All flourishing is mutual. 

It is a phrase I often return to, and one that has stayed with me throughout my first year as Director of the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement. 

June is a month filled with celebration, reflection, and community. Across Oregon, people are gathering to celebrate Pride, commemorate Juneteenth, and recognize World Refugee Day. At the same time, the FIFA World Cup is bringing countries from around the world together across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. 

While these moments are different in history and purpose, they all remind me of something I have been thinking about a lot over the past year: our lives are more connected than we sometimes realize. 

When I started on July 1, 2025, I knew OIRA had an important mission. What I did not yet know was how profoundly community would shape our work. 

Over the past year, our team has traveled across Oregon, meeting with community organizations, educators, healthcare providers, local leaders, state agencies, advocates, and families. We listened to stories of resilience, uncertainty, hope, frustration, and determination. We heard about barriers that remain, systems that work well, and systems that still need improvement. 

Those conversations shaped OIRA's first strategic plan. They informed new coordination efforts across state government. Most importantly, they reinforced a lesson that communities across Oregon continue teaching us: people closest to challenges often have the clearest understanding of what is working, what is not, and what needs to change. 

Over the past year, OIRA has grown alongside this work. Our team has expanded. Our responsibilities have expanded. Our partnerships have expanded. We have taken on new coordination responsibilities, increased our visibility across state government, and deepened our relationships with communities throughout Oregon. 

One of the most significant milestones came earlier this year when Governor Tina Kotek signed Executive Order 26-04, creating the Interagency Council for Immigrant and Refugee Coordination. The Executive Order reflects Governor Kotek's recognition that immigrant and refugee communities are an important part of Oregon's social, economic, and civic fabric, and that the issues affecting those communities often touch multiple public systems at once. 

The Council creates a stronger foundation for agencies to communicate, coordinate, and respond across systems. It also reflects something we have heard consistently from community partners throughout Oregon: people experience government as a whole, not one agency at a time. 

I am grateful for Governor Kotek's leadership and commitment to ensuring that immigrant and refugee communities are considered in the development and implementation of public policy across state government. 

Some of the most important insights shaping OIRA's work this year did not come from reports, dashboards, or conference rooms. They came from conversations with parents, students, community leaders, service providers, educators, healthcare workers, and families navigating systems in their daily lives. 

That does not diminish the importance of expertise. It reminds us where expertise can be found. 

Good government requires listening. It requires humility. It requires recognizing that communities are not simply recipients of public services. They are partners in shaping solutions. 

As someone who crossed the border with my family as a child, grew up undocumented, and now has the privilege of serving as OIRA's Director, I have seen firsthand how our lives become intertwined. None of us succeed alone. Communities do not experience government one agency at a time. Families do not navigate schools, healthcare, housing, employment, or public services separately. Their experiences are connected. Their opportunities are connected. Their challenges are connected. 

The same is true for us. 

As this message is published, our nation is also approaching its 250th anniversary. Moments like this invite reflection on who we are, where we have been, and who we aspire to be. 

The story of the United States is complex, imperfect, and still unfolding. It is a story shaped by Indigenous communities who have called this land home since time immemorial, by those who fought for independence, by generations who expanded the promise of freedom, and by people who came from around the world seeking opportunity, safety, self-determination, and the chance to build a better future. 

For 250 years, immigrants have not simply been part of the American story. They have helped shape it. They helped build communities, strengthen institutions, grow the economy, defend the country, and expand our understanding of what it means to belong. 

The American story was not written by institutions alone. It was written by ordinary people, workers, families, immigrants, refugees, advocates, community leaders, and generations of people who believed they had a role in shaping the future of this country. 

As we reflect on our nation's history, I am reminded that the promise of America has always been larger than any one generation, community, or origin story. It has been carried forward by people from many backgrounds who believed in the possibility of building something better together. 

That lesson feels especially relevant today. 

Our communities, our institutions, and our futures are connected. The well-being of one community is tied to the well-being of another. The strength of our state depends on the strength of all who call it home. 

After one year, I believe that lesson more than ever. 

All flourishing is mutual. 

Thank you for being part of this journey. The work continues, and I am grateful to be doing it alongside you. 

Warmly,

Jessica Ventura