IRCO makes decisions and provides services with the input, guidance and collaboration of the diverse communities we serve. Over 70% of IRCO staff and Board of Directors are immigrants or refugees themselves with leadership roles in their specific communities.
Lee Po Cha, MBA, became IRCO's Executive Director in April 2015. He has served IRCO since 1981 in a multitude of leadership roles, most recently as Associate Director and Director of IRCO Asian Family Center, which he helped found in 1994. A tireless advocate, Lee provides a voice for Oregon's increasingly diverse communities through his service on numerous commissions and boards, including the Governor's Commission on Senior Services, co-chair of the New Portlander Policy Council, the Home for Everyone Board, past president of the All Hands Raised Board, past president of the Hmong American Community of Oregon, and co-founder of the Coalition of Communities of Color.
A former Hmong refugee from Laos, Lee came to Oregon in 1978 and received his MBA from Marylhurst University. He embodies the vision of IRCO as an organization committed to helping each immigrant and refugee family achieve their full potential in their new home.