Hi my name is Patty Katz and I am in long-term recovery; which means I haven’t used drugs or alcohol in more than 11 years. This is important to me because all of the things I gave up in my addiction are coming back to me; I work a solid program of recovery. Today the unity of my family continues to grow; I am a mother, a grandmother, a sister and a friend.

Today I work for Partnership for Safety and Justice (PSJ) which is a multi-faceted statewide advocacy organization that works to make Oregon’s approach to public safety more effective and more just. As program director for Beyond Barriers, I work to dismantle barriers people with felony convictions face as they re-enter the community and to make change in public policy. Sitting on the Governor’s Re-Entry Council on an employment working group has shown me, my experience as a formerly incarcerated woman is beneficial to others. My additional board work has included Multnomah County Substance Abuse and Criminal Justice, Second Step Housing, the Recovery Association Project.

My work in the community gives me great joy. My friend Louise Wedge and I are the founding directors of a small non-profit “Hands Across the Bridge Project.” The project began as an event ten years ago to honor and celebrate National Recovery Month.

My feelings for the privilege of being elected to the Board of Directors for Faces and Voices of Recovery brings me great humility. I sometimes wonder how a person with my past can shine in the present I have today. It will be my honor to serve the people in the Frontier Region.