Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation

Dedicated to Justice for Women and Minorities

Phylis Myles, President (2010-2011), joined the Foundation Board in 2002 as chair of the strategic planning committee. She has been active in Oregon Women Lawyers from its inception in 1989, serving on the OWLS Board as president and treasurer. She is also on the Board of the Mary Leonard Law Society, OWLS’ Salem Chapter. Before law school, Phylis was in marketing in the private sector in areas as diverse as surgical equipment to video arcade games. She practiced law for twelve years with her husband specializing in employment discrimination and environmental justice issues. She is currently Director of Career Services at Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon and a frequent speaker on strategic planning for non-profit organizations. She graduated from Lewis and Clark Law School and the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Communications.

Aruna MasihPresident-elect (2010-2011), Secretary (2008-2010), practices civil rights, labor and employment law with the law firm of Bennett, Hartman, Morris & Kaplan LLP. She was born in New York but raised in India. She earned her undergraduate degree from Wellesley College and her law degree from Tulane University and Creighton University School of Law.

 

Libby DavisTreasurer (2008-2012), has been a member of the Foundation board since 2001 and served as President from 2007-2008.  Libby is the Associate Dean for Career Services and Alumni Relations at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, where she has worked since 1995.  She is a 1993 cum laude graduate of Lewis & Clark Law School and holds a B.S. degree, with honors, from Oregon State University.  

Jill Brittle, Secretary (2010-2012),  joined the Foundation board in 2008. Jill practices family law in downtown Portland at Brittle & Brittle PC. Jill spent the first 18 months after law school practicing law with her husband and father-in-law in Corvallis, Oregon. After her father-in-law retired, Jill and her husband relocated to Portland where they currently practice together.  Jill received her J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School and her B.S. from Portland State University. Her hobbies include reading, cooking, and spending time with her growing number of nephews and nieces.

Trudy Allen, Historian, started on the Foundation Board as Historian in 1999 and is also the Chair of the Queen’s Bench Historical Perspectives Committee. She served on the Queen’s Bench Board for 11 years (President twice) and on the OWLS Board for 7 years (Historian for 5 years). She is General Counsel of U.S. Bancorp Equipment Finance, Inc., a commercial-finance subsidiary of U.S. Bank. She received her J.D. from Lewis & Clark in 1982 and her B.S. from Penn State in 1972.

Melissa Chureau joined the Foundation Board in 2010.  She is currently practices law at Kennedy, Watts, Arellano & Ricks, where she focuses on legal malpractice, business litigation, employment litigation,  and securities defense.  Previously, she served as a deputy district attorney at Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.  Melissa received her JD from Lewis & Clark in 2002, and her BA in English Literature from U.C. Berkeley in 1993.  Melissa remains actively involved in Lewis & Clark’s Mentor Program, as well as the Classroom Law Project, and the Gus J. Solomon Inn of Court.  Her main interests are spending time with her beautiful daughter and husband, eating her husband’s amazing food, and working it off mountain biking, cyclo-crossing, and running on Oregon’s exquisite trails.

Laurie E. Craghead is an Assistant Legal Counsel for Deschutes County where her primary focus has been in land use, special districts, assessment and taxation, public contracting, recording and election issues. She received her JD from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College (1992) and her BS from Warner Pacific College (1977). She has been an active member of Oregon Women Lawyers (OWLS), including coordinating the Central Oregon chapter of OWLS, Cascade Women Lawyers, and is a past-President of the Deschutes County Bar Association.

Christina Davis joined the Foundation Board in 2010.  Christina is in general practice in Eugene, Oregon where she focuses her practice on providing estate planning services to low income seniors and families and working on environmental law projects for nonprofits and other attorneys.  She graduated with honors from the University of Utah with bachelors degrees in Political Science and Environmental Studies and attended the University of Oregon School of Law.

Jodee Jackson joined the Foundation Board in 2010.  Jodee is a Deputy District Attorney in Douglas County.  Prior to prosecuting criminal cases in Douglas County, she clerked for the Honorable Virginia Linder at the Oregon Supreme Court.  Jodee graduated cum laude from Willamette College of Law in 2007.  Prior to law school, Jodee had a career at the National Credit Union Administration, in Washington D.C., where she was the agency expert on fair lending compliance and other regulatory matters affecting credit unions. 

Nanci Klinger has been active in Oregon Women Lawyers affiliated groups since 1994, including serving as President of the Foundation Board (2006-2007) and Queen's Bench (Portland's OWLS Chapter). She is a Deputy City Attorney for the City of Portland and specializes in environmental law. Nanci is a frequent public speaker on environmental law and career strategies and has been recognized by the Oregon State Bar for her pro bono services. She received her J.D. from Lewis and Clark Northwestern School of Law cum laude and her B.S. from Evergreen State College.

Terri Kraemer has been a member of the Foundation Board since 2000, served as the Foundation Board President from 2009-2010, and is a past president of Oregon Women Lawyers.  Terri is a Director at Deloitte & Touche LLP where she specializes in providing consulting services to life sciences and health care clients addressing regulatory compliance issues.  She received her JD from Lewis & Clark in 1991.  Her hobbies include doting on her nieces, gardening and spending time with family and friends.

Suzanne Lacampagne joined the Foundation Board in 2008.  She is is a partner at Miller Nash and coleader of the firm’s environmental and natural resources practice group. Her practice focuses on representing corporate clients in hazardous waste cleanup actions, air and water permitting issues, and environmental management and compliance.  Suzanne is a graduate of Wellesley College and Boston College School of Law.

Kristin Larson has been a member of the Foundation Board since 2004 and currently serves as Chair of the Grants Committee.  She is a partner with Hansen & Larson, LLC in Bend, where she specializes in Family Law and Estate Planning.  She received her J.D. cum laude from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2002 and her B.A. from Pomona College in 1992.

Karen M.T. Nashiwa joined the Foundation Board in 2009.  Karen is an in-house insurance defense litigator with GEICO.  Prior to practicing insurance defense, she was a tax attorney in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Karen received her J.D. from the University of Washington and her B.A. from Claremont McKenna College.

Yumi M. O'Neil joined the Foundation Board in 2006. She oversees judicial clerk training for the  Multnomah County Circuit Court. She received her undergraduate degree from Wellesley College, a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and her law degree from Lewis and Clark Law School. Yumi has served as a mediator for small claims cases at Multnomah County Courthouse and has judged Moot Court Negotiation competitions at Lewis and Clark Law School.

Sara Parker joined the Foundation Board in 2010.  Sara practices complex commercial litigation and insurance coverage litigation at Prange Law Group LLC in Portland.  Prior to moving to Oregon, Sara spent five years litigating products liability matters in San Francisco.  She earned her JD from the University of San Francisco and her undergraduate degree from the University of Wyoming.

Christina Sanz joined the Foundation Board in 2009.  Cristina is a charitable gift planner for the Jackson, Josephine, Klamath and Lake County region of The Oregon Community Foundation (OCF).  She is the OCF's lead representative in Southern Oregon, working with individuals and their professional advisors who wish to establish current or testamentary charitable funds, as well as deferred gifts at OCF.  Cristina also assists with donor and community relations.  Prior to joining OCF, Cristina practiced family and juvenile law for eleven years in Eugene and Medford, then served as a Jackson County Court Mediator for six years.  She received her J.D. from the University of Oregon in 1988 and her B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1983.  Cristina serves on the board of directors of the Southern Oregon Estate Planning Council, the Center for Non-Profit Legal Services, and the Rogue River Valley University Club.  She is a former co-coordinator of Rogue Women Lawyers and has served on the Oregon Women Lawyers Board.

Anne Senters joined the Foundation Board in 2010. Anne is a 2009 graduate of Lewis and Clark Law School and now works as an attorney for the Bonneville Power Administration where she practices energy and administrative law. Anne has been a member of OWLS since 2006. She was also an officer in the Women’s Law Caucus at Lewis and Clark. Her hobbies include sewing, gardening, and running, as well as spending time with her family.

Jeannette A. Vaccaro joined the Foundation board in 2010.  She is an associate at Busse & Hunt in downtown Portland.  Her practice focuses on representing plaintiffs in civil rights employment disputes.  Jeannette received her J.D. magna cum laude from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2009 and her B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1999.  Her hobbies include gardening, cooking and traveling.