After Nationwide Search, Portland Settles for Homegrown Pick to Head PDC

After spending five years as the Deputy Director of Strategy and Operations for the Portland Development Commission, Kimberly Branam is moving up. She will be the executive director, succeeding Patrick Quinton who announced that he was stepping down earlier this year.

Branam still has to formerly accept the job and negotiate a contract with the city. Both things are expected to happen without a hitch.

She was one of three finalists, beating out Elissa Gertler from Metro and Odis Jones, the former head of the public lighting authority in Detroit, Michigan.

She joined the PDC after four years working with Sam Adams when he was a city commission and later mayor of Portland. It was while he was mayor that Branam was his director of economic development.

"Kimberly Branam is a fantastic pick to lead PDC," Adams tells Patch. "She understands deeply the need to help grow the number of local family-wage jobs, and make real progress on the issues of equity and affordability."

As director of economic development for Adams, Branam created and implemented the city's first economic development strategy in 15 years.

Quinton, who had said that Branam should succeed him, hired her away from City Hall.

Branam is a third generation Portland resident and a graduate of Grant High School.

She went on to earn a Master's in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Branam - who, at 37, will be the youngest head of a city agency - also spent time working for Representative Earl Blumenauer.

Photo courtesy Portland Development Commission