Ted Wheeler
Oregon’s 28th State Treasurer
A fifth-generation Oregonian, Wheeler cares deeply about Oregon and the state’s financial health. He is committed to protecting the state’s current strong credit ratings, to ensuring that public investments remain both prudent and profitable, and to conservatively managing Oregon’s debt. He believes all Oregonians will be able to stand taller because their state is on a stable financial footing.
Since being appointed and then elected in 2010, he directed efforts to implement money-saving technologies, strengthened access to data, authorized fraud lawsuits against firms that misled investors, earned an upgrade in Oregon’s credit rating, and revamped the Oregon 529 College Savings Network with lower costs and more options for families.
Also as Treasurer, he has maintained his commitment as a public official to protecting the most vulnerable citizens in Oregon’s communities.
The Treasurer oversees more than $70 billion in public assets including the Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund, affecting more than 300,000 public employees including teachers and public safety workers. The office also administers the state’s public debt sales and central banking for government agencies.
Wheeler also has assumed a leadership role when it comes to economic development. He convened business leaders and spearheaded a new statewide blueprint, dubbed the Oregon Investment Act, and it was approved by the Legislature in 2012.
Serving as the Chair of the Multnomah County Commission from 2006 to 2010, Wheeler was a champion of preventative services. Under his leadership, Multnomah County reduced the cost of government while maintaining safety net programs for the elderly, drug and alcohol treatment programs, and forging partnerships to fund a Mental Health Crisis Center. As the county’s chief executive, 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.
Wheeler brings a strong management and financial background to the office of State Treasurer. Before entering elected office, he worked in the financial services industry, and his career included posts at financial institutions including Bank of America and Copper Mountain Trust, where he was a senior manager.
He earned his undergraduate 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.
Wheeler believes the State Treasury also should be a robust resource for Oregonians to improve and protect their own financial health. He launched a new consumer financial protection web site, GuardYourMoney.org.
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 also a member of the Oregon Investment Council.
Wheeler was born Aug. 31, 1962, in Portland, and graduated from Lincoln High School. 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, and the Oregon Sports Authority. He is an Eagle Scout.
When he is not working, Wheeler loves endurance sports, and is a veteran of three expeditions to Mt. Everest, which he successfully summited in 2002. He snow-shoed to the North Pole with his wife and twice completed the Ironman Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii.
He lives in Southwest Portland with his wife, Katrina, and four-year-old daughter, Quinnlan.
