City of Portland
Umaru W. Balde
February 23, 2023
Former Iowa civil rights investigator hired as Portland's first DEI director
The city of Portland has hired a former civil rights investigator from Iowa as its first justice, diversity, equity and inclusion director.
Umaru W. Balde will advise the Portland City Council on a report released by the Racial Equity Steering Committee and how to address the recommendations included, according to a news release.
Balde will also help facilitate the City Council's 2023 goal of prioritizing racial, social and justice equity and advise the city manager on DEI issues and inclusive practices within both city government and the community.
Balde's annual salary will be $113,168. The city created the position and included funding for it in the fiscal year 2023 budget following the recommendation of the council-appointed Racial Equity Steering Committee.
Balde will be relocating from the Hawkeye State, where, until recently, he was the director of the Multicultural Family Center for the city of Dubuque. Previously, he was an investigator for the Civil Rights Commission in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
He is fluent in English, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Hebrew, Fulani, Creole, and various Arabic and African dialects.
Balde is a doctoral candidate at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, with an anticipated completion date of spring 2025. He earned a master's in post-secondary education in Iowa.
He attended Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel, for Hebrew language studies and holds a master's degree in comparative religions and a bachelor's in English literature from Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt.
"I'm looking forward to having Umaru join our leadership team as he will be squarely focused on ensuring our work helps create a more just, diverse, equitable, and inclusive city," said interim City Manager Danielle West.
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