Rick Larson: “I’m a passionate advocate for education”

This is part of a series of profiles about the members of the Clackamas ESD Board of Directors. Our elected board governs the ESD, setting policy, and hiring and managing the superintendent. Board members represent the geographic diversity of Clackamas County, and bring a range of life experiences to their ESD work. They are a vital part of our team, and we want you to know them better.

Rick Larson, one of Clackamas ESD’s newer board members, was born, in a sense, to work in education.

After the loss of his mother at birth, Rick was taken in and raised by his aunt, a dedicated teacher, and his uncle, a factory worker.

“They opened their home and hearts to me, becoming the pillars of my upbringing,” Rick recalls. “Their values of education, responsibility and service deeply influenced the path I would follow.”

After graduating from the University of Oregon, Rick chose to stay in education, starting his career as a school bus driver and spending several years working in a series of classified positions in the Beaverton School District. All of his roles and experiences served him well when he took a professional leap and became a certified public accountant.

“I was always intrigued with financial accounting and tax law,” Rick says. “So, looking to expand my horizons, I took night classes at PSU in accounting and at PCC to get a tax preparer’s license.”

Rick spent several years working in personal income taxes and as a municipal auditor, where he conducted and led financial audits of many school districts and education service districts. In 1995, he moved back to the “other side” of these audits, joining the Centennial School District. Over the course of the next 22 years, he led the district’s business office, as well as pupil transportation, facilities, food service and capital construction projects.

“The district passed a bond measure in 2000, and managing construction of a brand new elementary school and major remodel of Centennial High School was a highlight of my career,” Rick shares. “There are two ways a person can leave a fingerprint on the future: a major brick and mortar project, and having an impact on the lives of our children. That work encompassed both of those.”

While at Centennial, Rick also served on a number of advisory committees for Multnomah Education Service District, where he was first introduced to the work of ESDs.

“I’m a passionate advocate for education, and I have a comprehensive understanding of the complexities of fiscal management and operations in schools,” Rick says. “I’ve loved the opportunities I’ve had to help advance outcomes, whether they’re short-term needs or long-range goals.”

Rick retired from Centennial in 2017, but by 2018 he was working with the Oregon City School District, managing special projects and ultimately spending a year as interim operations director in 2020-21. He and his wife, Mary, love to travel, but Rick continues to throw himself into education and civic volunteer activities. He volunteers with the City of West Linn as chair of the city’s budget committee. He also served for several years on the board for the Serendipity Center, which operates a therapeutic school in the Centennial area, serving students with elevated mental health and related needs. And in late 2024, he sought appointment to an open seat on the Clackamas ESD Board of Directors.

“When I learned about the opening, I was enthused about the opportunity to contribute my knowledge and experience to the ESD’s mission,” Rick says. “I have a passion for supporting initiatives that benefit children and improve our community, and the ESD’s mission to ‘lead, serve and innovate for learning’ strikes a meaningful chord for me.”

Rick was appointed to fill the vacancy on the board in December 2024, and he ran for and won a full four-year term in May 2025.

“I was particularly drawn to Clackamas ESD because of the range of services they provide to districts that save districts money and time,” Rick shares. “In my time as a board member so far, I’ve grown even more impressed by the breadth of services offered by the ESD, particularly in the area of early learning. We really do present the power of community and collaboration at its finest.

“I look forward to continuing to support and expand the mission of Clackamas ESD. Families and children in our county are so well served by the ESD, and it is humbling to hear about the work of our staff.”