Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber announced Tuesday the creation of a new chief operating officer position that will be filled by Michael Jordan, the COO at Metro, the regional government for the Portland area.
Jordan will be responsible for leadership and oversight of the day-to-day operations of the state, as well as a fundamental review of the structure of state government.
"For far too long, the outdated systems of accountability and operation of state government have hindered the provision of public services to the citizens of Oregon," Kitzhaber said in a statement.
"Mike Jordan is the most qualified person in the state to lead meaningful reforms that will better serve the state and taxpayers," he said. "He did that at Metro and we look forward to his stewardship at the state level."
Jordan's position makes him the point person for the governor's budget, and he will be charged with creating a new performance-based budget framework.
Jordan has been Metro's chief operating officer since 2003.
