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News Release

Sean O’Day Selected As Acting Director Of Oregon Department Of Consumer And Business Services; TK Keen Will Assume Role As Acting Insurance Commissioner (Photo) -05/15/25

Salem – Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has selected Sean O’Day as acting director of the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS).

O’Day is currently the deputy director for DCBS, the state’s largest consumer and worker protection and business regulatory agency. He will replace Andrew R. Stolfi, who was recently confirmed by the Oregon State Senate to be the director of the Oregon Employment Department.

Stolfi is presently serving as both the DCBS director and the Oregon insurance commissioner. TK Keen, the deputy insurance commissioner and administrator of DCBS’ Division of Financial Regulation, will take on the duties as acting insurance commissioner.

“Sean and TK are both true public servants with decades of experience leading teams and their knowledge of the people and issues that make up DCBS will be invaluable during this time of transition,” Stolfi said. “They have also demonstrated time and again their commitment to consumer and worker protection, which is at the core of our mission. Oregonians are in great hands moving forward in this interim period.”

O’Day has been the DCBS deputy director since March 2023. He previously served as the deputy director of the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs. He has more than two decades of public service in Oregon and has worked at a variety of government entities providing regulatory and business services. Before he joined Veterans’ Affairs in 2020, Sean served as the executive director of Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments, general counsel for the League of Oregon Cities, deputy city attorney and deputy city manager for Salem, deputy legal counsel to the Office of the Governor, and law clerk to the chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court.

O’Day also serves as a reserve judge advocate in the United States Army Reserve. He is the commander of the 6th Legal Operations Detachment (LOD), a unit comprised of highly trained legal professionals who provide on-demand legal services and operational support across the globe. A combat veteran, he has served two tours of duty in the Middle East and also participated in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

He received his law degree from the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College in Portland, and his bachelor’s degree from Central Washington University. He also has a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.

“I am honored to serve as the acting DCBS director,” O’Day said. “Oregon has long been a leader in worker and consumer protection, and I am excited to continue working with our talented employees and agency partners in service to the people of Oregon.”

Keen started as administrator of the Division of Financial Regulation in August 2020 and has been the deputy insurance commissioner since 2014. He previously served in the division as deputy administrator (December 2014 to August 2020) and senior policy advisor (October 2012 to December 2014). 

Keen has led several National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ working groups on topics such as pharmacy benefit manager regulation and consumer protection on mandatory arbitration clauses. He has also led national groups that focused on consumer protections for financial product offerings. 

Before joining the division, he practiced law as a sole practitioner in Washington, focusing on employment law cases. During law school at Lewis & Clark College, he worked for the Oregon Department of Justice, the Hon. Elizabeth L. Perris of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, and the Portland State University Office of General Counsel.

"It is an honor to serve as acting insurance commissioner. I look forward to continuing the approach of protecting consumers, dealing with the complex issues around wildfires and insurance, and ensuring we have stable and healthy insurance markets statewide,” Keen said. “Also, we will continue to be leaders on innovation, transparency, and responsive regulation." 

O’Day and Keen will start in their roles June 23.

The Oregon Department of Administrative Services (DAS) is preparing to conduct an open recruitment for the next director of DCBS this summer. At the close of the recruitment process, Gov. Kotek will nominate the DCBS director, who is subject to state Senate confirmation. The Oregon insurance commissioner falls under DCBS and is appointed by the DCBS director.

DCBS and the insurance commissioner play an important role in the state’s regulatory landscape and are responsible for overseeing the insurance industry and protecting consumers.

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About Oregon DCBS: The Department of Consumer and Business Services is Oregon’s largest consumer protection and business regulatory agency. The department administers state laws and rules to protect consumers and workers in the areas of workers’ compensation, occupational safety and health, financial services, insurance, and building codes. Visit dcbs.oregon.gov.

Attached Media Files: Sean O'Day, TK Keen,

Five Oregon High Schools Win Prizes In Media Contest To Promote Young Worker Safety (Photo) -05/07/25

Students at Sherwood, Parkrose, Lincoln, Cleveland, and Bend Senior high schools have earned top prizes in a media contest designed to increase awareness about workplace safety and health for young workers.

High school students across Oregon were invited to participate in the annual contest organized by the Oregon Young Employee Safety (O[yes]) Coalition. The 2024-25 contest challenged participants to create an ad – through either a compelling graphic design or video – that garnered their peers’ attention and convinced them to take the O[yes] Young Employee Safety Awareness online training.


Participants got to choose the key message, theme, or tagline they believed would capture their audience and prompt it to act. Participants were asked to submit either a graphic design or a video that was no more than 90 seconds long.

Students rose to the challenge, creating smart, funny, and positive media projects. In skillful and engaging videos, and catchy and colorful graphic designs, students called attention to everything from making safety and health a top priority to the importance of recognizing and preventing hazards. Their projects focused on convincing their target audience – teen workers or teens who are preparing to work for the first time – to take the O[yes] Young Employee Safety Awareness online training to improve their knowledge of how to stay safe and healthy in the workplace.

The top winners in each category were:

Video:

  • First place: Kolbe Johnson, Sherwood High School (Sherwood), “Say Oh Yes to O[yes]” ($500)

  • Second: Riley Clare, Parkrose High School (Portland), “Hazards Attack” ($400)

  • Third: Audrey Finkelstein, Lincoln High School (Portland), “O[No]” ($300)

  • Finalists: Ryan Staben, Crescent Valley High School (Corvallis), “The Bucket”; Tristan Sexton, McNary High School (Keizer), “O[yes] On Site”; Lauren Nelson, McLoughlin High School (Milton-Freewater), “Mark's New Job”; Alondra Joaquin, McLoughlin High School (Milton-Freewater), “Lola Needs Help!”

Graphic design:

  • First place: Cipriano Johnson, Cleveland High School (Portland), “Safety Comes First” ($500)

  • Second place: Ben Kaufman, Cleveland High School (Portland), “Be Safe” ($400)

  • Third place: Kruz Najera, Bend Senior High School (Bend), “Symbols of Safety” ($300)

  • Finalists: Kenneth McCabe, Cleveland High School (Portland), “Entering the Workforce?”; Kolbe Johnson, Sherwood High School (Sherwood), “DO NOT READ!”

The first-place winners in each category also earned a matching award for their schools.

Check out the submissions from the winners and finalists on the (O[yes]) website, where you will also find videos of the contestants discussing their media projects.
 

The mission of (O[yes]) is to prevent injuries and illnesses, and promote well-being to young workers. The nonprofit does this through outreach, advocacy, and sharing resources with young workers, educators, employers, parents, and labor organizations.

The contest sponsors were the Oregon chapters of the American Association of Safety Professionals, Construction Safety Summit, Central Oregon Safety and Health Association, Hoffman Construction, Oregon Health & Sciences University, Oregon OSHA, SHARP Alliance, SafeBuild Alliance, and SAIF Corporation.

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About Oregon OSHA: Oregon OSHA enforces the state's workplace safety and health rules and works to improve workplace safety and health for all Oregon workers. The division is part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, Oregon’s largest consumer protection and business regulatory agency. Visit osha.oregon.gov and dcbs.oregon.gov.

About the Oregon Young Employee Safety Coalition (O[yes]): (O[yes]) is a nonprofit dedicated to preventing young worker injuries and fatalities. O[yes] members include safety and health professionals, educators, employers, labor and trade associations, and regulators. Visit youngemployeesafety.org.


 

Attached Media Files: O[yes] logo, Oregon OSHA logo, DCBS logo,

Oregon Division Of Financial Regulation Consumer Advocates Return Over $2 Million To Oregonians In First Quarter Of 2025 (Photo) -04/29/25

Salem – In the first quarter of 2025, the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation (DFR) recovered over $2 million through the work of its consumer advocate and compliance teams.

DFR’s consumer advocates have extensive knowledge across many areas of regulation, including helping those experiencing difficulties with insurance, mortgages, banking products, securities, student loans, and a variety of other financial services regulated by the division.

“This $2 million returned to Oregonians is a testament to what we can do when state government works diligently to protect consumers and hold financial institutions accountable,” Gov. Tina Kotek said. “I applaud the continued commitment to ensuring fairness and justice in our financial system.”

In the first quarter of 2025, consumer advocates received 1,431 total complaints, which is up over the last quarter of 2024 when advocates saw 1,248 total complaints. Complaints in the insurance realm continue to lead the way, with 868 complaints filed so far this year. Mortgage service complaints is the next highest in areas DFR regulates with 55.

Here are a few examples of work DFR advocates have done this year:

  • The consumer sold a vehicle and notified her agent’s office to remove that vehicle from the policy and add her new vehicle. The agent acknowledged receipt of the request and added the replacement vehicle but never completed removing the vehicle that was sold. The consumer noticed months later that the sold vehicle was never removed from the policy and requested a correction. The agent’s office was only able to backdate the vehicle’s removal 30 days, so a request was submitted to the corporate office for help. The insurer was unwilling to process the removal back to the requested date, saying that the information did not meet its guidelines for backdating. The consumer then filed a complaint with DFR. After reviewing the complaint, the insurer confirmed that the consumer’s request to remove the vehicle was in the agent’s notes and processed the backdated removal of the vehicle and refunded the consumer $3,354.89.
  • The consumer called his dental insurer to make a plan change due to his primary dentist not being in-network with his new plan. The customer service representative told the consumer they would be allowed to complete this application change, even though it was outside of open enrollment. The application was processed, but the consumer received a letter a week later saying to change plans he would have to submit a special enrollment period (SEP) validation, which he did not qualify for. The consumer filed a complaint with DFR, and the division requested that based on the information provided, the insurer allow the plan change outside of open enrollment. The insurer agreed to this, allowing the consumer to continue to see his dentist.
  • The consumer experienced a significant hail event and reported a claim for roof damage. The company hired an independent adjuster to inspect the roof, and the inspection revealed minimal damage to only roof vents and downspouts. A small payment of $94.89 was issued. The consumer contacted a roofer who completed an inspection, documented the damage, and provided an estimate for a roof replacement. The insurer did not agree with the roofer’s assessment, so the consumer filed a complaint. After receiving the complaint, the insurer conducted an additional review of the roofer’s photos, which documented roof damage. The insurer agreed to have the roof reinspected, which resulted in an approval to pay for a roof replacement.

“I continue to be impressed at the level of professionalism, customer service, and expertise our consumer advocates display on a daily basis,” said Andrew R. Stolfi, Oregon’s insurance commissioner and director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services. “They continue to work at a high level through extremely complex issues, which often leads to money back to Oregonians.”

In 2024, DFR recovered nearly $9 million for consumers and handled nearly 5,500 complaints.

“Our team continues to put its expertise to work for the benefit of Oregonians,” said DFR Administrator TK Keen. “Their work gets money back into the pockets of hard-working consumers, and gives them peace of mind knowing there are people who go to bat for them every day.”

Anyone who may need a consumer advocate can call 1-888-877-4894 (toll-free) or email dfr.insurancehelp@dcbs.oregon.gov for insurance related issues and dfr.finanicialserviceshelp@dcbs.oregon.gov for financial-related issues.

Here is the list of complaints through the first quarter of 2025:

Quarter 1 2025 (January to March)

Total

Banking

14

14

Check casher

1

1

Collection agency

8

8

Consumer finance

15

15

Credit union

48

48

Debt buyer

2

2

Debt management service provider

1

1

Insurance

868

868

Manufactured structure dealer

1

1

Money transmitter

18

18

Mortgage banker/broker

5

5

Mortgage servicer

55

55

Other

5

5

Pawn broker

2

2

Payday Loans

1

1

Pre need provider

1

1

Securities

23

23

Student loan

31

31

Virtual currency

0

0

Not regulated by DFR: All Other

57

57

Not regulated by DFR: Banking

16

16

Not regulated by DFR: Credit unions

4

4

Not regulated by DFR: Insurance

250

462

Total complaints:

1,431

1,431

Recoveries

$2,021,766

$2,021,766

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About Oregon DFR: The Division of Financial Regulation protects consumers and regulates insurance, depository institutions, trust companies, securities, and consumer financial products and services. The division is part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, Oregon’s largest consumer protection and business regulatory agency. Visit dfr.oregon.gov and dcbs.oregon.gov.

Attached Media Files: DFR-logo-blue.jpg,

Workers Memorial Day Ceremony Honors Oregon Workers Who Died On The Job In 2024 (Photo) -04/25/25

The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) and Oregon AFL-CIO invite the public to attend the Workers Memorial Day observance on Monday, April 28, in Salem. The ceremony will recognize, remember, and honor those who died of work-related injuries and illnesses in 2024.

The event will take place at 12:30 p.m. at the Fallen Worker Memorial outside the Labor and Industries Building, 350 Winter St. NE, on the Capitol Mall. The memorial service, coordinated by Oregon AFL-CIO, will feature remarks from union leaders, safety and health advocates, elected officials, and faith leaders.

“Every day, people across Oregon go to work to provide for themselves and their families, to help their fellow Oregonians and make the state a thriving place to live,” Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said. “Today, we honor the Oregonians whose lives were tragically lost doing their job and offer our deepest condolences to their families. Today, we recommit to our efforts to make working conditions safer and protect workers across the state.”

During the ceremony, the names of Oregon workers who died on the job in 2024 will be read aloud. The event will include a reading of Gov. Kotek’s proclamation, and remarks by Oregon OSHA Administrator Renée Stapleton and Oregon AFL-CIO President Graham Trainor.  

Oregon workplaces are safer and healthier today than in previous decades. Yet, there are still far too many preventable on-the-job deaths each year.

“Job safety laws remain far too weak, allowing employers to endanger employees often without repercussion,” Trainor said. “Oregon’s unions will always stand up against any attack on the safety and health of working people. On this solemn day, we honor the workers who did not make it home and demand increased safety, more severe consequences for safety violators, and dignity at work.”

Through a partnership of government, labor, and business working together to improve workplace safety and health, Oregon’s fatality and injury and illness rates have steadily declined for decades.

Nevertheless, the annual Workers Memorial Day observance serves as a reminder to renew our call to protect workers from on-the-job hazards. Under the Oregon Safe Employment Act, employers must maintain safe and healthy workplaces, and workers have a right to safe and healthy working conditions.

“Workers Memorial Day is not just a day of remembrance,” Stapleton said. “It is a day to renew our call to action. It is a day to revitalize our commitment to our mission: to create safe and healthy workplaces, where the risk of death is eliminated and where every worker returns home at the end of their shift, safe and sound.”


The annual Workers Memorial Day serves as a nationwide day of remembrance. The observance is traditionally held on April 28 because the U.S. Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act on that date in 1970.

Oregon OSHA encourages employers and workers to use free workplace safety and health resources. Those resources include:

Oregon OSHA

DCBS Multicultural Communications Program

Ombuds Office for Oregon Workers

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About Oregon OSHA: Oregon OSHA enforces the state's workplace safety and health rules and works to improve workplace safety and health for all Oregon workers. The division is part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, Oregon’s largest consumer protection and business regulatory agency. Visit osha.oregon.gov and dcbs.oregon.gov.



About Oregon AFL-CIO: Oregon AFL-CIO is the statewide federation of affiliated unions, representing more than 300,000 working Oregonians. Visit https://www.oraflcio.org/.

Attached Media Files: Oregon OSHA logo, Oregon AFL-CIO logo,