Kafoury, Gretchen Miller

Gretchen Kafoury was born in Walla Walla, WA. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Whitman College in 1963.

Post graduation she served in the Peace Corps from 1964 to 1966 in Iran. On returning to Portland in 1966 she began teaching English as a Second Language courses at Grant High School and then at Portland State University until 1971.

Throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s she volunteered for numerous political activities; including: Robert Kennedy's presidential campaign, Wayne Morse's 1968 Senate, and Betty Roberts’ 1974 gubernatorial campaign. She was a founding member of Oregon NOW in 1970 as well as the Oregon Women's Political Caucus in 1971.

Kafoury political career began with her election to the Oregon State House of Representatives from 1977 to 1982. From 1985 to 1990 she sat on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, and was then elected City Commissioner for Portland in 1991 and served there until 1998.

From 1999 until her retirement in 2008, Kafoury taught at Portland State University's Hatfield School of Government.