Leadership

	Mari Watanabe Executive Director Partners in Diversity Mari Watanabe comes to Partners in Diversity from the non-profit world where she was the executive director for four years of the Japanese American history and culture organization Oregon Nikkei Endowment (O.N.E.). O.N.E. built two major projects in Portland including the Japanese American Historical Plaza in Tom McCall Waterfront Park and the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center in Old Town Chinatown. Prior to moving into the non-profit world, Mari worked for various apparel manufacturing companies including Union Bay Sportswear, Nordstrom Product Group, and Nike, Inc. Appointed by Governor John Kitzhaber in May 2011, Mari serves as vice-chair on the Oregon Commission for Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs under the umbrella of the Oregon Advocacy Commission. Current and past board/community service includes National Veterans Network, Portland Taiko, Executive Development Institute (EDI), Friends of Minidoka, Japanese Ancestral Society, APANO, and the Old Town Chinatown Business Association. A graduate of Washington State University, Mari studied for one year in Japan as a foreign exchange student at Japan University. Raised in Seattle, Mari moved to Portland in 2000 and enjoys golfing, biking, hiking, family and friends.
	Grant Yoshihara Board Chair 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.
	Jilma Meneses Vice Chair Chief Diversity Officer Portland State University PSU Jilma Meneses, Portland State University’s (PSU) Chief Diversity Officer, has over twenty years of administrative and business experience, including ten years at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). The Chief Diversity Officer at PSU is a vice presidential appointment serving on PSU’s president’s executive committee. Ms Meneses leads a wide range of global diversity-related programs at PSU, including the Office of Global Diversity and Inclusion, the Office of Equity & Compliance, and the Office of Diversity Advocacy. She works in partnership with the dozens of other departments and student groups and provides executive level leadership on diversity related efforts. Off-campus, Ms 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. She drives change and raises awareness. Ms Meneses received her undergraduate degree from University of California at Berkeley and her Juris Doctor from Lewis & Clark Law School.
	Arleen Barnett Vice President of Administration Portland General Electric Arleen Barnett serves as vice president of Administration, which includes Human Resources, Business Continuity and Security Operations and Records. She has served on PGE’s executive team since 1998, when she was named vice president of Human Resources. A 30-year veteran of PGE, Barnett has held a variety of positions within the company. She is a graduate of Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas and has studied in the graduate business programs at University of Portland and Portland State University. Barnett is currently a Board and Executive Committee Member of the Oregon Historical Society, she serves on the Providence Portland Medical Foundation Board and is on the Partners in Diversity Board. She previously served on the board and was past chair of the Urban League of Portland. She is also a past board member of Junior Achievement, Salvation Army Greenhouse and the Department of Geology and Mineral Industries. Residing in Durham, Ore., Barnett enjoys spending time with her family, music, reading and travel.
	Mariann Hyland Director of Diversity and Inclusion Oregon State Bar Mariann Hyland has more than 13 years of experience in institution-wide management, strategic planning and policy direction at educational institutions, most recently at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland where she provided leadership for civil rights compliance and diversity and inclusion. She is currently the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the Oregon State Bar, where she provides leadership to support the OSB’s commitment to increase diversity and inclusion in the bar. Mariann earned her M.S.W. from Portland State University and her J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law. She began her legal career in private practice with Stoel Rives, specializing in labor and employment law. She is active in the community, including serving as a member of the Partners in Diversity Board of Directors, a member of the Portland Police Review Board, and co-Chair of Coffee Creek Correctional Facility’s Prison Advisory Committee. In addition, she served on the Oregon State Hospital’s Institutional Review Board and Oregon’s Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability, which she chaired in 2005.
	Jeffrey Jones Associate Professor of Law Lewis & Clark Law School Jeffrey Jones is an Associate Professor of Law at Lewis & Clark Law School and Of Counsel to Barran Liebman LLP, a labor and employment law firm that specializes in all aspects of management-side employment law issues. Prior to law school, Jeff was an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, specializing in the philosophy of law. He was also a postdoctoral scholar at Boston University's Institute on Race and Social Division and a scholar-in-residence at Boston University's School of Law. Jeff's research interests are in jurisprudence, and employment law. His teaching areas include Property Law and Theory, Employment Law, Disability Law and a range of jurisprudence courses. In addition to serving on the Board of Partners in Diversity, Jeff serves on the Board of Central City Concern, whose mission is to provide the homeless with pathways to self-sufficiency through integrated solutions to poverty and homelessness. Jeff also serve on the Oregon State Bar's Executive Committee for the Labor and Employment Section.
	Casey Mills Partner Miller Nash Casey Mills, who has been with Miller Nash since 1987, heads the firm’s bankruptcy practice. He represents lenders, borrowers, creditors, creditor committees, and debtors in a variety of bankruptcy-related matters. Casey is a current member and former chair of the firm’s Diversity Committee and is a member of the board of governors for the Pacific Northwest College of Art. Casey earned his bachelor's degree from Brown University and his J.D., cum laude, from Lewis & Clark Law School. He is admitted to practice in Oregon and Washington.
	Sheila Murty-Job Director, Recruitment and Rewards Legacy Health Sheila is an experienced HR leader with solid professional experience in workforce planning, recruitment and selection, and diversity. She has corporate HR experience in private for profit and non-for-profit industries. Currently Sheila is the HR Director with responsibilities over the Talent Acquisition, Compensation and HR Information Systems areas for Legacy Health, an Oregon based health care system with approximately 9700 employees and 6 hospitals in the area. She acts as an advisor and business partner with all levels of leadership. She is the also charged with leading the advancement of Legacy’s diversity agenda for the organization. She made the business case for diversity to senior leadership at Legacy Health that led to the formalization of a diversity commitment by the CEO and senior leadership to intentionally and purposely advance our progress in the area of diversity and inclusion. She is the co-chair of the system wide Diversity Advisory Council for Legacy Health, a 26 member council that serves to lead the diversity work plan for the organization. Prior to Legacy, Sheila has had prior experience in various organizations in the areas of human resources, business operations, sales and career coaching. Sheila holds a MBA from Portland State University and earned her Bachelors of Science from Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland Oregon and has a clinical background.
	Vicki Nakashima Vicki has lived and worked in the Portland area since 1967. She is 3rd generation (sansei) Japanese American. Vicki currently serves on the Board of Partners in Diversity and previously served as their first Executive Director. This non-profit program was founded in 2005 to help major employers in Oregon and Southwest Washington to increase opportunities to attract, hire and retain a highly talented and diverse workforce. One of the programs supported by Partners in Diversity is Say Hey, NW, a quarterly networking reception sponsored to welcome new professionals of color relocating to the area.

	Serilda Summers-McGee Affirmative Action and Diversity Recruitment Consultant Kaiser Permanente Serilda Summers-McGee is responsible for the Kaiser Permanente Northwest Regional Affirmative Action and Internship programs, and serves as a Consultant to the region’s Talent Acquisition staff on strategic approaches towards recruiting and retaining professionals of color. Prior to holding this role, Serilda served as the first Executive Director for Partners in Diversity. She began her career working in higher education most recently serving as the Assistant Dean of Residence Life at Reed College. Serilda serves on the Oregon State Board of Education, Albertina Kerr Governing Board, and is a member of the Oregon Bar Association Affirmative Actions Committee. Summers-McGee received an Associate of Arts and Sciences degree from Muskegon Community College, a Bachelor of Science degree from Grand Valley State University, a Master of Arts in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education from Ball State University, and a Master of Business Administration from Willamette University.
	Joseph Wahl 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.
	Baruti Artharee Chair Emeritus 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.