Former NCSD Board Chair Libra Forde announced on Facebook that she has been officially confirmed as a member of the Oregon State Board of Education today.   Forde just recently completed her board work with North Clackamas this summer.

Libra grew up in New York City as the only child of a single parent. Her mother was a model and her father was a Broadway actor. Her grandfather was one of the first Black men to drive a tank in the U.S. Army.

After marrying an active-duty member of the military, their family moved to many places including Arizona, California, North Carolina, and Hawaii. Throughout her career, she has worked in the private sector and education, as well as founding a first-of-its-kind, military child education organization, to better serve children in military families.

Libra is the former Chief Operating Officer at the second largest minority-focused non-profit, Self Enhancement, Inc. The nonprofit is a comprehensive, one-stop resource for youth and families, primarily African Americans and others living in poverty or seeking culturally responsive services., SEI has served the Portland metro area for the last 40 years with an annual budget of over 25 million.

Libra currently serves as the Executive Director for the Women’s Foundation of Oregon, a non-profit organization that works with leaders across the state dedicated to the empowerment of women.

Libra believes that community service is not an option, it is her duty. This is shown in her work and her long-time membership in the larger social action sorority, Delta Sigma Theta. She served on the board of the North Clackamas School District, securing an appointment and later winning the election to the board in 2019. Libra is also a member of the Oregon School Board Association. Libra also serves as an ex-officio board member of the Oregon Community College Association and sits on the Governor’s Education Recovery Committee. She has served on many other boards locally including Clackamas Women’s Services, and Metro PERC Committee.

For her work, Libra has been recognized with a Women of Excellence Social Justice award by Delta Sigma Theta and a Phenomenal Woman 2021 award. She is also a two-time Toastmasters International Speech Champion for the states of Hawaii and Oregon.

Libra has a Bachelor’s Degree from Brandeis University, a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, completed the public leadership program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School, and is currently in an executive leadership course with McKinsey & Co. She lives in Damascus with her three daughters who she calls her superpowers.