Ted Wheeler

Oregon State Treasurer Ted Wheeler

Ted Wheeler is the 28th State Treasurer of Oregon.

A former manager at an investment firm and then the elected chief executive of Multnomah County, Wheeler was appointed in March 2010 to complete the term of former Treasurer Ben Westlund.

Wheeler was sworn into office on March 11, 2010. He was then elected in the November 2010 general election.

Since entering office, Wheeler has directed several efforts to help make the State Treasury a more efficient operation, a more responsible investor and also more relevant to Oregonians. He was appointed by Gov. John Kitzhaber to help draft new economic development strategies for the state.

Wheeler has increased transparency of Treasury data, pushed for money-saving technology changes, strengthened investment travel rules and safeguards, authorized securities fraud lawsuits against firms that misled investors, and announced a revamped 529 college savings plan with lower costs and more options for families. He launched a new consumer financial protection web site, GuardYourMoney.org.

He also is committed to helping Oregon families become more financially secure, to be a careful steward of state debt, to make smart investments to benefit the state and public trust fund beneficiaries, and to advocate for reforms that will put the state on a more stable financial footing – which will improve Oregon’s important credit rating.

The Treasurer is one of three Oregon Constitutional officers, along with the Governor and Secretary of State, and sits on several important committees including the State Land Board, which oversees economic activity on state-owned waterways and Common School Fund lands. He is a member of the Oregon Investment Council and chairman of the Oregon 529 College Savings Board.

Wheeler was born Aug. 31, 1962, in Portland, and graduated from Lincoln High School. He earned a BA degree in Economics from Stanford University, an MBA from Columbia University and a Masters in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

His family has deep Oregon roots. The town of Wheeler, located on Nehalem Bay on the Oregon coast, is named after his great-grandfather.

Wheeler is a longtime community volunteer leader, and has devoted energy to diverse organizations including Neighborhood House, Portland Mountain Rescue, the Boy Scouts of America (he is an Eagle Scout), the Oregon Sports Authority, and served as an overnight shelter host with the Goose Hollow Family Shelter. He was the founder of Walk for the Wildwood and was a founding committee member for the Heron Point Wetlands Rehabilitation Project. He also served as vice chairman of the Oregon Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission.

Before entering elected office, Wheeler worked in the financial services industry, and his career included posts at Bank of America and Copper Mountain Trust, where he was a senior manager. He was elected in 2006 as the chief executive of Multnomah County, where he oversaw a workforce of more than 4,400 and was responsible for reducing and balancing the budget and also cutting the county’s debt.

The Treasurer is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys camping and backpacking across Oregon.

He lives in Southwest Portland with his wife, Katrina, and their daughter, Quinnlan.

Download a hi-resolution picture of State Treasurer Wheeler (1.6 MB)