Governor Gregoire Announces Appointments to Commission on African-American Affairs

For Immediate Release: February 10, 2006

OLYMPIA � Governor Chris Gregoire today announced the following appointments to the Commission on African-American Affairs:

Oscar Eason Jr. of Seattle has been appointed as Chair to a term effective February 2, 2006, ending November 20, 2008. Mr. Eason is a licensed professional engineer and currently serves as the Assistant to the Chief, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle district. He is a veteran of military operations in both Korea and Vietnam and has served as a civilian engineering contractor in the reconstruction of Kuwait following Operation Desert Storm. Mr. Eason currently serves as president of the NAACP Alaska/Oregon/Washington State Conference and is a past national president of Blacks in Government, for which he spent many years petitioning Congress and the Clinton administration to take a stronger stand on equal opportunity and affirmative action. Mr. Eason is recognized nationally for his work on civil rights.

Joseph Hooks of Seattle has been reappointed to a term effective January 16, 2006, ending November 20, 2007. Mr. Hooks joined Starbucks Coffee Company in August 2005, as Executive Assistant to May Snowden, Vice President of Global Diversity & Inclusion. Prior to this, he served as staff for U.S. Representative Adam Smith from the 9th Congressional District. Mr. Hooks has also worked for U.S Representative Norm Dicks and Pierce County Councilman Harold Moss. A native of Tacoma, Mr. Hooks received his undergraduate degree from Evergreen State College.

Pastor Dennis Payne II of Bremerton has been appointed to a term effective January 16, 2006, ending November 20, 2008. Mr. Payne is currently the senior pastor at Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church in Bremerton where he acts as a spiritual guide and youth mentor as well as chairing the Stewardship and Finance Committee. He has served in various churches across the Midwest and has worked as a caseworker in the State of Missouri Division of Youth Services and Division of Family Services.

Dr. Michael Tate of Pullman has been appointed to a term effective January 16, 2006, ending November 20, 2006. Dr. Tate is the Vice President for Equity and Diversity at Washington State University and serves as the chief education advisor for the Competitive Program Unit in the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service. For his work with the USDA, Dr. Tate was awarded the U.S. Department of Agriculture Superior Service Award.

Anne M. Houston-Rogers of SeaTac has been reappointed to a term effective January 16, 2006, ending November 20, 2008. Ms. Houston-Rogers is a member of the legal affairs team with Electronic Data Systems (EDS) at Weyerhaeuser. She holds a JD from the American College of Law and an MBA from Webster University. She is a member of the National Bar Association, the National Black MBAs and Emily�s List of Washington, DC. Ms. Houston-Rogers also volunteers as a mediator with the King County Dispute Resolution Center.

Ahoua Kon� of Seattle has been appointed to a term effective January 16, 2006, ending November 20, 2007. Ms. Kon� is a staff attorney for the Community Justice Center at the Seattle University School of Law Access to Justice Institute, where she provides free legal education and advice to the community. She is currently the City Commissioner for the Seattle Human Rights Commission and is the founder and Board of Directors� President of the African Community Network. Ms. Kon� spent several years in the 1990s working in West Africa on issues such as women�s health services and childhood immunization.


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