Technology Association of Oregon Welcomes New Board Members

Technology Association of Oregon Welcomes New Board Members

Portland, Ore. – November 8, 2021 – Today, the Technology Association of Oregon (TAO) announced the addition of nine new members to its board of directors as part of its latest election cycle. These new board members will serve an initial three-year term. The TAO is also pleased to announce that five current board members have agreed to renew their positions. Additionally, John Kochavatr, VP, IT & Supply Chain & CIO, PGE, will enter the final year of his term as Chair of the board of directors. Allie Magyar, Chief Product Officer, Intrado, is entering her final year as Vice Chair.  The TAO board consists of leaders from across the spectrum of technology companies in the region, including all of Oregon and Southwest Washington. The board helps guide the TAO toward its goal of creating a world-class and inclusive innovation economy in the region through programs and initiatives that focus on advocacy, entrepreneurship, professional networks, talent development, and more.“This latest class of board members consists of nine technology industry leaders, all of whom bring diverse perspectives and experiences to TAO and represent a variety of geographic regions,” said Skip Newberry, President and CEO of TAO.

The newest members are:

Tayo Akins, CEO, Cascade Comprehensive Care

Tayo is the CEO of Cascade Comprehensive Care, a privately held managed care holding organization that serves the Medicaid and Medicare population. In addition, Tayo serves as Board Director of ATRIO Health Plan, a Medicare Advantage plan where he is the thought leader behind a successful recapitalization of the firm with a private equity partner. Serving as Board Director for Blue Zones Health Klamath, Tayo spearheaded innovative initiatives that led to the community being recognized as the first Blue Zones Community in the Pacific Northwest. Tayo previously served on the Oregon Higher Education Coordination Commission. Tayo holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Howard University and earned his MBA from Stanford University, where he was a Toigo Fellow.

Kristi Flores, CMO, Tektronix

As the Chief Marketing Officer at Tektronix, Kristi leads a global team of marketers. She excels at helping her team develop and hone their skills through Fortive Business Systems, a powerful set of tools and methods developed by Tektronix parent company Fortive to drive growth, innovation and continuous improvement. Kristi also leads ALLIES Across Fortive, an employee and friends resource group that promotes allyship and elevates inclusion and diversity across Fortive companies.Though she’s lived on three different continents, Kristi was born in Oregon and attended Willamette University before diving into her 18-year career in high tech, the last 13 of which have been spent at Tektronix.

Blair Minniti, Partner, Moss Adams

Blair has over 25 years of experience in tax accounting, including both publicly-held and privately-owned companies. He primarily serves middle-market and emerging companies in various industries, including high technology, life sciences, professional services, private equity & venture capital, investment services, and manufacturing. His experience includes tax credits, multi-state taxation, tax and financial planning, executive compensation and maximizing shareholder compensation, state and local tax minimization, and business planning strategies. Blair has participated in the structuring of mergers and acquisitions, including tax planning for corporations and shareholders as well as executive compensation and stock option planning.

Joan Pepin, Founder and CEO, ZeroWall

Joan is a security pioneer and the founder and CEO of ZeroWall. Joan’s entrepreneurial drive gave her momentum to bring this service to life after her experience leading security initiatives as a CISO or BISO for several successful, high-growth organizations over the last two decades, including Auth0, Nike, and SumoLogic. She is a well-recognized thought leader who often challenges the status quo and has shared her learnings and perspective on cloud security and compliance at many events, including RSA. In addition to her work disrupting the security industry, she prioritizes community support, including angel investing, advising startups, and serving on the board of directors for Bradley Angle, a non-profit domestic violence shelter and advocacy organization.

Sue Richards, Global Head of Print Microfluidics, Technology & Operations, HP

As the Global Head of Print Microfluidics, Technology & Operations, Sue is responsible for leading the R&D print horizontal for HP Inc., creating and developing platforms for future print opportunities. Most recently, she served as the Head of HPS Global R&D, leading research, product development and delivery for the Home Printing Solutions business, including Page Wide Technology on behalf of Office Printing Solutions. Prior to the HPS Global R&D role, Sue was the General Manager of Consumer Volume Business and Home Consumer Solutions organizations responsible for P&L ownership, developing and introducing products for HP’s core consumer print portfolio, the new Sprocket product family and creating our innovation funnel. Sue graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

Tony Seminary, CEO & Founder, ITMotives

Tony is the founder and CEO of IT Motives, a Native American-owned IT recruiting and staffing company, which he started in 2008. A passionate and life-long talent recruitment professional, Tony has 25 years of experience in recruiting and talent acquisition. He centers his business on building long-term relationships, helping people grow, and making career connections. He currently serves as a co-organizer of Blacks in Technology Portland (BiT PDX) and he and his company are long-term members of the TAO. Tony is a graduate of the University of Oregon with a BS in Sociology.

Rashid Skaf, CEO & Co-Chairman, Biamp Systems

Rashid is the President, CEO and Co-Chairman of Biamp Systems. He joined the company with the acquisition by Highlander Partners. Prior, Rashid served as President and CEO of AMX beginning in 2005. During his 15-year tenure at AMX, the company’s revenue and employee base grew rapidly through organic product expansions and nine global acquisitions. Before joining AMX, Rashid was vice president and general manager of Nortel Networks Broadband Wireless Access (BWA). He joined Nortel when the company acquired Broadband Networks Inc. (BNI), serving as executive director.

Josh Smith, Partner, Tonkon Torp

Josh joined Tonkon Torp in 2018 as a partner and a member of the firm’s Entrepreneurial Services, Intellectual Property, Corporate Finance & Transactions, and Mergers & Acquisitions practice groups. His practice is focused on representing and counseling emerging and established companies on a wide variety of intellectual property, corporate, and transactional matters. He counsels clients on venture capital and angel financings, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances and joint ventures, technology licensing, commercial agreements, and general business matters – primarily in the technology industry. Josh is a retired U.S. Air Force pilot, having served 20 years on active duty and in the reserves.

Michelle Soares, VP of Technology, Portland Trail Blazers

Michelle is the Vice President of Technology at the Portland Trail Blazers. She leads technology for IT, AV, Contact Center and Telecom, and for the Rose Quarter campus including the Moda Center and the Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum. Previously, Michelle worked as a consultant at KPMG’s Technology Enablement Advisory Services in the US and the Global Technology Services groups, advising and deploying technical solutions for various Fortune 100 Clients and in hospitality with Wyndham Hotels leading mission-critical, global, online transactional programs. Active in the community for many years, Michelle served as an Active EMT for 15 years with the Montville Township Volunteer First Aid Squad (NJ). Michelle earned her Bachelors of Commerce from Mumbai University in India and then migrated to the US to work as a technical consultant.

The renewing board members are:

Brent Bullock, Partner, Perkins Coie
Rod Clark, Partner, KPMG
Erin Demien, Intel Capital
Bonnie Page, SVP Business Development & General Counsel, Brand
LiveJane Ullman, Managing Director, Silicon Valley Bank

To see the complete current list of TAO board members, please visit: https://www.techoregon.org/board-directors/.

About the Technology Association of Oregon

Technology Association of Oregon is a local nonprofit working to build opportunities, better our economy and unify a voice for innovation in Oregon and beyond.  A recognized leader in shaping and growing technology and business communities, TAO empowers businesses and entrepreneurs through networks, events, advocacy, resources and more.  With over 500 member-companies, TAO’s network brings together some of the largest companies in the world, small startups, and tech-enabled companies using technology to drive growth and innovation. For more information please visit www.techoregon.org.

Media Contact:

Skip Newberry, President and CEO, TAO - 503.228.5416;

skip.newberry@techoregon.org

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