06 Mar Board member Olivia Alcaire joins Hillsboro City Council

Olivia Alcaire

Hillsboro resident and Bienestar Board of Directors member Olivia Alcaire was sworn into the Hillsboro City Council on Feb. 21, 2017. Olivia fills the vacancy in Ward 3 created by Mayor Steve Callaway’s election last November. She will serve out the term for the position until January 2019. The position will be open for general election in November 2018.

Olivia has a long-standing reputation for service to the community and is a champion of education. In addition to serving on the Bienestar board since 2011, she is on the board of CREATE, a program that helps high school-aged youth complete their GED. She has also been an AmeriCorps Vista volunteer helping Spanish-speaking pregnant women in Washington County obtain prenatal care and other social services.

She works as the New Student Orientation and Advising Specialist at Portland Community College’s Rock Creek campus. She has generously passed on her knowledge of college admissions to Bienestar youth through our Education Navigation program. While working with students, Olivia focuses on the scholarship application process, essay writing, and helping parents and youth navigate college admissions. She holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Mexican history from Portland State University and earned another degree for Adult Learning from Oregon State University. She is currently working toward a Doctorate of Education for Education Leadership from Portland State University.

Speaking about her goals for her position on the City Council, Olivia says, “This not just my opportunity, but an opportunity for students to join in with community involvement and leadership. We want to bring conversations together.”

Olivia brings welcome diversity to the council. In the past two years, the council’s three female members have ended their terms or stepped down, leaving an all-male city government.

Olivia Alcaire at the swearing-in ceremony