Perkins-Hagele Appointed as Fair Complex Venue Manager

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Washington County Administrator Robert Davis announced today that Leah Perkins-Hagele has been chosen as the Washington County Fair Complex venue manager after a nationwide search to fill this new position.

Perkins-Hagele began her career with Washington County in 2001 as the fair coordinator and was named Fairgrounds Manager in 2013. Perkins-Hagele is past president of the Oregon Fairs Association and serves on the board of directors for the Western Fairs Association. She graduated from the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) Institute of Fair Management in 2009 and received the IAFE Certified Fair Executive designation in 2010. She currently serves on the board of directors for the IAFE as well. Perkins-Hagele is an active member of the Hillsboro Rotary Club having also served on the board of directors and as past president of the organization.

Over the past few years, Perkins-Hagele has been a key member of the concept design and planning team for the County’s new Wingspan Event and Conference Center , currently under construction, located on the Fair Complex grounds in Hillsboro. Wingspan will accommodate the needs of a wide range of year-round community activities, supported by a commercial kitchen, concessions, and 40,000 square feet of exposition space—serving as the centerpiece the proposed Fair Complex revitalization .

“Leah is recognized throughout the region as a leader in the fair and exposition industry and she is well-positioned to guide operations of the Fair Complex into a new era” said Assistant County Administrator Sia Lindstrom. “Her knowledge, passion and leadership ability will help us fully realize the opportunities that lie ahead with the new Event and Conference Center, as well as the vision of the recent Master Plan Update .”

The Fair Complex venue manager duties include overall planning, organizing and directing of all services and logistics of the Fair Complex including the Wingspan Event and Conference Center, as well as the annual County Fair. In her new role as chief executive, Perkins-Hagele will be responsible to, and work closely with, the Fair Board, Fairgrounds Advisory Committee and the County Administrative Office.

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