Board of Directors

TriMet is governed by the seven-member Board of Directors, appointed by the Governor of Oregon.

The Board of Directors sets agency policy, enacts legislation (taxing and policy ordinances) and reviews certain contracts.

Board members must live in the geographical districts they represent. The term of office is four years, but a Board member serves at the pleasure of the governor. Board members are volunteers and can serve up to two four-year terms. A Board member whose term has expired shall continue to serve until the governor appoints a successor.

Ozzie Gonzalez
President

Osvaldo Gonzalez

District 2: NW and portions of SW Portland

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First appointed

June 1, 2018

Term expires

May 31, 2026

Committee Assignment

Finance & Audit Committee

Osvaldo “Ozzie” Gonzalez is TriMet’s first Latino Board President. He has served on the Board since 2018.

He has particular knowledge of TriMet as he has worked on capital projects with the agency since 2011, providing professional design services through his role at CH2M and in his role as director for diversity for Balfour/Howard S. Wright, a prime general contractor.

Gonzalez has a long-standing history of service in the community. He is a founding member of the US Green Building Council’s LEED User Group for Industrial Facilities, President of the Jardín Portland Foundation. Gonzalez serves on the boards of the Regional Arts and Culture Council, the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He holds a Master’s Degree in Architecture from California Polytechnic University in Pomona and a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Science from Humboldt University. Gonzalez and his family regularly use TriMet and the Portland Streetcar.

 

Dr. LaVerne Lewis
Vice-President

Dr. LaVerne Lewis

District 6: E Multnomah County

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First appointed

March 4, 2021

Term expires

March 4, 2025

Committee Assignments

Finance & Audit Committee (Chair)

Dr. LaVerne Lewis is TriMet’s second African American Vice President and the first Black woman to serve in the role.

Dr. Lewis has a range of experience in business, civil rights, criminal justice and education. She is an adjunct professor of accounting at Portland Community College. Previously, she taught at Mt. Hood Community College for eight years, providing instruction in criminal justice and accounting. She spent nearly 18 years in law enforcement, as a deputy with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office and a training instructor at the Oregon Public Safety Academy’s Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. Dr. Lewis is also an experienced entrepreneur, with 35 years of experience in the area of taxation, accounting and small business consulting.

In addition to her role on the TriMet Board of Directors, Dr. Lewis serves on the Mt. Hood Community College Board of Education and as treasurer for the Rosewood Initiative Board of Directors, as well as vice president on the Northwest United Methodist Foundation Board and as an associate director of the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area’s Innovation & Vitality Team. She was previously appointed to the Oregon Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, for three years.

Dr. Lewis founded the Women-SEW Global Foundation to create “global awareness and a response to women and girls engaged in sewing collectives with intended outcomes of economic and leadership empowerment.” She volunteers in communities around the world, leading teams who serve the unhoused and underserved.

 

Kathy Wai
Secretary/Treasurer

Kathy Wai

District 7: Clackamas County

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First appointed

May 25, 2018

Term expires

May 24, 2026

Committee Assignment

Finance & Audit Committee

Kathy Wai is TriMet’s first Secretary/Treasurer of Asian descent and the youngest to serve in the role.

Wai has worked in community-based organizations for more than a decade with expertise in community engagement and policy advocacy. In her current role as Field Director for the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), she works to improve health and economic outcomes for diverse communities. From 2009 to 2012, Wai served on the APANO Board of Directors.

In addition to her role on the TriMet Board of Directors, Wai serves on the North Clackamas School Board and the NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon PAC Board. She is a Steering Committee Member for the Burmese Refugee Health Project.

Born in the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, Wai immigrated to the US with her family at the age of six. A first-generation college graduate, she attended Portland State University and St. Mary’s Academy, traveling to and from school on TriMet.

Wai received The Asian Reporter’s “Exemplary Community Volunteer” award in 2010 and the “We Are Portland” award in 2012 from the City of Portland’s Office of Equity and Human Rights for her community organizing and advocacy efforts.

 

Thomas Kim

Thomas Kim

District 1: Washington County

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First appointed

July 1, 2021

Term expires

June 30, 2025

Committee Assignments

Metropolitan Policy Advisory Committee (MPAC)

Thomas Kim is the youngest-ever member of the TriMet Board of Directors. He also serves as the president of the Hillsboro Planning Commission and secretary of the Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association. He served on the American Bar Association’s Law Student Division as chair, representing the entire 120,000-plus law students in America.

Kim is Corporate Counsel at CLEAResult. He is a “Dreamer” and was the first Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival-status (DACA) attorney in Oregon. While serving on the American Bar Association, Kim successfully advocated for undocumented immigrants to not be denied bar admission solely based on immigration status and to obtain admission to practice law in all U.S. states and territories. He volunteers at the Oregon Law Center, providing pro bono legal service for low-income individuals with past criminal records, helping them overcome barriers to obtaining housing, employment, financial aid, etc.

Kim obtained his law degree from Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematical Economics and a Minor in Statistics from Pacific Lutheran University.

 

Robert Kellogg

Robert Kellogg

District 3: SW Portland

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First appointed

July 1, 2023

Term expires

May 31, 2027

Committee Assignments

Accountability Committee
Crash Advisory Committee

Robert Kellogg is the newest member of the board and a dedicated advocate for transit. Kellogg brings years of transportation and planning experience to the board as a former member of the Tualatin City Council and two transportation steering committees.

During his tenure on the Tualatin City Council, he focused on local transportation issues, leading a successful $20 million bond measure which looked at reducing bottlenecks and improving traffic and pedestrian safety. Kellogg began his public service career with an appointment to the Washington County Future Transportation Study, which examined opportunities for the county’s transportation systems fifty years into the future. Recently, he served on the Southwest Corridor Light Rail Project Steering Committee, which looked at expanding MAX service to Tualatin Park & Ride at Bridgeport Village.

In addition to his transportation planning background, Kellogg has also run a successful general law practice for 17 years. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from Truman State University before graduating Magna Cum Laude from the College of Law at Syracuse University. Kellogg then worked in New York City, beginning his career with the Latham & Watkins law office and represented creditors during the bankruptcies of Global Crossing, WorldCom, and Enron. His experience in NYC inspired his passion for public transportation and its ability to improve people’s lives and shape vibrant communities.

Outside of work, Kellogg serves on the board of Directors of Neighbors Nourishing Communities, a local non-profit that gives plant starts and seeds to groups and individuals who commit to donating at least 25% of their harvest to local food banks. In 2022, the organization contributed more than 3,000 pounds of fresh produce.

 

Tyler Frisbee

Tyler Frisbee

District 4: SE Portland

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First appointed

June 1, 2023

Term expires

May 31, 2027

Committee Assignment

Transit Equity Advisory Committee (TEAC)

Tyler Frisbee is well-versed in active transportation and has a range of experience in coalition building, two vital skills that will help steer TriMet as we rebound from lost ridership due to the COVID-19 pandemic and add back new and improved transit service.

Frisbee most recently worked in Congressman Earl Blumenauer’s office as a strategic advisor with a focus on transportation, environmental policy, and agricultural policy. Frisbee also spent more than six years with Metro, the regional government for Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties. During her time there, Frisbee worked primarily with Metro’s Government Affairs and Policy Development team, collaborating with local government partners to deliver on Metro’s goals of creating affordable housing, implementing efficient land-use policies and curbing carbon emissions. Frisbee also served as the Policy Director for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and has experience consulting on transportation issues for the firm WSP Parsons and Brinckerhoff.

 

Keith Edwards

Keith Edwards

District 5: N and NE Portland

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First appointed

May 25, 2018

Term expires

May 24, 2026

Committee Assignments

Committee on Accessible Transportation (CAT)

During a 44-year career as a union electrician, Keith Edwards broke many barriers and achieved leadership positions in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). He became the first African-American business manager of a construction local in IBEW history, was the first African-American to serve as a member of the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee and co-founded the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus in 1974. He was the first African-American appointed to IBEW Local 48’s Executive Board and he served an international representative for IBEW’s Ninth District.

Edwards is a community activist and has been involved with the Coalition of Black Men, the Portland Workforce Alliance and the NAACP, where he has served as president of the Portland chapter. He also served eight years on the Oregon Electrical Board under Gov. Barbara Roberts.

 

 

* TriMet Board members whose term has expired will continue to serve on the Board until they are reappointed or a replacement is announced.

Board member districts

Enter your address below to find the Board member representing your district.

Contact

To reach a Board member, click on the contact link in his or her profile above. You may also contact:

TriMet Executive/Board Administrator
101 SW Main St., Suite 700
Portland, OR 97204

Phone: 503-962-4831
Fax: 503-962-6451

Learn more