Roman D. Hernandez, a Portland attorney with Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, has been appointed to the Oregon Health & Science University Board of Directors by Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski.
"I am very proud to appoint Roman D. Hernandez to the OHSU Board of Directors," said Kulongoski. "His dedication to his community and his involvement in civic affairs represents some of the finest in Oregon and I am confident that he will represent Oregon well."
In addition to Hernandez' appointment, Kulongoski reappointed board member Kathryn Smith, R.N., the student member of the OHSU board, to an additional term. Smith and Hernandez' appointments were both confirmed last week by the Oregon Senate.
Hernandez and Smith will serve on the 10-member board, which also includes Chairman Keith Thomson, Vice Chairman C. Scott Gibson, OHSU President Peter O. Kohler, M.D., former U.S. Sen. Mark O. Hatfield, Henry Hewitt, Kirby Dyess, Charles Wilhoite and Meredith Wilson.
Hernandez focuses on defending businesses in connection with employment-related claims. He provides general employment advice to businesses of all sizes on issues related to employment policies and practices.
Hernandez's law career began in 1999 when he clerked at Schwabe. Prior to law school, he served in the United States Air Force for nearly five years where he attained the rank of captain. Over the past several years, Hernandez has devoted many hours toward community and civic involvement. He is the immediate past president of the board of directors of the Portland Hispanic Chamber and continues to serve on the Chamber's board, and he serves as regional president for the Hispanic National Bar Association for the Pacific Northwest region.
In 2003, Hernandez received the Portland Business Journal's "Forty Under 40" award, recognizing the most accomplished, influential and civic-minded young executives in the Portland area. In 2004, Hernandez was recognized by Oregon Business magazine as one of the "50 Great Leaders in Oregon." During that same year, the Oregon Chapter of The American Jewish Committee selected Hernandez as its first-ever recipient of its "Emerging Leadership" Award. Recently he received the "2005 Regional President of the Year" Award from the Hispanic National Bar Association.
Hernandez graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College in 2000 and was a member of the Cornelius Honor Society. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Oregon State University.
"This is a real tribute to Roman and a significant recognition of his talents and his commitment to our community," noted Mark Long, managing partner at Schwabe. "OHSU and the many community services it provides as an academic health center will surely benefit from his experience, diligence and civic involvement."
ABOUT OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
Oregon Health & Science University is the state's only health and research university, and its only academic health center. As Portland's largest employer and the fourth largest in Oregon (excluding government), OHSU's size contributes to its ability to provide many services and community support activities not found anywhere else in the state. It serves more than 184,000 patients, and is a conduit for learning for more than 3,900 students and trainees. OHSU is the source of more than 200 community outreach programs that bring health and education services to each county in the state. As a leader in research, OHSU earns $274 million annually in research funding. The institution serves as a catalyst for the region's bioscience industry and is an incubator of discovery, averaging one new breakthrough or innovation every four days. OHSU disclosed 101 inventions in 2005 alone and has helped start 57 new spinoff companies, most of which are based in Oregon.
ABOUT SCHWABE, WILLIAMSON & WYATT
Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt (www.schwabe.com) is a regional, multi-service law firm with more than 160 attorneys in Portland, Bend and Salem, Ore., and Seattle, Vancouver and Stevenson, Wash., and in Washington, D.C. Schwabe attorneys provide a broad range of transaction and litigation services to many of the Pacific Northwest's leading companies, from Fortune 500 industry leaders to emerging and small, family-owned businesses. Schwabe was ranked 15th in Oregon Business magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" in 2006 and recently was named one of "Oregon's Most Admired Companies" in a survey completed by Oregon CEOs in The Business Journal of Portland.