QR code for Portland Observer Online ‘City of Roses’ Career & Education Volume XLIV Number 14 www.portlandobserver.com Wednesday • March 25, 2015 Established in 1970 Committed to Cultural Diversity Photo by o livia o livia /t he P ortland o bserver Since arriving in Portland as a Laotian immigrant over 30 years ago, Lee Po Cha has played pivotal roles in the development of the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, including its Asian Family Center and African House. He becomes executive director of the community service group on April 1. Immigrant and refugee group taps leader by o livia o livia t he P ortland o bserver One of the founding members of Portland’s Coalition of Communities of Color and a longtime advocate for providing culturally special services to Portland’s im- migrants and refugees has been named the new execu- tive director of the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO). Lee Po Cha, a Laotian immigrant who came with his family to the United States over 30 years ago, will now lead the organization that once helped him naturalize his citizenship as a teenager and where he has worked to development the group’s Asian Family Center and Africa House. IRCO is a national model for the integration of Bridging Cultures refugees, immigrants, and community at large into a self-sufficient, healthy, and inclusive multiethnic soci- ety. “Mr. Lee brings strong leadership and a deep sense of commitment to the refugee and immigrant nonprof- it sector and community,” said Chanpone Sinlapasai, president of the IRCO board of directors “He has a wide breadth of perspective and diverse experiences and expertise at many levels, including case manage- ment, mentoring, advocacy, executive and leadership levels.” Lee has seen the organization change drastically since he first joined their ranks. “When I first started with the organization, it was about a $2 million organization. Now we are a $14 mil- lion organization. We have grown with programs, new property, and more employees. When I started we had about 32 employees. Right now we have closer to 200,” he said. A graduate from Roosevelt High School in north Portland and Marylhurst University, southwest of Port- land, Lee was a recipient of the organization’s services in his early years, a fact that influenced him to continue his education and come back and work for the organi- zation as an adult. C ontinued on P age 5