Safe and Accessible Transportation

Get To Know Me

Born and raised in Oregon, I’m originally from McMinnville, the agricultural and economic hub of Yamhill County. I’ve lived in Washington County for ten years and currently rent an apartment in the Elmonica Station area of Aloha (unincorporated Washington County). I invest in our community at every chance I get: whether it’s mentoring students through leadership programs, donating blood and platelets regularly with the American Red Cross, or serving as a Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District (THPRD) Board Director.

Raised by a father with a long career in public K-12 and higher education and a city employee mother, community was the focus of my upbringing. Largely because of our multi-cultural family–representing Hispanic, Hawaiian, and Portuguese cultural identities while celebrating my youngest sister’s Liberian heritage–the diversity of our community was dear to us and showed up often in how we interacted in our community. You’d always find a member of the Palacios family volunteering at events like Turkey-Rama, serving at the St. Barnabas Soup Kitchen, or participating in the world famous McMinnville Alien Day Parade.

After receiving a BA in Political Science and Sociology from the University of Oregon, I returned to McMinnville, where I worked for a family owned winery. Whether I was making wine in the cellar, pouring for customers, or caring for the vines in the fields, I learned first hand the important role that agriculture and small business play in my community. These foundations are what led me to pursue a long career in public service. I have worked many years in the Oregon State Capitol, as a legislative aide for Senator Janeen Sollman and later the chief of staff for Senator WLnsvey Campos, an assistant in the Office of Governor Kate Brown, and as a government affairs manager for the Association of Oregon Counties. I also bring with me years of nonprofit leadership as the executive director of the Oregon Association of Student Councils, a non-profit investing in young people statewide during the most transformational period of their life.

These lived experiences - growing up in rural Oregon, raised with an emphasis on community building, and learning how to serve my community through education - are what prepared me to serve my community. As a THPRD Director, I have worked to ensure that the district continues to serve our community as the greatest parks district in the state, providing more programs, trails, and opportunities to recreate safely in our beautiful outdoors and recreation centers than anywhere else in Oregon. We have continued to open new spaces to recreate like La Raiz park and seek further expansions of natural areas and trails like in the south of Cooper Mountain. As a member of Metro’s Policy Advisory Committee (MPAC), I have participated in ongoing conversations representing Washington County’s needs regarding regional transportation investments, the urban growth boundary, and other land use planning matters.

Now, I remain determined to continue investing in my community with a proven record of care and intention in the growth of our community. Whether using my experience as a public servant, a local elected at the THPRD, or as a community nonprofit leader, I am dedicated to Washington County, my neighbors, and all Oregonians. I hope for your support as I continue with these investments.

Committed to Advocacy

My time working with young people from rural and urban communities across the state, emphasized that leaders at every level are the most effective when they truly represent their community, whether it be from their own lived experiences or by understanding the experiences of their neighbors. I have and will continue to embody this same lesson in my work as a public servant.

Proven Experience

Whether it's my experiences in solutions-focused policy development, organizational management, or social and political advocacy, I have made sure every role held professionally or as a volunteer serves our greater community. As a policy analyst for Governor Brown and First Gentleman Dan Little, I worked on policy initiatives such as the Roadmap to the Outdoors, which was geared toward making Oregon’s state parks more accessible and welcoming to all. That emphasis on community deeply informed how I went on to operate as the Executive Director of the Oregon Association of Student Councils (OASC), ensuring that the programs for middle and high school students remained as inclusive as they were impactful.