive, she is committed to bringing people together to build healthy, thriving communities. She grew up in the Pacific Northwest in a working-class family. At 16, she was proud to get a union-job at Albertsons, which helped her pursue higher education and become the first in her family to graduate from college. She earned a bachelor's degree in political science and communications from the University of Washington and went on to attend the university’s school of medicine. After completing her education, Dexter moved to Portland, Oregon with her husband and two children. She began her career as a lung and critical care physician at Kaiser Permanente. She was the first woman to be elected Chair of the Board of Directors at Northwest Permanente. She served on the Board of Directors for six years. Dexter approaches complex health issues with compassion and evidence-based practices to achieve the best possible outcomes for her patients. She brings this data-driven pragmatism to her work as a lawmaker. In 2020, Dexter became representative for the 33rd district in the Oregon House of Representatives. As Chair of the House Housing and Homelessness Committee, she led the fight to pass a groundbreaking, multi-billion-dollar bill to address the housing and homelessness crisis. She also championed critical legislation to protect abortion access, expand addiction treatment services, protect our public lands, and combat gun violence. In 2024, Dexter was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. She represents Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes most of Multnomah County, parts of Clackamas County and Hood River County. In Congress, she continues to build on her proven track record of bringing people together to enact evidence-based solutions that build healthier, thriving communities.

Phillip Kennedy-Wong is a public policy professional with over 20 years of experience lobbying at the state, local, and federal levels. He has worked for several nonprofit organizations throughout his career and served on nonprofit boards. He brings a strong understanding of nonprofit lobbying and planning advocacy programs. Phillip served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves while earning a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Lewis and Clark College. Upon graduating, he went to work right away as a field organizer on a political campaign during the 1992 presidential election. Getting the political bug, he proceeded to earn a Master of Science in public policy from Rutgers University and has never looked back in his public service career.