SOLVE was founded in 1969 by Oregon Governor
Tom McCall with the goal of reducing and cleaning up litter and vandalism throughout Oregon. In 1976, SOLVE hired Blanche Schroeder, Portland Chamber of Commerce lobbyist, to act as Executive Director of SOLVE on a part-time basis. The first statewide citizen
volunteer Beach Cleanup in the nation was organized by SOLVE in 1984. In April 2008, Dianna Smiley took over as director after McGowan retired, and she was replaced in January 2010 by Melisa McDonald. The current Chief Executive Officer is Kris Carico. As of 2019, the organization had a $1.5 million budget. ==References==