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In 2003, Ron Oden became the first Black openly gay mayor of Palm Springs, a city with only a 2% Black population.  In fact Mayor Ron Oden has had a long history of community & political involvement, as well as a personal commitment to improving the lives of those with whom he comes in contact.

Having served as a council member for 9 years and currently as mayor of Palm Springs Mr. Oden's experiences have allowed him to lead and nurture the city he loves so dearly.

His private sector experience has centered on education and social issues.  He has worked with Desert Career College, College of the Desert, Chapman University and he has served as pastoral care consultant at the Betty Ford Center.

As an avid student, Mayor Oden’s studies focused on family life and counseling. He holds a B.A. in history, sociology, and theology and M.A.’s in theology and ethics studies with post-graduate courses in marriage, family and child counseling.

As a community leader, Mayor Oden's involvement has included work with the following organizations:

• Palm Springs Human Rights Task Force
• Palm Springs Human Rights Commission (former Chairperson)
• United Way of the Desert (Board of Directors)
• Riverside County Community Action Commission
• Shelter from the Storm (Board of Directors)
• N.A.A.C.P. (Political Action Coordinator)
• Education Alert Committee of the Coachella Valley
• Coachella Valley Counseling (Board of Directors)
• African-American Student Association of College of the Desert (Co-Advisor)
• Negro Academic Scholarship Fund Mentor Program
• Palm Springs High School African-American Advisory Committee
• College of the Desert Faculty and Staff Diversity Task Force
• Desert Sun Futurist Panelist
• Palm Springs Unified School District Intergroup Relations Committee
• Community Care Council
• Inland Empire Lenders Community Development Corporation (Board of Directors) and a member of various valley chambers of commerce.

Mayor Oden is a driven and compassionate leader with a penchant for nurturing and consensus building, balanced with a comprehensive understanding of government and the political process.