Susheela Jayapal
Senior Democracy Fellow
Susheela’s professional life has spanned the private, non-profit, and government sectors. An immigrant, Susheela was born in India and came to the United States to go to college at the age of 16. She was a litigator at private firms in San Francisco and Portland; served as General Counsel for adidas America, Inc; and has served on a wide range of non-profit boards including the Legal Aid Society of San Francisco; Planned Parenthood of the Columbia-Willamette; Literary Arts; the Regional Arts and Culture Council, and Metropolitan Family Service.
In 2018, Susheela was elected to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, representing North and Northeast Portland, and served on the Board from 2019 through 2023. Among other things, she advocated for supportive housing and long term rent assistance; pushed through wage increases for nonprofit workers on the front lines of the homelessness crisis; secured funding for the first-ever LGBTQ-centered homelessness service center in the County; and partnered with Portland Community College for development of a new health clinic. She also won community awards for her work on clean air and domestic violence.
Susheela is currently on the Board of Directors of Literary Arts and the Oregon Donor Alliance, and the Advisory Board of the Bull Run Center, a project of Northstar Civic Foundation. She serves as a consultant on policy and strategic initiatives for creating a more just and equitable democracy for all of us.