Oregon Workers’ Compensation Interim Chief Retires

The interim president of Oregon’s workers compensation agency is retiring.

John Gilkey announced Wednesday that he’ll step down from SAIF Corporation after a successor is on board, which could take several months.

Gilkey took over as interim president in May when John Plotkin was fired after just three months on the job. Plotkin has sued the state over his dismissal.

SAIF stands for State Accident Insurance Fund. It’s a semi-autonomous state agency that provides workers compensation insurance to Oregon businesses.

At 57 years old, Gilkey has worked at SAIF for 34 years. Agency spokesman Dave Miller says Gilkey planned to retire earlier this year but stayed on after Plotkin’s departure.

The search for a permanent leader could begin next month.