Jaime Lim, Publisher of the Asian Reporter newspaper, is an accomplished businessman, entrepreneur and long-time civic leader. Serving as President of the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon, he led a contingent of 25 Oregonians on a trade mission to the Philippines in 2007. As principal and owner of First United Engineering, Jaime has worked on a number of high-profile building projects all over Portland. Most recently, he was elected as President of the National Federation of Philippine-American Chambers of Commerce.
Cheryl Myers serves on Governor Kitzhaber’s Cabinet as a senior policy advisor for Minority-Owned, Women-Owned and Emerging Small Business. She has been an Oregon business owner for over two decades. Cheryl has been known to say “I arrived in Oregon as quickly as I could… at 3 months old” as the 3rd of four adopted children, she began life as an orphan in Korea. She grew up in a very loving, but modest, family in southeast Portland. After employment with accounting and consulting firms, including co-owning a tax practice, she joined with her husband in 1987 in their own financial services company. They have four offices in three states; Cheryl’s primary roles have been in the mentoring and compliance areas. As a director on the North Clackamas School Board since 2005, Cheryl continues her longstanding service as a community volunteer. Cheryl and her husband have two children.
Verne Naito is a vice president of Naito Corporation, parent company of the chain of Made In Oregon stores, and is manager of Naito Properties LLC, a property management and real estate development company. In his 30 year business career, Mr. Naito has been involved in a diverse number of fields from high tech to banking. He has been active with the Japanese American community his entire life. Mr. Naito with his father, Sam Naito, founded the Asian-American Business Club, the predecessor organization to AABA, in 2001. Among his other community and charitable activities, including: board member of the Harvard Business School Association of Oregon, judge for the Oregon Entrepreneur Network annual awards and treasurer of the Japanese Garden, Mr. Naito also sits on the Mayor’s Council of Economic Advisors for the City of Portland. He is a frequent speaker at industry associations and lecturer at university business schools.
Peggy C. Ross is the Director of Diversity and Workforce Development at LifeWorks NW. Peggy was Governor Kulongoski’s Director of Affirmative Action from 2003 to 2011, and prior to that she was a cultural awareness consultant and trainer to statewide and national businesses and government agencies. She currently serves on the advisory boards of Emerge Oregon and the Asian Pacific American Chamber of Oregon/SW Washington (APACC), and on the boards of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Native American Youth and Family Services (NAYA), and Innovation Partnership. Peggy has studied business administration and social sciences at Nebraska Wesleyan University and Portland State University.
June Arima Schumann is a longtime executive director of the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center and a founding member of the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center (ONLC) and executive director of the organization for its first decade. June also is co-chair for the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), a non-profit policy advocacy organization that addresses issues of interest to Oregon’s Asian and Pacific Island people.
Sokhom Tauch is the Executive Director of the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO), an agency that assists refugees, immigrants, and multi-ethnic communities to develop self-sufficiency and cultural awareness while affirming and preserving each culture within an ever-changing environment. Before becoming executive director, he was IRCO’s fiscal manager for over 15 years. Under his leadership, IRCO has expanded its services in many areas including youth services, senior services, community development, folk arts, domestic violence services, citizenship, environmental justice, and volunteer programming. In 2001, Tauch worked with the IRCO staff and board to purchase its own building and community center for the Portland refugee and immigrant community.
Lillian A. Tsai is founder and president of TsaiComms, LLC, a cross-cultural competency consulting firm that specializes in building bridges across cultures. Lillian founded TsaiComms in 2002 after a 25-year career in high-tech marketing and corporate communications. As a consultant, coach and trainer, she has worked with leaders and teams in a plethora of industries including: academia, government, nonprofit, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, consumer products, technology, oil products, transportation, and supply chain. She serves in either an advisory or board member role on several non—profit boards, including: Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), Executive Development Institute (EDI), Portland Human Resources Management Association (PHRMA), and the Oregon Organization Development Network (OODN).
Stephen Ying The service that Stephen has been involved in crosses many platforms that include being on several Boards of Directors, Associations, and Committees, including the Oregon Civil Right Council, Oregon Asian and Pacific Islander Affair Commission, Oregon Fujiang Sister State, Portland Kaohsiung Sister City, Portland Shuzhu Sister City, Portland Chinese Gardens, Old Town China Town Business Association, Old Town China Town Vision Committee, Advisory Service Coordination with the Central Portland Police precinct, Advisory Committee for the Urban Renewal River District. In addition to these boards and committees, Stephen served as the President/ Vice President of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association from 2004 to present. Furthermore, he has also served as the President of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance and the Bing Kong Association.