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Top Oregon official put on leave for allegedly prioritizing 'qualified' job candidates over 'gender identity'

A diversity, equity and inclusion expert had her former boss placed on administrative leave for reportedly prioritizing merit over personal identity when hiring new employees, according to a report.

Views of Mt. Hood National Forest, a mountain and river wilderness area located only an hour and half drive from the city of Portland, as seen on September 29, 2020, Oregon. (Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images) ((Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images))

Donecker reportedly first took issue with Shaw when he advocated for a careful approach to DEI, comparing rapid changes to speeding on "an icy road." She claimed that Shaw, using this metaphor, warned, "We don’t go 60 (mph) out of the gate, or we’re gonna crash the car."

She also reportedly claimed that six queer staffers didn't "feel safe or comfortable" at work because they could not have "conversation around pronouns" and referred to the department as a "boys club," the Daily Mail reported, citing the formal complaint obtained by OregonLive.

Oregon State Capitol Building. (Getty Images)

The pink-haired, tattooed Salem resident has left the department and now works as a DEI consultant, according to the Daily Mail. She reportedly describes herself as an "accomplice to marginalized communities," the outlet reported.

OregonLive summarized that leadership in the department has significant implications for the state.

"The Department of Forestry is charged with protecting about 16 million acres of public and private forestland and serves as Oregon’s largest fire department," The local journalist Noelle Crombie wrote. "It is overseen by Mukumoto, who answers to the Oregon Board of Forestry, a seven-member citizen board appointed by the governor. Mukumoto, appointed in 2021, manages an agency of nearly 1,400 employees and a biennial budget of about $577 million. His salary is $237,288."

But residents have slowly begun pushing back. Clackamas County in Oregon announced in January that it will dismantle their nearly $830,000 a year diversity, equity and inclusion office, calling it an "unnecessary expense" that "only foments friction."