Meet Dick Schouten

Dick was born in the Netherlands and came to the US as a young child. Like many of today’s immigrants, Dick learned English at school and served as translator for his parents as they adjusted to life in California’s Central Valley.

Thanks to hard work and a good-paying union job, Dick was able to work his way through college at Santa Clara University and become the first in his family to get a university education. Dick went on to get his law degree from UCLA.

As a lawyer, Dick specialized in land use issues and used his legal knowledge to work to protect natural areas from overdevelopment and expand our local parks.

Dick was first elected to the Washington County Commission in 2000 and in his 20 years of service to our community he’s been recognized as a “Force of Nature” for his environmental stewardship as well as being honored for his work advocating for affordable housing.

Dick and his late first wife, Karen, moved from California to Washington County in 1992. Dick has 2 adult daughters from his first marriage and is happily remarried to State Representative Sheri Malstrom Schouten. Dick and Sheri live in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Beaverton.

Back to Home