Tobias Read, Chair

Oregon State Treasurer

Tobias Read took office on Jan. 2, 2017 as Oregon's 29th State Treasurer. He previously worked in the U.S. Treasury and as a liaison between designers, engineers and manufacturing units for Nike Inc. Prior to being elected Treasurer, he served a decade in the Oregon House of Representatives and championed legislation to invest in public education, improve state financial management, finance critical infrastructure improvements, and to help Oregonians save for more secure futures. As a lawmaker, he helped design and was a chief sponsor of the bill that successfully created the OregonSaves program. As Treasurer, he oversees Oregon's financial services agency.

The State Treasurer is a voting member of the Oregon Retirement Savings Board per ORS 178.200.

Appointed by Governor

Mr. Anderson was Secretary-Treasurer of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555, prior to retiring August 1, 2021. UFCW 555 represents 30,000 members in Oregon and Southwest Washington in retail, manufacturing, food processing, health care, building maintenance, and legal services. He also had served as trustee/secretary on the Oregon Retail Employee Pension Trust, trustee of the UFCW Local 555 Employers Health Trust prior to his retirement. and President of the Northwest Oregon Labor Council (Portland.) prior to his retirement Aside from labor, Mr. Anderson has served 37 years on the Salem Electric Co-op Board, is a member of the Claggett Creek Watershed Council. Jeff also served ten years on the Oregon Wage and Hour Commission, five years as chair of the Oregon Working Families Party, and eight years as President of Northwest Hope Foundation.

Kara Backus

Appointed by Governor

Ms. Backus is an employee benefits attorney at the Pacific Northwest law firm of Lane Powell. She is a member and past president of the Portland chapter of the Western Pension & Benefits Council. She has experience with qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, health and welfare benefit plans, executive compensation issues, and employee benefits aspects of mergers and acquisitions. She works with clients to design and draft benefit plans, to monitor compliance with new legislation under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code, and to interact with the IRS and the Department of Labor regarding plan issues. She regularly writes and speaks on employee benefits issues impacting Oregon and Washington employers. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree at Amherst College and her Juris Doctorate at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.

Vacant

Appointed by Governor

Vacant

Appointed by Governor

Senator Dick Anderson

Dick Anderson was elected to the Senate in 2020. He is the former Mayor of Lincoln City on the Oregon Coast and serves on the North Lincoln Health District Board as well as the Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Board. While Mayor, Anderson served on the Lincoln County Foundation and the Oregon Coastal Zone Management Executive Committee.

Senator Anderson was raised in Wallowa County and has lived in the Northwest in several areas during his career before retiring. He worked for 35 years in the financial industry where he honed his collaborative approach to issues before moving to the Oregon coast.

Dick and his wife, Sue have been married for 50 years and have two children and 5 grandchildren. They purchased their home on the Oregon coast to retire but state and local government have become part of that equation.

Locally, Senator Anderson has also been active with the North Lincoln County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), B'nail B'rith Camp and Family Promise of Lincoln County as a volunteer, Lincoln City Chamber of Commerce and is an avid golfer.

Representative Daniel Nguyen

Daniel is a son of Vietnamese refugees who came to the United States in 1975. Daniel was born and raised in Camas, Washington. Daniel and his wife, with their entrepreneurial spirit, founded and operate Bambuza Vietnam Kitchen, located in the South Waterfront community since 2008. Daniel was elected to the Lake Oswego City Council in 2018, the first person of color elected to serve on City Council.

Daniel also serves presently as a community volunteer as a Director on several organizations boards - Immigration Counseling Service Business for a Better Portland and Co-Chair of PCC School of Business & Entrepreneurship Advisory Committee and was elected to the state legislature in 2023 as State Representative.

Upcoming Meetings, Agenda, and Details

For prior meeting dates and agendas, please see the Treasury Calendar

The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. A request for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or for other accommodations should be made at least 48 hours before the meeting to: Missy Simpson at RetirementSavings@ost.state.or.us or 503.373.1903.

Monthly Dashboard

Meeting Books, Minutes, and Audio