Greg Addington, director of REAL Oregon, has announced the members of its fourth class, which begins in November.

SALEM — After nearly three decades advocating for Oregon agriculture and natural resources, Greg Addington’s career has come full circle.

Addington was hired as executive director of the Oregon Farm Bureau, returning to the organization where he worked as a regional manager and lobbyist representing the state’s farmers and ranchers from 1996 to 2005.

For the last 18 years, Addington has lived and worked in Southern Oregon. He previously led the Klamath Water Users Association, and was instrumental in helping to develop REAL Oregon, a statewide leadership training program focused on agriculture and forestry.

Addington is also a member of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and one of five governor-appointed members on the state Environmental Quality Commission, which adopts rules and policies for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

Addington replaces Dave Dillon at the Farm Bureau office in Salem. Dillon left earlier this year to become executive director of Food Northwest, a regional trade association representing food processors in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

Addington’s first day on the job will be Nov. 21, ahead of OFB’s annual meeting scheduled for Dec. 5-8 in Hood River.

“I feel privileged to have come full circle and now have the opportunity to serve the (Farm Bureau) membership, a dedicated board of directors, and to lead a very talented and hard-working staff,” Addington said.

At the Klamath Water Users Association, Addington advocated for approximately 1,200 family farmers and ranchers in the Bureau of Reclamation’s Klamath Project.

It was during his tenure that farmers, conservationists, tribes and local governments all signed off on the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, an attempt to provide reliable water supplies to multiple competing interests in the basin.

Despite Congress failing to pass legislation to enforce the agreement by the Jan. 1, 2016, deadline, Addington said it was a major accomplishment getting more than 40 government agencies, non-governmental organizations and private companies to put pen to paper.

“I’m very proud of the work that was done there,” he said. “That was something people said could never happen, and it did.”

Now in its sixth year, REAL Oregon ushers participants around the state to learn about agricultural and natural resources industries, while simultaneously honing leadership skills including public speaking, government relations and conflict resolution.

Addington said he will step down as program director for REAL Oregon, handing the reins to Lauren Lucht, who runs a nursery business in Molalla and graduated from the program’s first cohort in 2018.

Addington also owns a consulting company in Klamath Falls, and worked as the chief of staff for state Rep. Vikki Breese-Iverson, R-Prineville, in 2021.

Angi Bailey, president of the Oregon Farm Bureau, said Addington is a natural fit for the organization, bringing extensive leadership and public policy experience.

“Greg knows this state, he knows the organization and he is politically savvy,” Bailey said. “Even though he has a history with the organization, he brings new energy and a fresh perspective, and is well-suited to hit the ground running.”