Kay D. Toran, President and CEO
Since joining Volunteers of America Oregon in 1999, Kay Toran has provided overall leadership and strategic direction for the agency. Her chief goal is to increase the community’s awareness of our mission to improve the lives of Oregon’s children, families, and seniors, while ensuring ongoing high-quality services.
Kay received her Bachelors degree from the University of Portland and Masters of Social Work degree from Portland State University. She serves as a board member for Oregon Public Broadcasting, Providence Health System and University of Portland Board of Regents.
Grant Yoshihara, Board Chair
Grant Yoshihara is Director, Utility Services, Northwest Natural. He holds a B.S. and MS. degree in Engineering, from Oregon State University and an MBA from University of Oregon.
Grant is actively involved in community service and the development of community-business partnerhips.
He is a board member and vice chair of Japan American Society of Oregon, and is a current board member and past president of Community Vision of Oregon, as well as a senior fellow of the American Leadership Forum. Grant has served on the Volunteers of America Oregon board since June 2002.
Nick Fish, Vice Chair
Nick Fish is a partner at Meyer & Wyse LLP. He specializes in labor and employment law. Nick serves as a member of the Advisory Board for the Campaign for Equal Justice, and as a member of the panel of arbitrators for Arbitration Service of Portland."
Nick is the host of "Outlook Portland With Nick Fish" on KWBP.
He serves on the Dean's Partnership Council at the College of Urban and Public Affairs at Portland State University. He is the former Vice Chair and Commissioner for the Housing Authority of Portland, and a former Board member of the Portland State University Foundation. Nick joined the Board of Volunteers of America Oregon in October 2005 and serves as Secretary of the Board.
Pamela Lesh, Secretary
Pamela Lesh is the Vice President of Regulatory Affairs & Strategic Planning for Portland General Electric Company. She received her J. D. from University of Washington School of Law where she graduated with honors. She was also Summa Cum Laude at Washington State University where she received her B.A.
Pamela is a member of the American Leadership Forum, Vice President of City Club of Portland, and is on the Board of Governors of the Oregon Human Society. She previously served as a board member of the Public Employees Retirement System, and has been on the Volunteers of America Oregon board since August 2001.
Greg Rickman, Treasurer
Greg Rickman, Senior Vice President, US Bank is a 25-year veteran of the bank where he currently manages a lending team in the Oregon Commercial Banking Division.
He currently serves on the board of directors for the March of Dimes, and is a former board member with Oregon Mentors and St. Vincent De Paul. Greg graduated from the University of Oregon with a B.S. in finance.
Nathan Bernhardt, Director
Nathan Bernhardt is the owner of Rocket Appraisal, an expanding real estate valuation services company. As a licensed appraiser in Oregon and Washington, Nathan has fifteen years of experience in real estate valuation, having started his career with Oregon Appraisal Services and later opening a branch office of AppraisalNet.
A native Portlander, Nathan served in the National Guard for six years and in 1997 earned a degree in Economics from Portland State University.
Barbara Brainard, Director
Barbara Brainard is a Partner with Stoel Rives LLP concentrating in areas of employment law with an emphasis on disability discrimination issues. Her client list includes Tektronix, Wells Fargo Bank, Kaiser Permanente and Legacy Health Systems, among others.
Barbara has a J.D. from Willamette University College of Law and a B.A. from Rutgers University. She is a board member of Community Services, Inc., and has served on the Volunteers of America Oregon board since August 2001.
Carmen Gaston, Director
Carmen Gaston is the Director of Alumni Relations at the University of Portland where she provides leadership for the Alumni Relations division. Her main focus is to build and cultivate relationships with the University’s alumni, parents, and constituents all over the world. Major projects include the University’s annual Reunion and hosting guests such as former South Korean President Kim Dae Jung and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
Carmen received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Portland and her Juris Doctorate from Creighton University School of Law. She is a member of the Downtown Portland Rotary and serves as an Adjunct Professor in the University of Portland’s School of Business.
Ron Hall, Director
Ron Hall is a Vocational/Transitions Coordinator at David Douglas School District. He received his M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling, San Francisco State University and a B.S. in Community Service and Public Affairs, University of Oregon.
Ron's community involvement includes serving as president and board member of Lambert House Adult Day Care, a board member of Lambert Friends Ministries and president and board member of the Oregon Association of Vocational Special Needs Personnel. He has served on the Volunteers of America Oregon board since July 1999.
George Hosfield, Director
George Hosfield is the Chief Investment Officer and a Principal with Ferguson Wellman Capital Management, Inc. He received both his B.S. in management and an M.B.A. in finance from the University of Oregon.
George is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member and past president of the Portland Society of Financial Analysts. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Salvation Army, Girl Scouts - Columbia River Council and the American Lung Association of Oregon. He is also a board member for the University of Oregon Alumni Association. George has served on the Volunteers of America board since May 1998.
Fred Shipman, Director
Fred Shipman is president of J.E. Dunn Construction in Portland, Oregon. Major projects under his leadership have included the Rose Garden Entertainment Complex and Portland City Hall Historical Renovation as well as residential hi-rises, schools, corrections facilities, public service buildings, office hi-rises, renovations, seismic upgrades, casinos and multi-family developments.
Fred has a B.A. degree from the University of Missouri. He serves on several community boards including The Association for Corporate Growth and Junior Achievement. He has served on the Volunteers of America Oregon board since September 2000.
Mary Kay Tetreault, Director
Mary Kay Tetreault is Provost Emerita, Portland State University and has extensive administrative experience in universities in Oregon and California. She has written or co-authored numerous scholarly books, articles and technical reviews related to diversifying universities and public schools by gender, race, and class.
She serves on the board of directors for the Artist's Repertory Theater in Portland and was previously a Commissioner of Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities.
Dave Underriner, Director
Dave Underriner is Chief Executive Officer Portland for Providence Health & Services. His career in healthcare administration spans two decades and earned him numerous awards including the Providence Health System Oregon Region Diversity Leadership Award and the Ethics in Business Award from Samaritan Counseling Center.
He currently sits on several boards including Janus Youth Programs. Trillium Family Services, Our House of Portland, and others. Dave earned a master's degree in health service administration from the University of Washington. Married to wife Barbara, they have two children, Julie 19 and Michael 15.
Alfred J. Zindel, Director
Alfred J. Zindel is Executive Vice President of Dennis Uniform Manufacturing Company in Portland, Oregon. Al holds a B.A. degree in mathematics from Washington State University. Since graduating, he completed executive management courses at Harvard Business School and Darden Business School at University of Virginia.
Prior to a career in the apparel industry, he taught secondary school for three years and coached football and basketball. Al and his wife Dot have four grown children and two grandchildren. As parents, they were very active in public school related activities and fundraising.