Welcome Amber!

We were excited to welcome a new administrative specialist to our team earlier this year; Amber Heitz! She has been a great addition to the team, and we’ve enjoyed getting to know her. To learn more, we asked her a few questions recently. Here’s what Amber had to say:

Amber's Background and Journey to OGEC:

I am a licensed cosmetologist and have had the privilege of practicing for the past 25 years across the country as well as working as an instructor with the future of the beauty industry. After graduating from Bend Senior High School as a teen parent, I went on to Central Oregon Community College and eventually, beauty school. I passively worked on my degree for many years with Business Administration being the key focus of study. I found that I had a passion for Corporate Law and started law school while working full time as a single parent. About a year into that grind, I lost my vision in my left eye and although the idea of being the “Blind Barber” had crossed my mind, I was blessed to find an opportunity to work with Oregon Vocational Rehabilitation Services through the Commission for the Blind. 

Working with OVRS was very rewarding and was a catapult into several projects that have helped to foster the “Just Do It” attitude that landed me at Nike World Headquarters and beyond. I have worked globally with Nike, Jordan, Converse, Adidas, Wells Fargo, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Meta, Providence Health and many other major corporations/institutions to improve on their accessibility avenues and it is an honor to now be a part of the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. The hiring process was supremely pleasant and inclusive and the opportunity to be in the front lines to experience Oregonian’s thoughts and proposed opportunities for improvement really speaks to me now as I continue my education in Political Science.

Amber's Favorite Color:

I love rainbows and my favorite color is the blue right at dusk.

Amber's Hobbies and Passions:

I love cats and dogs equally but have a current fixation on my plants, most recently being my Venus fly trap, SEE-MORE! I also love unicorns, dragons, and other mystical creatures! I love to travel, go to concerts, practice yoga and mindful meditation as well as being in the water. I am also an athlete with Northwest Association for Blind Athletes as a Dragonboat paddler and a blind fencer. My passion in life is my family…four children all grown into fine upstanding Oregonians and my three grandbabies, Ruby (age 5), Reggie (age 2) and Robbie (4 Months)!

Thank you to Amber for sharing with us! We hope you enjoyed learning more about our newest administrative specialist.