On May 9, 2006, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO) installed new officers to serve on the Board of Directors at its Annual Community Awards and Celebration Dinner, held at the Hilton Hotel in Portland.

    

The Rev. Alcena Boozer

Outgoing president, the Rev. Dr. Daniel Bryant, senior pastor of First Christian Church in Eugene, installed the Rev. Alcena Boozer, rector of St. Philip the Deacon Episcopal Church in Portland, as president—the first female clergy person to be elected to the position. The Rev. Dr. Bryant also installed the following officers of the board of directors: president-elect, the Rev. Kent Harrop, pastor of First Baptist Church in McMinnville; treasurer, Trudy Bradley, business manager of First Christian Church in Portland; and secretary, the Rev. Robert L. Ned, pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Portland.

     "I am humbled and excited by the opportunity to join the leadership team of the board of directors for EMO,” said the Rev. Boozer. “EMO has been a steady and strong prophetic voice in the community over the years. With an exceptionally able and committed staff and fellow board members who bring a variety of gifts, we will continue our work of advocating for the poor and underserved as we work on justice and equality for all citizens across the state. This work is critical as we face continuing cuts in social service budgets at the national and local levels."

     A native Portlander, the Rev. Boozer has served the local community as an educator and as a priest of the Episcopal Church. As an educator, she had a 26-year career in Portland Public Schools as a teacher, counselor, vice-principal at Grant High School, assistant director of Alternative Education and principal of Jefferson High School. She retired from Portland Public Schools in 1997.

     As a priest, the Rev. Boozer has served as an associate at St. John the Baptist, St. Stephen and Grace Memorial parishes in Portland and as vicar of St. Augustine in Clatskanie and Emanuel in Birkenfeld, Ore. She currently works half-time as rector of St. Philip the Deacon Episcopal Church in Portland. She can be found every Saturday morning at the Deacon’s Dining Room, an outreach ministry of the parish, helping to prepare and serve food to anyone in the community in need of a healthy, balanced meal. Last year the Deacon’s Dining Room served more than 6,000 meals.

             The Rev. Boozer volunteers at the schools where her grandchildren are in attendance. Past community service includes United Way Board of Directors, the Greater Portland Trust in Higher Education and Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District (Tri-Met). Among her personal achievements are hiking from Cuzco to Machu Picchu in Peru and finishing the Portland Marathon.

     Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon is a statewide association of 16 Christian denominations including Protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox bodies working together to improve the lives of Oregonians through community ministry programs, ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue, environmental ministry and public policy advocacy.