Gov. Gregoire announces boards and commissions appointments

For Immediate Release: September 30, 2008

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today announced appointments to the following council:



Washington�s New American Policy Council

Appointments effective Aug. 15, 2008, continuing at the governor�s request:

Elizabeth Dunbar of Tacoma has been appointed chair of the council. Dunbar retired from the Department of Social and Health Services, where she was a deputy secretary. She serves as president of the American Leadership Forum, board member of Associated Ministries and secretary of the Japanese Americans Citizens League.

Pramila Jayapal of Seattle has been appointed vice chair of the council. Jayapal is the founder and executive director of OneAmerica. She serves as co-chair of the Liberty & Justice for All Campaign, vice president of the Institute of Current World Affairs and board member of the Interfaith Alliance.

Gilberto Mendoza of Pasco is a banking center manager and vice president at AmericanWest Bank. He serves on the Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Benton-Franklin Red Cross Board of Directors and Pasco School District Parent Advisory Board.

Hilary Pennington of Seattle is the director of Special Initiatives at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She was the president and CEO of Jobs for the Future.

Van Dinh-Kuno of Mukilteo is the executive director of Refugee and Immigrant Services Northwest. She also serves on the Snohomish County United Way Board, Washington Refugee and Immigrant Advisory Board, Providence Mission Committee, city of Everett Diversity Council and Washington School Impact Committee.

Jorge Baron of Seattle is the executive director of the Northwest Immigrants Rights Project. He is also a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the King County Bar Association.

Jeff Johnson of Olympia is the special assistant to the president for the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. He was a professor of labor economics and labor studies, and researcher at the United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations.

Ezra Teshome of Seattle is an agent for State Farm Insurance. In 2005, he was honored as one of the top 10 global health heroes at the Time Global Health Summit for his volunteer service toward the eradication of polio in Ethiopia.

Luis Fraga of Seattle is associate vice provost at the University of Washington. He is a board member for New Futures and served as secretary of the American Political Science Association and as president of the Western Political Science Association.

Akhtar Badshah of Redmond is the senior director of Community Affairs at Microsoft. He serves on the advisory board for the Development Gateway Project of the World Bank, World Links India, World Corp, Teachers Without Borders and Datamation Foundation India.

Troy Hutson of Seattle is the head of the Economic Services Administration at the Department of Social and Health Services. He served on the Washington Council on Adult Education and the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board.

Kenneth Irwin of Yakima is the Yakima County sheriff. He serves as president of the Washington State Sheriffs� Association and is a member of the Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Executive Board. Irwin also serves on the methamphetamine and gang committees of Citizens for Safe Communities.

Rick Sawyer of Seattle is the international vice president and secretary-treasurer of UNITE HERE Local 8.


Appointments effective Sept. 1, 2008, continuing at the governor�s request:

Dmitri Chaban of Spokane has more than 15 years of experience working with refugees, most recently with World Relief Spokane. He also volunteers as the co-pastor of a local church.

Michael Ramos of Seattle is the executive director of the Church Council of Greater Seattle.


The Council makes recommendations to the governor on topics including:

� Strategies to help legal permanent residents become naturalized;

� Acquisition of English language skills integral to the process of becoming citizens;

� Ways to recognize or transfer the skills, certifications and professional credentials people earn in other countries into Washington�s economy;

� Strategies needed to support the success for naturalization, English language acquisition and recognition or transference of certifications and professional credentials; and

� Facilitation of public-private partnerships for the integration of people seeking to become New Americans into the fabric of Washington, thus creating a more vibrant, prosperous and vital society.