Jerralynn Ness

Jerralynn Ness
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Oregon
Occupation	Anti-poverty adovcate

Jerralynn Ness (sometimes spelled Jerralyn) is an anti-poverty advocate in the U.S. state of Oregon, and served for many years as executive director of the Washington County Community Action Organization (WCCAO).^[1]^[2]

Ness graduated from Tigard High School in 1966. She studied art at the University of Oregon, and lived in Mexico City for part of 1969. She later joined Vista. described taking a job at WCCAO as a way to give back service to her community. As of 1993, Ness had worked in social service for 20 years, and had served for nine years as executive director of Community Action.^[3] She was credited in 1993 with having built up the organization's programs for hunger and homelessness to a point where it served about 28,500 people, 75 percent of Washington County's low-income population.^[3] She was still serving as executive director as of 2004.^[4] She retired in 2015.^[5]

She married Bernie Thurber, with whom she has a daughter, Amie.^[3] She has been noted as a collector of Monterey Furniture.^[6]

She has earned several awards and honors, among them the 2003 Oregon Woman of Achievement award.^[7]

Oregon Women of Achievement

1980s

1985	Vera Katz
1986	Barbara Roberts Norma Paulus
1987	Nancy Ryles Susan Hammer
1988	Marsha Congdon Betty Roberts
1989	Mary Wendy Roberts Nancy Wilgenbusch

1990s

1990	Clarice Parr-Sandoz Y. Sherry Sheng
1991	Ursula K. Le Guin Gail Shibley
1992	Susan Helms Joan Biggs
1993	Ann Aiken Tricia Smith Judith Armatta
1994	Mary Alice Ford Annabelle Jaramillo Ellen Lowe Janet Stevenson
1995	Myrlie Evers-Williams Kate Brown
1996	Dianne Middle Cheryl Perrin Judith A. Ramaley
1997	Margaret Carter Patricia Davis Hinrichs Nellie Fox-Edwards
1998	Amy Aldrich Bedford Bev Clarno Joan Priscilla Kilbourn
1999	Avel Gordly Kathryn Jane Harrison Katherine Huff O'Neil

2000s

2000	Elmo Bloom Roslyn Hill Sue Shaffer
2001	Clariner Boston Margaret Jean Hallock Kathleen Margerum
2002	Connie Ashbrook Susan Castillo Katherine Jensen
2003	Phyllis Lee Diane Rosenbaum Jerralynn Ness
2004	Joan Brown-Kline Victoria Burton Martha Young
2005	Johanna Brenner Harriet Isom Serena Ota St. Clair
2006	Donalda Dodson Joan Palmateer Cherri M. Pancake
2007	Mary Overstreet Carmen Ramirez Gretchen Schuette
2008	Nancy Golden Darlene Hooley Sydney Sherwood Keren Brown Wilson
2009	Gert Boyle Arlene Schnitzer

2010s

2010	Gretchen Kafoury Melody Rose Latricia Tillman
2011	Jill Ginsberg Jane Lubchenco Minalee Saks Rita Sullivan
2012	Robin Morris Collin Jane O'Keefe Gina Warren Serena Stoudamire Wesley
2013	Gun Denhart Mary Katherine Eaton Cecilia Giron Sheila North
2014	Peg Malloy Lisa Schroeder Cheryl Strayed Jill Tanner Joanne Verger
2015	Jan Campbell Donna Maxley Kay D. Toran Gwendolyn Trice
2016	Nancy Campbell Mead Chanpone Sinlapasai-Okamura
2017	Erlinda V. Gonzales-Berry Guadalupe Guajardo Liliana Luna Anita Yap
2018	Susan Stoltenberg
2019	Belinda Carroll (Oregon) Sharon Gary-Smith Adrienne Nelson Andrea Paluso

2020s

2020	Laila Hajoo Debra Porta Laura Salerno Owens Amira Streeter
2022	Ginny Burdick Karol Collymore
2023	Mari Watanabe LaNicia Duke Fatuma Mohamed

References

^ "POVERTY AMID AFFLUENCE". The Oregonian. March 11, 1989.
^ OLMOS, ROBERT (December 11, 1987). "WASHINGTON COUNTY AGENCY SEEKS TO HELP POVERTY-LEVEL FAMILIES". The Oregonian.
^ ^a ^b ^c GOETZE, JANET (March 25, 1993). "WASHINGTON COUNTY SOCIAL WORKER HONORED". The Oregonian.
^ McCARTY, ERIN (September 5, 2004). "BUSINESS CALENDAR TUESDAY JOB SEARCH SUPPORT: NETWORKING". The Oregonian.
^ "Jerralynn Ness retires after almost 43 years with Community Action". 19 November 2015.
^ "Portland collector Jerralynn Ness found her first piece of Monterey furniture by chance". 4 November 2010.
^ "Jerralynn Ness biography" (PDF). University of Oregon. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 22, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2016.