CULTURE OF IDIOCRACY: Top Oregon official put on leave for allegedly prioritizing ‘qualified’ job candidates over ‘gender identity.’

A diversity, equity and inclusion expert had her former boss placed on administrative leave for reportedly prioritizing merit over personal identity when hiring new employees, according to a report.

Megan Donecker, who formerly served as the Oregon Department of Forestry’s DEI strategy officer, complained about the agency’s management, criticizing her boss Mike Shaw for looking “beyond gender and identity in hiring, seeking only candidates most qualified for the job,” OregonLive reported.

Shaw served as the agency’s second-in-command under State Forester Cal Mukumoto until he was placed on administrative leave on Aug. 6 after Donecker filed a formal complaint against him, the Daily Mail reported.

Donecker reportedly first took issue with Shaw when he advocated for a careful approach to DEI, comparing rapid changes to speeding on “an icy road.”

Her picture is at the link, and is exactly what you’d expect. But there’s a bright spot:

Oregon widely implemented DEI initiatives following the political unrest in response to George Floyd’s killing in 2020, prompting racial justice protests that swept the nation — and raged for more than 100 consecutive nights in nearby Portland.

But residents have slowly begun pushing back. Clackamas County in Oregon announced in January that it will dismantle their nearly $830,000 a year diversity, equity and inclusion office, calling it an “unnecessary expense” that “only foments friction.”

Well, that’s certainly true.