Commencement Speakers
Commencement Speaker: Honorable Adrienne C. Nelson
In February 2023, Hon. Adrienne C. Nelson was confirmed as a United States District Judge for the District of Oregon and began her service the same month. Prior to her confirmation, she was an Associate Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court. In 2006, Judge Nelson was appointed to the Multnomah County Circuit Court, where she served until her appointment in 2018 to the Oregon Supreme Court.
Judge Nelson received her law degree from University of Texas School of Law after graduating from the University of Arkansas. Upon moving to Oregon, she began her legal career as a public defender with Multnomah Defenders, Inc., and later went into private practice at the law firm Bennett, Hartman, Morris & Kaplan LLP. Judge Nelson then worked as a senior attorney in Student Legal and Mediation Services for Portland State University.
Judge Nelson has been recognized for her exemplary public service as a recipient of the Oregon State Bar Public Service Award in 2007 and the Oregon Women Lawyers Judge Mercedes Diez Award in 2003. In 2021, the North Clackamas School District named Adrienne C. Nelson High School in her honor. In 2022, the American Bar Association named her a Spirit of Excellence recipient.