Leadership | Partners in Diversity

Leadership

Serilda Summers-McGee

Executive Director

Partners in Diversity

Serilda joined the Portland Business Alliance team in December, 2010 as the Executive Director of Partners in Diversity and the Director of Leadership Portland. She has had a vibrant career in higher education, having worked at four colleges and universities over the past 10 years with her last position being at Reed College as the Assistant Dean of Residence Life.

Serilda has a BS in Behavioral Science and Biology from Grand Valley State University, an M.Ed in Higher Education Administration from Ball State University, and an MBA from Willamette University. She serves on the Albertina Kerr Board of Directors, the State Board of Education and works with many non-profit organizations throughout Portland.

Serilda is married to Charles McGee, founder and CEO of the Black Parent Initiative, and has one son, Cam, who is one year old.

Baruti Artharee

President
Artharee & Associates

Baruti L. Artharee is President of Artharee & Associates. Artharee & Associates is a business consulting firm specializing in diversity, cultural competence and organizational development. Prior to his present position, Baruti served as the Regional Director for Diversity with Providence Health & Services, Deputy Executive Director for the Portland Development Commission (PDC) in 1997; Director of Housing and Community Services for the State of Oregon; President of Coast Industries.

He is a graduate of Linfield College, with a B.A. in business and education; University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Business, Executive Program; Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Executive Program.

Jilma Meneses

Chief Diversity Officer
Portland State University PSU

In her role as CDO at Portland State University, Jilma supports a wide range of diversity-related programs at PSU, including the Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE); the Office of Affirmative Action, and work in partnership with the Office of the Ombuds and dozens of student groups. Off-campus, Meneses engages the regional community to increase awareness within underrepresented populations that higher education is a tool that breaks cycles of both poverty and discrimination.

Meneses has over eighteen years of administrative and business experience, including ten years at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). Prior to OHSU, she served as civil rights director at TriMet. She is the founder and current chief executive officer of Our Family Adoptions (OFA), a humanitarian aid organization providing resources to orphans in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the first in the United States to partner with the DRC to process adoptions of Congolese orphans by United States citizens. She received her Juris Doctor from Lewis & Clark Law School. Meneses and her family live in Camas, WA.

Joseph Mine Wahl

Employment & Development Manager
City of Portland

Joe Wahl has an extensive background in business, education, diversity/cultural competency, organizational/leadership development, executive recruiting and human resources management. In addition to having served as a divisional manager for Fortune 50 powerhouse, McDonald’s Corporation, he has served under dynamic public leaders which included Portland Mayor Vera Katz, Multnomah County Chair Beverly Stein and Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski. Currently, he leads all of the City of Portland’s employment, training & development efforts under Mayor, Sam Adams.

For his work chairing the Multnomah County/City of Portland Diversity Conference, he was recognized as a Diversity Champion by County Chair, Beverly Stein, as well as Mayor Vera Katz. Mr. Wahl is married to Lora, an RN and Care Coordinator for Shriner’s Children’s Hospital and has two children, Ryan, 24 and Kelsey, 20.

Andy Nelson

Executive Director
Hands On Greater Portland

Andy Nelson is the Executive Director of Hands On Greater Portland, a nonprofit organization that connects volunteers with well-organized, meaningful opportunities to serve throughout the Portland metro area. Andy joined Hands On in 2002 after working as a fundraiser, social worker and newspaper reporter. As a volunteer, Andy serves on the Portland Parks Board, the Oregon State Commission on Voluntary Action & Service, the Board for Camp Fire USA Portland Metro Council, The Oregon Community Foundation’s Giving In Oregon Council and on the Board of Partners In Diversity – the folks who bring you Say Hey. Andy is also a volunteer coach for the Northeast Ryders basketball team.

A native of Connecticut, Andy has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Connecticut and a bachelor’s degree from Westfield (Mass.) State University. Andy and his wife, Kathleen, live in Northeast Portland with their 10-year-old son, Evan.

Grant M. Yoshihara

Vice President, Utility Operations and Chief Engineer
Northwest Natural

Grant Yoshihara is responsible for overall management and coordination of utility operations for NW Natural, a local natural gas distribution company headquartered in Portland, Oregon serving 680,000 customers in the Northwest Oregon, Southwest Washington area. Grant has over 30 years of experience in the energy industry. He spent 12 years in the electric utility and independent power development industry before joining Northwest Natural in 1991. Prior to his current assignment at NW Natural, he has managed gas supply contracts, major accounts, commercial services, marketing, sales and advertising, construction operations, and customer service. He is also involved in supporting several community and charitable organizations and has been or currently is a board member of Volunteers of America Oregon, Japan-America Society of Oregon, the America Leadership Forum, and Community Vision.

Grant earned bachelors and master’s degrees in nuclear engineering from Oregon State University and an MBA from the University of Oregon. He is a licensed professional mechanical engineer in the State of Oregon.