Board Of Directors

Michael O'Connor, President
Garvey Schubert Barer  

Michael O'Connor is an owner in Garvey Schubert Barer’s Litigation Group.  His practice focuses on assisting clients resolve business, employment and commercial litigation disputes.  Over the past few years, Michael has conducted internal investigations for companies facing criminal sanctions and corresponding civil litigation.
 
Michael, a Portland native, was selected as one of the Portland Business Journal’s "Forty Under 40" in 2006 for both his professional accomplishments and community involvement. He was named by his peers as a 2009 "Rising Star" in Oregon Super Lawyers® magazine.  In 2000, Michael was honored with the Multnomah Bar Association's Michael E. Haglund Outstanding Volunteer Award for his pro bono work with the Domestic Violence Project and Cascade AIDS Project.

Michael is committed to community service and is a member of several non-profit boards.  He has served on CAP’s Board of Directors since 2006 and is currently Board Vice President.

Foy Renfro, Vice President
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)

Foy Renfro is originally from South Carolina and moved west shortly after graduating from Clemson University, where he received a BS in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management.  Foy lived for several years in San Francisco, where he worked for Premier Travel and The Gourmet Center before joining Lufthansa German Airlines west coast regional sales team in 2000.  Lufthansa took him to Seattle and ultimately Portland, where he was the District Sales Manager for the Pacific NW.  He joined the Oregon State University Foundation in 2007 and became Director of Individual Giving at OMSI in 2008.

Since he arrived in Portland, Foy has been involved in the community though his support of The Oregon Sports Authority, Basic Rights Oregon, Portland Ambassador’s Program, Travel Portland, Our House of Portland, and Start Making A Reader Today (SMART) program.  In the past few years he became involved with Cascade AIDS Project and devotes time and energy through board membership and volunteerism.

 

Jacqueline Yerby, Secretary
The Regence Group

Jackie Yerby is the Ethics and Compliance Officer for Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon.  She works with management and employees to build and sustain a strong ethical culture at Regence.  Prior to joining Regence, Jackie worked for the BlueCross and BlueShield Association, first as a Consultant with the Strategic Consulting Services department in Chicago. She then went on to the Washington, DC office where she served as a Legislative Analyst in the Office of Policy and Representation.  She holds an undergraduate degree in History from Yale University and a Master of Public Policy degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. In additional to serving on CAP’s board where she chairs the Public Policy Committee, Jackie also serves on the board of Catholic Charities of Oregon and chairs the Peace and Justice Commission at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church in Southeast Portland. 

 

Ron Young, Treasurer
Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives, Inc. (PCRI)

Ron Young is the Human Resource / Office Manager for PCRI.  Ron has a long history with Cascade AIDS Project due to his work with the PAL program in the mid-80s.  In addition, Ron brings substantial expertise in the area of human resource management, as he worked from 1978 to 2005 for Freightliner as employment manager.  Other community/professional affiliations for Ron include work with the United Way Board of Directors, the Tri-County Affirmative Action Committee and the Oregon Workforce Investment Board.

 

M. Lamar Bryant, Jr., MD, The Vancouver Clinic

Lamar is originally from Mississippi, where he attended Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Gastroenterology at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.  He and his partner have been active supporters of CAP, Our House and Equal Rights Washington since moving to Vancouver in 2005.  Lamar is passionate about wine, travel and SEC sports.

Kevin Cook, Darcelle XV Showplace

Kevin Cook's involvement with Cascade AIDS Project goes back to the late 1980s as a volunteer with the PAL Program. Since then he has served many posts, mostly in Development and Special Events. His strong communication and organizational skills serve the organization well as a member of the Board and sub committees. Adding to those skills his welcoming personality and quick wit, he often emcees CAP events as his alter go, Poison Waters. Kevin is also a member of the planning commission that works year round on one of CAP's programs, Camp Starlight.

Elisa Dozono, Miller Nash LLP

Elisa Dozono, an Associate at Miller Nash LLP, is a fourth generation Japanese American.  Over the years her family battled discrimination through the World War II internment, and has continued to fight discrimination of all kinds.  With several gay and lesbian family members, they have worked hard to improve and protect civil rights, fighting the various Oregon ballot measures.  As a journalism student in the late 80s, Elisa reported frequently on AIDS.  Today she writes about race and politics as a columnist for the Asian Reporter; she is a founder and member of the new Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association and a member of the board of Japan America Society of Oregon.  Elisa had a childhood friend who as a hemophiliac received contaminated blood; he died of AIDS in 1987.

Jack Gahan, State of Oregon

Jack Gahan is currently serving the citizens of Oregon in the capacity of an Adjudicator for a state agency and has  a seventeen-year career formerly as a banker with the Bank of America and West Coast Bank.  He graduated from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon with a degree in economics in 1993 and is a member of the City Club of Portland. Jack has been board member of Cascade AIDS Project for the last four years, after working with the organization for the past 11 years in various volunteer capacities.

Jennifer Jako, Fix Studio

Jennifer Jako is an eighteen year survivor of HIV/AIDS. Her infection at age eighteen inspired her to advocate for AIDS education and prevention. Her documentary film about HIV+ youth, "Blood Lines/It Could Be You," broadcast for five years on MTV. This award-winning film is now used around the world to educate youth about HIV/AIDS. Her interviews have appeared on television and in print. In May of 2006, Jennifer appeared pregnant on the cover of Newsweek Magazine’s commemoration of the 25th anniversary of AIDS in America. Her media consultations have resulted in recent episodes of "Without a Trace" and "Gray’s Anatomy" based on her story. She has spoken directly with over 250,000 people, and her media outreach has communicated with tens of millions. 
 
Jennifer has a three-year-old daughter born free of HIV due to adherence to HAART medications. She is engaged with her family and community and continues to empower and inform the public about HIV.

Thomas R. Johnson, Perkins Coie LLP

Tom Johnson is a litigation partner at Perkins Coie LLP. He specializes in complex business cases, with an emphasis on securities, antitrust, and matters involving fiduciary duties. Tom and his wife, Yoona Park, came to Oregon about ten years ago from New York City. They have two children, Finn and Tate. Before joining the board in 2008, Tom worked on the development committee for CAP's Annual Art Evening & Auction. Click here to read more about Tom.

 
Elizabeth Kramer, Insight Schools Inc.

Elizabeth Kramer is the Chief Operating Officer at Insight Schools, Inc.  Insight Schools operates the leading network of tuition-free, accredited, online public high schools.  Insight offers an individualized program with multiple academic paths, a nationally-recognized curriculum, and over 110 courses.  Prior to joining Insight, Elizabeth was the Chief Operating Officer at Acelero Learning, Inc. in New York.  She was also a Regional Vice President at KinderCare Learning Centers, the nation's leading private provider of early childhood and school-age education and care.  Prior to KinderCare, she was an executive with Enterprise Rent-a-Car, where among other things she relocated to London, England and led the startup of the company's U.K. operations. Elizabeth graduated from Willamette University in Salem, OR with a Bachelor's of Science in Economics.  Elizabeth has been a supporter of Cascade AIDS Project for many years and is very excited to be a member of the Board of Directors.

 

Liz Rabiner Lippoff, Liz, ink

Liz Rabiner Lippoff began her career as an English and journalism teacher in Beaverton, exposing young minds to Shakespeare and the three part essay. When her husband's job took the family to a new state every few years, she turned her attention to volunteering, spending time with the kids and learning new skills: business communications, public relations and marketing. What she found was a way to a new career when she was ready to get back to the business world.
 
Liz has been public relations director for a runaway shelter and interim public relations director for the American Red Cross in Central Florida. Now a freelance marketing and PR consultant, she works primarily with professional service providers, especially physicians, and with non profits … when she's not in the gym or at the stove.

Larry Lunnen, Nike, Inc.

Larry Lunnen is the Global HR Director for Footwear and Design for NIKE, Inc.  Having worked for the company over five years, he’s had the opportunity to work within various HR functions including managing US Sales to the Asia Pacific region to collaborating on the development of the Integrated Talent Management organization within Nike.  Lunnen believes in volunteer work due to his strong belief of giving back to the community.  He’s had the opportunity to be involved at Nike through various Network programs, as well as Nike’s Diversity and Inclusion organization, to work towards Nike’s mission to inspire individuals to fuel the power of the collective. Nike is a corporate sponsor of Cascade AIDS Project (CAP), however it was Lunnen’s passion for HIV/AIDS education and prevention that lead him to volunteer and support the organization.  Lunnen is grateful for the opportunity to help realize CAP’s goals within and outside the community. 

Charles Washington, Fred Meyer Stores Inc.

Charles Washington has worked for Fred Meyer Stores since 1998. He has worked as a Project Manager for many years doing various projects with Kroger, Fred Meyer’s parent company, and is currently a Manager in Information Services overseeing eCommerce and Web Development.  Community activities include volunteer work for Adopt-a-Class, Lifeworks Northwest and many years of fundraising for Junior Achievement of SW Washington and Oregon.  Charles recently joined the Board of Directors for CAP and serves on the Development Committee. Charles enjoys gardening and has lived in SW Portland for six years. Charles is dedicated to the mission of CAP and supporting the HIV positive community.

 

Brian Wong, MD,  Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)

Dr. Brian Wong is Professor and Director, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine at OHSU.  Dr. Wong has been a supporter of Cascade AIDS Project since he moved to Portland in 2006.  Prior to his arrival in Portland, he served as the Chief of the Infectious Disease Section of the VA Connecticut Healthcare System and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine.  Dr. Wong's work with HIV and its associated conditions dates to the early days of the pandemic.