board of directors

Board of Directors

Wayne Belmont

Wayne brings a wide-range of legal and volunteer organization experience to his role on LASO’s Board of Directors. He has been a County Counsel for Lincoln County, Oregon since 1987; is a past president of the Oregon County Counsel Association; past chair of the Oregon State Bar’s Government Law Section; and a past chair of United Way for Lincoln County. He is also a Member of the Advisory Board for LASO’s Lincoln County Office in Newport, Oregon.

Sherisa Davis-Larry

Sherisa serves as in-house legal counsel to governing bodies, C-suite leaders, and senior leadership, advising on complex legal, governance, and organizational matters. As a generalist, her practice includes contract drafting, procurement, and negotiation; labor and employment; investigations; public records and records management; regulatory compliance; litigation and crisis response; governance; nonprofit law; school law; affordable housing; and training and development. Sherisa also litigates before administrative and court tribunals. Sherisa is a trusted strategic advisor who helps organizations navigate legal risk while supporting sound decision-making and long-term organizational success.

In addition to her legal practice, Sherisa supports her communities through hands-on volunteer service and board membership and leadership. She has served in multiple board leadership roles, focusing on governance, compliance, strategic planning, and organizational financial stewardship to help organizations strengthen their impact and advance their missions.

Nicole Deering

Nicole is an owner of DBMA Family Law Group and practices family law in Portland, Oregon. She is the recipient of the 2020 Professionalism Award for the Oregon State Bar, Family Law Section. A Portland native, she attended Portland State University and obtained a philosophy degree from the University Honor’s College. Nicole received her Juris Doctor Degree from Lewis & Clark Northwestern School of Law. She clerked for Oregon Legal Services throughout law school and began her family law career as a legal aid attorney providing access to justice for survivors of domestic violence facing poverty.

Amy Edwards

A Partner in the law firm of Stoel Rives, Amy serves on the board of directors for the Oregon Law Center, is an Advisory Board member for the Campaign for Equal Justice, and is an emeritus board member of Emerge Oregon. She previously served on the Legal Services Program Committee of the Oregon State Bar and was co-chair of the Campaign for Equal Justice Associate’s Committee.

A graduate of Northwestern University with a B.A. in History and Political Science, Amy finished her J.D. at the University of Washington’s School of Law in 2001 with high honors.

Amy is a 2010 and 2013 recipient of the Stoel Rives LLP Pro Bono Service Award and a 2014 recipient of the Community Leadership Award from the Oregon Area Jewish Committee.

Elliott Farren

Elliott Farren is an alumni of both Reed College and New York University School of Law. He is currently an attorney with Hershner Hunter in Eugene, Oregon, and previously worked as a public defender in California, and as an attorney for the Oregon Law Center providing free legal services to low-income Oregonians. Outside of work, Elliott is the proud parent of two boys and an active member of his synagogue. He enjoys cooking, riding his bike, and playing board games with friends.

Sara Gray, Board President

Sara is currently in-house counsel at Precision Castparts Corp., and is a former attorney with the Portland, Oregon Corporate practice group of Stoel Rives. She has also served in several posts for the US Department of Energy; as a Sr. Legislative Assistant for a Member of Congress; as Committee staff for the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, U.S. House of Representatives; and as Chief Counsel for the Committee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives.

Sara has been active on various committees at the Oregon State Bar, and is a supporter of the Campaign for Equal Justice. She was also appointed to serve on the Task Force for Independent Science Reviews for Natural Resources established by Oregon Senate Bill 202.

Sara is an alumnus of The College of William and Mary and Cornell School of Law.

Anabel Hernandez-Mejia

A California native, Anabel graduated from California State University – Chico with a B.A. in Marketing, a B.A. in Special Events & Tourism, and a minor in International Business. She currently works for the Farmworker Housing Development Corporation, a community-based non-profit organization dedicated to serving mid-Willamette Valley families by providing stable, safe and affordable housing. Previously, Ms. Hernandez worked with various community organizations including the Chamber of Commerce of Corning and has experience working with and advocating for underrepresented communities. A mother of two, she is passionate about serving the Latino community and using her range of skills to advance and uplift those in Oregon. She enjoys being in nature, music, puzzles, friends and family, and learning new things.

Lance Inouye, Board Treasurer

Lance is the Chief Financial Officer for the Portland-based real estate investment company NBP Capital, LLC. He has a BA in business from Lewis & Clark College, and has been a CPA since 1996. He also has extensive experience in preparing tax returns and audited financial statements of non-profit entities.

Lance also sits on the finance committee of the Oregon Zoo Foundation board.

Aaron Jeffers

Aaron Jeffers received a B.A. in History with Honors from Georgia State University and a law degree from Willamette University. After observing injustice firsthand while working for the Southern Poverty Law Center, Aaron decided to dedicate his career to public service. Aaron received a fellowship from the Willamette University Public Interest Law Project that allowed him to begin clerking for the Public Defender of Marion County (PDMC) after his first year of law school. He is now the Chief Deputy Defender of the Trial Division of the Oregon Public Defense Commission. In addition to working on thousands of cases for indigent clients facing criminal charges, Aaron has also worked to pass important criminal justice reforms as a lobbyist for the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association (OCDLA). Aaron still serves the OCDLA as a voting member of Legislative Committee and as a member of the OCDLA Education Committee. Aaron has also served as a member of the Oregon State Bar’s Uniform Criminal Jury Instruction Committee and as a Board Member for the non-profit Deschutes Family Recovery.

Nakili Odom

I am currently a student at Portland State University Honors College, majoring in political science with the intention of attending law school. I previously attended Chemeketa for two years, where I further developed my connection to the community I come from and its rich history. I am the first woman, and the first person in my family, to attend college, an achievement that deeply informs my academic and professional aspirations. Serving on the board provides me the opportunity to give back to the community that has shaped my path and to support expanded access and opportunity for others just like me.

Iván Resendiz Gutierrez

A partner in the Portland Office of Miller Nash LLP, Iván Resendiz Gutierrez is a litigation attorney serving the appellate, litigation, and employment needs of public and private clients. As the co-lead of Miller Nash’s appellate team, Iván has regularly represents organizations in some of their most significant matters across the judicial system, including handling oral argument to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Oregon Court of Appeals.

A proud “Double Duck” and first-generation college student, Iván received his bachelor’s degree (in psychology and political science) from the University of Oregon (B.A. ’12) before earning his law degree at the University of Oregon School of Law (J.D. ’15). During law school Iván externed for the Honorable Lynn R. Nakamoto, and after law school, Iván clerked for Justice Nakamoto at the Oregon Supreme Court and Oregon Court Appeals.

As the proud son of Mexican immigrants growing up in rural Southern Mexico, inner Orange County, California, a Washington apple orchard, and a Portland suburb; the proud brother to two members of the U.S. Armed Forces, including a disabled veteran; a native Spanish speaker; and a part-time Coos County resident, Iván’s desire to give back and support underserved and immigrant communities is in his DNA. As a result, Iván’s work with the community and LASO and OLC has been longstanding and deep.

Pete Shepherd

Pete has been in and out of public service throughout his career. He formerly served as Legislative Assistant to a State Senator, a Marion County Deputy District Attorney, and, over a span of approximately 22 years, in several roles within the Oregon Department of Justice under five Attorneys General. He then entered private civil, administrative, and government affairs practice with a regional private law firm. His former clients include: the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians; PERS and other State and local public bodies; and, private enterprises with respect to civil/regulatory matters. Pete stopped representing clients in April, 2016, when he began a six-month period as Interim Director of the Department of Environmental Quality.

Pete has resided in Sisters with his spouse since 2016. Between fishing trips, woodworking projects, travel for fun, and shoveling snow from the driveway, Pete volunteers episodically for an eclectic mix of local civic activities. He served from July 2018 to December 2023, as a volunteer Circuit Judge Pro Tem in the 22nd Judicial District (Crook and Jefferson Counties). He was generally on the bench one day each week and is indebted to the Presiding Judge for the pleasure of having been assigned matters spanning the full range from barking dog disputes to complex civil and criminal motions.

He is a life-long Oregonian. Pete grew up in Eugene, attended the University of Oregon as an undergraduate, and earned his JD from the UO.

Eric Spencer

Eric Spencer joined SBH Legal in 2025 and currently represents Oregon employers and insurers in workers’ compensation and related employment defense matters. Eric graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2023, where he sat on the boards of the Child and Family Law Association and the Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation. Eric also interned at the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office, where he prosecuted restraining order violations. After graduating, Eric spent two years working as a tax attorney for the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic at Legal Aid Services of Oregon.

Assitan Sylia Traore (Assa)

Assa Traore has a Master’s degree in linguistics from Moscow Linguistic University (Former Soviet Union), a Master’s in International Studies, and a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Oregon.

She has been Africa Project Director at INSTOVE, a nonprofit in Cottage Grove, Oregon, that designed big cook stoves for refugee camps and school feeding programs in countries that still rely on wood for cooking.

Since April 2016, she has been successfully running the Little French School, a preschool in Eugene that teaches French to young children 2 to 5 years old and prepares them to embrace the global world.

Assa joined OLC/LASO Board of Directors as a client representative in March 2017. She has over 24 years of experience in Administrative management and is passionate about gender, environment, and education.

Marisa Wilkins

A client representative, Marisa was appointed to LASO’s Board of Directors in 2015. She was appointed by Housing Works, the local housing authority for Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties. She is a Certified Medical Assistant for an ear, nose and throat office in Bend and the single mother of two girls.

Ira Zarov

Ira Zarov grew up in the Chicago area and attended the University of Wisconsin obtaining a BA in 1969 and a JD in 1974. After law school he moved to Oregon and started his legal career as a VISTA lawyer in Coos County Legal Services. He moved to Portland beginning work at the fledgling Oregon Legal Services in 1976. He remained at OLS serving as the Director of Litigation, lobbyist, and from 1989 to 2000 as Executive Director. He was the co-founder of the Campaign for Equal Justice. After leaving legal services he was the CEO of the Professional Liability Fund, a OSB related quasi-governmental organization, which provided malpractice insurance to Oregon lawyers. He retired in 2014. He was the recipient of the Henry Hewitt Award from the Campaign for Equal Justice and the Oregon State Bar Award of Merit. In the past he has served as Chair of the Board of Disability Rights Oregon, the Board of the Fair Housing Counsel, and is now an Emeritus member of the CEJ board.