Dedication
Every year, the Board of Directors selects three Advisory Board Members to provide advice, wisdom, and guidance in moving our great organization forward.
Daniel P. Santos |
Retired Willamette Law Associate Dean & Governors’ Legal Counsel
Daniel P. Santos, a graduate of Willamette University College of Law, returned to the school as an Associate Dean in June 2011 after two decades of service to four Oregon governors. As Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Administration, he consults with student organizations and oversees the Placement Office and the Office of Student Affairs. He retired in September 2016. Santos was a senior policy advisor for Gov. Ted Kulongoski and worked on an array of issues including tribal and labor relations, collective bargaining, housing, education and military services. In the first administration of Gov. John Kitzhaber, Santos served as legal counsel and education policy coordinator and worked on juvenile and adult criminal justice issues. Santos was Gov. Barbara Roberts’ legal counsel and chair of the Oregon Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision. He also served as Deputy Citizen’s Representative and director of the Commission on Agricultural Labor in Gov. Neil Goldschmidt’s administration. Before entering government service, Santos worked at Marion & Polk Legal Services, supervised the Oregon Migrant Education Service Center, and directed the Jackson County Migrant Education Program. He earned a B.S. in Criminology at Southern Oregon University. Outside work, Santos was a founding member of Scholarships for Oregon Latinos; Willamette Academy and the Leadership Council for Oregon Mentors. He also serves on the Southern Oregon Board of Trustees, Oregon Shakespeare Festival Board. Through these efforts he seeks to provide greater educational and leadership opportunities for youth. Santos’ numerous honors include the Literacy Trailblazer Award from the Mid-Valley Literacy Center, the Paul J. DeMuniz Professionalism Award from the Oregon Hispanic Bar Association; the Judge Mercedes Deiz Award from Oregon Women Lawyers; the Leadership Award from the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce; and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Arts Foundation. In 1990, Southern Oregon University named him one of its distinguished alumni. Willamette University named him a distinguished alumni in 2018. Born and raised in Brawley, California, in the agricultural Imperial Valley, Santos worked summers in the fields of the Imperial and San Joaquin Valleys. He enjoys theatre and movies, and for exercise he enjoys running, having run 21 marathons. |
Justice Adrienne Nelson
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Justice Adrienne Nelson was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court on January 2, 2018, making her first African American to sit on the state’s highest court and any appellate state court. In 2006, she was appointed as a trial judge on the Multnomah County Circuit Court in Portland, Oregon, making her at that time the second African American female judge in the state of Oregon. Justice Nelson is a sought-after speaker on a variety of topics including diversity, inclusion, equity, community engagement, leadership and professional development.
Throughout her career, Justice Nelson has been involved in many national, state, local, and specialty bar associations, often serving in a leadership capacity. In the Portland community, she sits on the Reed College Board of Trustees and the Oregon Community Foundation Portland Leadership Council where she chairs the Outreach to the Black Community committee. She also sits on the Girl Scouts Beyond the Bars (GSBB) Advisory Board and the Self-Enhancement, Inc. (SEI) Board of Directors both of which she formerly chaired. In addition, Justice Nelson serves as a mentor to many people. She is often recognized by a wide variety of community and professional organizations for her service and mentorship to others. Justice Nelson is a connector and encourager, helping people succeed by living their best lives. Justice Nelson earned her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Texas at Austin and her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Criminal Justice Summa Cum Laude from the University of Arkansas. On September 16, 2015, the Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington named her an Marie Lamfrom Woman of Distinction. In May 2015, Justice Nelson was named a member of the class of 2015 of the Council on State Government (CSG) Henry Toll Fellows, making her one of eight Oregonians selected for this leadership program. On October 2, 2014, Portland State University Center for Women’s Leadership honored her for her leadership at their Eighth Annual Women’s Leadership Luncheon. On May 21, 2012, Justice Nelson was named a White Rose honoree by the Oregon Chapter of the March of Dimes for her community service. On October 1, 2011, Lewis and Clark Law School named her a distinguished honorary graduate for her mentoring and diversity activities at the school. In 2003, Justice Nelson received the Oregon Women Lawyers (OWLs) Judge Mercedes Diez award for promotion of women and minorities in the legal profession and in the community. |
Anastasia Meisner
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Anastasia Yu Meisner is an attorney with Samuels Yoelin Kantor LLP. She is an approved probate court mediator for Multnomah County. And recently the Oregon Supreme Court has approved her to serve as a pro tempore judge in Washington County. And she took her oath of office on May 18, 2018. She first joined the OMLA Board in September 1999.
Ms. Meisner received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Willamette University College of Law in 1997, and Bachelor of Arts from College of Liberal Arts in 1994. She has also lived/studied abroad in Munich, Germany and Shanghai, China. In addition to her community service with OMLA, her other community service includes/has included Korean American Citizens League/Korean American Coalition Of Oregon, Friends of The Lake Oswego Public Library, Oregon State Bar – Elder Law Section, Oregon State Bar House of Delegates, Korean Martyrs Catholic Church of Portland, OPB– Planned Giving Advisory Committee, Friends for Opportunities for Law in Oregon, Governor’s Judicial Screening Committee, Mercy Corps – Planned Giving Advisory Committee, Oregon State Board of Accountancy, Oregon State Bar – Affirmative Action Committee, Oregon State Bar – Diversity Section, and Oregon Law Foundation – Diversity Subcommittee. Ms. Meisner received the Oregon State Bar President’s Affirmative Action Award in 2005 and has been published in the Oregon State Bar publication Legislation Highlights, “Elder Law” – 2017, Oregon State Bar Elder Law Newsletter “Tips for Those Interested in Legislative Issues” – January 2017, Oregon State Bar publication Legislation Highlights, “Elder Law” – 2015, Oregon State Bar Elder Law Newsletter “HB 2368 Clarifies Advance Directive Issue” – July 2015, American Bar Association publication Dear Sisters, Dear Daughters: Strategies for Success from Multicultural Women Attorneys – 2009, and Oregon State Bar publication The Ethical Oregon Lawyer – 2003. |