COSA is pleased to announce that Parasa Chanramy (pronounced PAR-UH-SUH CHAN-RA-MEE) will be joining COSA as Legislative Director on August 17th.  She will team with Morgan Allen, COSA Deputy Executive Director of Policy and Advocacy, to represent Oregon’s school and district leaders in the Capitol.  

“We are excited to have someone with Parasa’s experience and skills joining our organization,” COSA Executive Director Craig Hawkins said. “She understands Oregon’s education system and its complex political landscape.  And she has a proven track record of collaboration and coalition building that has greatly benefitted students and schools in Oregon.” 

Prior to COSA, Parasa worked at Stand for Children (a multi-state education advocacy organization) for nearly eight years in Washington state and Oregon. In Washington, she worked on policies focused on improving equity and access to advanced coursework, especially for students of color; she also helped update the state’s college and career-ready diploma. In Oregon, she worked with many diverse coalition partners to help shape, pass and fund Measure 98 (aka High School Success) and the Student Success Act.

Parasa was a kindergarten teacher before working in education policy. While teaching, she saw firsthand how different policies and investments impacted her students and her school. These experiences and her students' stories continue to motivate her commitment to education equity.  

Born and raised in Oregon, Parasa is a second generation Cambodian American who graduated from Aloha High School.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from Lewis and Clark College, and a Certificate in Education Finance from Georgetown University. She’s also an alumna of Princeton’s Public Policy & International Affairs Fellowship and Teach For America.  She currently resides in Wilsonville with her husband, son, and rescue pittie.