Ore. Gov. Appoints Rocklin at SAIF

Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski has asked Brenda Rocklin to step in as interim president and CEO of SAIF, Oregon’s publicly-owned workers’ compensation company. Rocklin has served as the director of the Oregon State Lottery since January 2003.

“For months now, I have been very concerned about management decisions at SAIF,” the Governor said. “There are 815 employees at SAIF – and 814 of them are hard workers who are doing a great job, but what we are dealing with here are the consequences of bad decisions made by one person. Unfortunately, that person was the one in charge of the organization – and that’s a serious problem.”

The governor announced that Rocklin will review the operations of SAIF and recommend whatever reforms are necessary to ensure that the company is operating with the highest possible degree of transparency and accountability to the public.

“I have asked Brenda to conduct a top-to-bottom review of SAIF to make sure that it is accountable to the public – and I trust her to do a great job. I have also asked her to make any recommendations she deems necessary to make SAIF more accountable to the public and its elected officials during the coming legislative session,” the Governor continued. “Brenda is a proven government reformer who is known for her toughness and her ethics. She is a former prosecutor with the state Department of Justice – and she has a track record of reform. Brenda took over as director of the State Lottery in January 2003, at a time when there were significant questions about public accountability at that agency. In just 18 months she has literally turned the organization around. She has transformed the Lottery into an agency that is accountable for the money it spends and that acts with the public’s best interest in mind.”

Gov. Kulongoski made it clear that SAIF continues to be a successful economic asset for Oregon.

“SAIF is part of Oregon’s future – it’s one of the principal competitive advantages we have in growing Oregon’s economy and providing jobs to Oregonians,” the Governor said. “To preserve that future, the public needs to know that SAIF is being run in an ethical and accountable manner – and the person to lead this effort is Brenda Rocklin.”

Gov. Kulongoski has asked Cecil Tibbets, the current acting president and CEO of SAIF, to remain with the organization after Rocklin steps in.

The Governor also stated that all of the members of the SAIF board are in support of Rocklin’s interim appointment.