City Club is governed by a member-elected Board of Governors. Each year, a Nominating Committee made up of members both on and off the board puts out a call for self-nominations, reviews applications, and reaches out to other potential candidates. The committee then presents a slate for members to vote on.

The 2026 Nominating Committee is Chris Howard (chair), Sebastian Guivernau, Clay Creger, Carla Kelley, Gwen Millius, Ted Kaye, and Jon Stride. We thank them for their service. Below is the slate of nominees they selected for this year’s election.

Candidates for 2026 Board of Governors Election

President-Elect: Jordan Cole
Treasurer: Ted Kaye

Governors to 2029:
Jonathan Konkol (Position 5)
Wynne Wakkila (Position 6)
Joe Gardner (Position 7, replacing Mary Breslin)
Ramsay Weit (Position 8)

Governor to 2027: Jessie Cornett (Position 11, replacing Jordan Cole)

Members not currently serving on the Board are in bold, with profiles below. Profiles of current Governors are available on the Our Team page.

Joe Gardner has served as a state government affairs expert and policy analyst for the firm of Gardner & Gardner since 2019. Before joining the firm, he earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in International Relations, Comparative Politics, and Social Science Methodology. In that time, he taught college-level courses on a wide range of political and public policy subjects including parliamentary and electoral strategy, international security, and interpersonal conflict resolution & negotiation.

Joe has participated in multiple congressional primary and general election campaigns, volunteering his services as a polling analyst and contributing to constituent outreach efforts. He has also worked as a grant coordinator and project manager organizing research fellowships and transnational academic conferences in Europe and the United States. Joe possesses a strong commitment to community service, exemplified in his years of experience helping to administer non-profit student cooperatives, humanitarian organizations, and animal welfare shelters.

Jesse Cornett is a government relations and policy professional. His policy experience includes healthcare, including expanding access, higher education, substance use recovery, elections and more. As an adjunct faculty member at Portland State University, Jesse has taught legislative process and Oregon politics. He has also worked on four presidential campaigns. Outside of work, Jesse is a dedicated yogi who enjoys spending weekends exploring all that Mount Hood has to offer.

Automatically Succeeding
Past President: Jon Stride
President: Guenevere Millius

Continuing as Governors
Secretary to 2027: Colleen Shoemaker
Governor to 2028, Pos. 1: Shoshana Baird
Governor to 2028, Pos. 2: Chris Howard
Governor to 2028, Pos. 3: Michaela Parker
Governor to 2028, Pos. 4: Jordan Cox
Governor to 2027, Pos. 9: Sam Metz
Governor to 2027, Pos. 10: Carla Kelley
Governor to 2027, Pos. 12: Paddy Tillett

We thank Mark Stephan and Mary Breslin, whose terms have ended, for their contributions during their time on the Board.

Run for the Board by Petition

Members not selected by the Nominating Committee may still run for the Board by petition.

Petitions must include:

  • The candidate’s name
  • The position they are running for
  • Confirmation from the candidate that they are willing to run
  • Signatures from 10 current City Club members

Submit petitions to info@pdxcityclub.org (addressed to Chris Howard) or by mail to 221 NW 2nd Avenue, #213, Portland, OR 97209 by Thursday, May 14.