For as long as Tobias Read BA’97 can remember, his parents expected him to give something back. As a five-time state representative, Oregon’s State Treasurer, and now as Oregon’s new Secretary of State, Read has built a career of leadership and policymaking that seeks to invest in the future and the common good — inspired by his parents and Willamette’s motto: Not unto ourselves alone are we born.
“My parents told me: you've benefited a lot from people who invested in you and you have to figure out some way to invest in people who are going to come after you,” Read recalls.
How exactly Read would put his parents’ call to service into action was left up to him. But Read found his path at Willamette University, where he studied politics and economics, led campaigns, and developed an approach to leadership that brings people together in service of the next generation.
Making connections
Read still vividly recalls his first visit to campus as a high school student. As he passed Brown Field and Goudy Commons on that fall evening, Read watched students heading to dinner; their arms full, not just with school books, but with athletics equipment, sheet music, and art supplies — all living the rich and varied life of a well-rounded Willamette student.
“It gave me the impression that people here were serious students, but also serious athletes and actors and musicians and activists,” Read said. “The notion of developing a full person in and outside of the classroom is what made me think Willamette was a special place — and why I still continue to think that.”
Read thrived in his politics and economics courses at Willamette, but found special meaning in two classes that had nothing to do with his major: a class on northwest literature and one on the history of jazz in America. In those courses, he learned to make connections across seemingly unrelated areas — a skill he still draws upon today as a leader and elected official.
“That's the nature of a liberal arts education, right?” Read says. “Everything is connected. It’s true in policymaking, it’s true in politics.”
The other lesson Read learned was the importance of collaboration and learning from others — something he experienced on campus and on the Willamette river as a member of the rowing team. As a rower, Read says he learned that “you go much further as a boat than you ever could individually.” In the close knit community he found at Willamette, Read learned to listen to others and work across differences.
“Magical things happen when you get people from different backgrounds and different approaches talking to each other. That’s a pretty good preparation for successful governance,” Read says.
At Willamette, Read found faculty who were willing to invest in his success. Perhaps most formative for Read was Bryan Johnston, himself a fixture in Oregon government, who served variously as Willamette’s interim president, dean of the Atkinson Graduate School of Management, and founding faculty member of the College of Law's Center for Dispute Resolution. During his junior year, Read was able to earn course credit running Johnston’s 1996 re-election campaign to the Oregon State Legislature. Working on Johnston’s campaigns, Read began a lifelong friendship with Dmitri Palmateer BA’96, who now serves as Read’s chief of staff.
Honoring the past, investing in the future
With his leadership at the highest levels of state government, Read follows in the footsteps of so many political giants who were shaped by Willamette and who in turn shaped the state, the region, and the nation. Just among former secretaries of state are Norma Paulus LLB’62, the first woman to be elected to statewide office in Oregon; and Mark O. Hatfield BA’43, who served as Oregon governor, U.S. Senator, and was one of the most prominent Oregon politicians of the 20th century. Now, as Oregon’s 30th Secretary of State, Read will continue that tradition of service.
“I’m just a natural inheritor of a tradition,” Read says. “And just like with my parents, I feel a responsibility to try to be helpful to people.”
Since graduating from Willamette, Read has stayed closely connected to campus: he can reliably be found at Bearcat basketball games and alumni reunion weekends. He has also made a point of mentoring other Bearcats.
One beneficiary of Read’s mentorship is Edward McGlone BA’11. At the age of 17, McGlone met Read when he knocked on his parents’ door campaigning — McGlone raised his hand to volunteer, and a political career was born. After working for Read in the legislature as a Willamette student, McGlone has since served in state government and the Biden administration.
“Tobias gave me my first real opportunity in politics when I was still in high school. He believed in my abilities and gave me opportunities to learn and grow that don't normally happen for young folks. Without his investment in me, I am absolutely certain I would not be where I am today,” McGlone says. “Tobias’ leadership style embodies Willamette's motto — putting service to the people of Oregon at the forefront.”
Given Read’s deep connections to Willamette, it is not surprising that he chose to celebrate his inauguration as Secretary of State in Hudson Hall on Jan. 6, 2025.
In his inaugural address, Read emphasized the ideals that have driven his life since his time at Willamette: giving back and investing in others.
“As your secretary of state, I’ll work every day to make sure that Oregon isn’t just a place where democracy survives, it’s a place where democracy flourishes,” Read said to a crowd, which included Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, Willamette president Steve Thorsett, and other dignitaries. “We’re lucky in Oregon. We’ve inherited enormous advantages and tremendous opportunities, and we owe it to the people who came before us and the people who will come after us to leave this place better than we found it.”
