Team members

OOW Team photo. From left to right: Jackie Hernandez, Barb Anderson, Cyndi Zimmerma, Mailinda Polk, Jaylee Hlad-Mosgrove, and Maria Veregas

Barbra Anderson

Barbra was appointed to the role of ombuds for Oregon workers in January 2023. Before this promotion, Barbra worked for the Oregon Workers’ Compensation Division as the Employment Services Team manager. She has been in the workers’ compensation industry since February 1999, serving in many different roles. What Barbra loves most about her job is that she and her team are committed to helping people. Outside of work, she loves spending time with her family and enjoying countless activities in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Jaylee Hlad-Mosgrove

Jaylee is chief assistant ombuds for the Ombuds Office for Oregon Workers. She serves as an advocate for injured workers as well as those with safety and health issues in the workplace. She has been with the ombuds office since 2005, which was then known as the Office of the Ombudsman for Injured Workers. Jaylee first started with the Department of Consumer and Business Services in 1990 with the Workers’ Compensation Division. She has served as an office specialist, medical reviewer, and benefit consultant.

Maria Venegas

Maria's career with the Ombuds Office for Oregon Workers started in 1998, when she was hired as a bilingual, Spanish-speaking, temporary receptionist for what was then the Office of the Ombudsman for Injured Workers. The following year, she was hired as a permanent bilingual representative and later worked her way up to the position of assistant advocate. Maria has been a senior assistant ombuds for the past six years.

Jackie (Pamela) Hernandez

Jackie has been with the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services since 2016, beginning her career as a support specialist with the Employer Compliance Unit in the Workers’ Compensation Division. In 2021, she joined the Office of the Ombudsman for Injured Workers before it changed its name to the Ombuds Office for Oregon Workers in 2022. In her role as an assistant ombuds, Jackie serves as a bilingual advocate for injured workers.

Malinda Polk

Malinda Polk is an assistant ombuds in the Ombuds Office for Oregon Workers. She serves as an advocate for injured workers and has been with the ombuds office since 2018, when it was known as the Office of the Ombudsman for Injured Workers. Malinda first joined the Department of Consumer and Business Services in 2015, when she took a position with the Employer Compliance Unit in the Workers’ Compensation Division.

Cyndi Zimmerman

Cyndi is an assistant ombuds in the Ombuds Office for Oregon Workers. She serves as an advocate for injured workers as they navigate through their workers’ compensation claim. She started as a receptionist with the ombuds office in 2005, when it was known as the Office of the Ombudsman for Injured Workers, and she worked her way up to full-time assistant ombuds in 2015.