“I’m using every tool at my disposal to ensure Oregonians receive answers”
By Lee Juillerat for Ashland.news
Concerns about staffing issues at Crater Lake National Park have resulted in Oregon Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, M.D., scheduling a meeting with Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum.
“Crater Lake is facing a staffing crisis that threatens the park’s future and the economic prosperity of surrounding gateway communities,” Dexter, D-Oregon, said in a press release. “I’m using every tool at my disposal to ensure Oregonians receive answers, accountability, and the investment Crater Lake deserves, A timely and formal briefing from the Department of Interior is a critical first step— and I intend to hold them to it.”
Dexter represents Oregon’s third congressional district, which covers most of Multnomah County and most of Portland. She is a ranking member of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
According to the press release, the commitment for accountability comes after Dexter sent a letter to Burgum earlier this month “demanding transparency and immediate action from the Department of the Interior following the resignation of Crater Lake Superintendent Kevin Heatley, who cited unsustainable staffing levels and severe operational strain.”
Heatley, who was appointed to the job in January, abruptly resigned earlier this month because of what he described as devastating staffing cuts and federal policies he believes are adversely impacting the National Park Service.
“I did not want to be empowering the current administration to cause that kind of impact on the people that I’m responsible for,” he said. “And I also did not want to participate in the dismantlement – effectively a dismantlement – of the National Park Service.”
Dexter was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2024 after serving four years in the Oregon House of Representatives for the 33rd district. According to a press release, “In Congress, she continues to build on her proven track record of bringing people together to enact evidence-based solutions that build healthier, thriving communities.”
Dexter earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and communications from the University of Washington and went on to attend the university’s school of medicine. After completing her education, she moved to Portland with her husband and two children and began her career as a lung and critical care physician at Kaiser Permanente. She was the first woman to be elected Chair of the Board of Directors at Northwest Permanente and served on the Board for six years.
According to her website, “Dexter approaches complex health issues with compassion and evidence-based practices to achieve the best possible outcomes for her patients. She brings this data-driven pragmatism to her work as a lawmaker.”
Email freelance writer Lee Juillerat at [email protected].
