Board of Directors

Mr. Gibson has been President of Gibson Enterprises since its formation in 1992. In 1983, Mr. Gibson cofounded Sequent Computer Systems and served as its President from 1988 until March 1992 and as its President and Co-CEO from 1990 until March 1992. Before his tenure at Sequent, Mr. Gibson served as General Manager for the Memory Components Division of Intel Corporation. Mr. Gibson serves as a director of Qorvo, Inc., the surviving company of the TriQuint Semiconductor merger, and Pixelworks, Inc. He has previously served as a director of Radisys Corporation, Verigy Pte. Ltd. and TriQuint Semiconductor, and as a member of the Board of Trustees of Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. Mr. Gibson also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the St. John's Medical Center and the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Mr. Gibson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and a Masters in Business degree from the University of Illinois. He is currently a National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Leadership Fellow, having completed the NACD’s program for corporate directors.

Mr. Gibson brings to the NW Holdings Board and the NW Natural Board, on which he also serves, extensive experience as a director of publicly-traded companies, including Qorvo, Inc., Pixelworks, Inc., and formerly, Radisys Corporation, TriQuint Semiconductor and Verigy Pte. Ltd. He is a professional public company and non-profit board member, dedicating all his work hours to the boards and companies on which he serves. Based on this experience and other professional experiences, Mr. Gibson is able to deliver important insights to our management and other directors on subjects ranging from management oversight to growth orientation, change management and strategic direction. In particular, Mr. Gibson’s service as an audit committee member of Qorvo, Inc., Pixelworks, Inc., and formerly Radisys Corporation, TriQuint Semiconductor and Verigy Pte. Ltd. highlights Mr. Gibson’s substantial experience in finance and accounting matters and position Mr. Gibson to provide important guidance to the Board on matters of accounting, finance, and corporate governance. Additionally, Mr. Gibson’s current service on the governance committees of Qorvo, Inc., and Pixelworks, Inc. and formerly Radisys Corporation, as well as the compensation committees of Pixelworks, Inc. and formerly Radisys Corporation, TriQuint Semiconductor and Verigy Pte. Ltd., enables him to substantially contribute to Board matters involving executive compensation, human capital management, and general corporate governance. Mr. Gibson’s broad and varied public company leadership service strengthens the Board’s collective knowledge, capabilities and experience.

Mr. Anderson is President and Chief Executive Officer and a Board Member of Northwest Natural Holding Company (NYSE: NWN) and Northwest Natural Gas Company. He previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer of NW Natural from August 2015 to July 2016, as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from February 2014 to July 2015, as Executive Vice President of Operations and Regulation from February 2013 to February 2014, and as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from when he joined NW Natural in 2004 to February 2013. Before joining NW Natural, Mr. Anderson was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at TXU Gas. He previously held executive positions within TXU Corporation (formerly Texas Utilities) including Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer, and Vice President of Investor Relations and Shareholder Services. Mr. Anderson also serves as President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman for NW Holdings’ subsidiaries NW Natural Energy, LLC, Northwest Energy Corporation, NWN Gas Reserves LLC, and NNG Financial Corporation, as Director and President of NW Natural RNG Holding Company, LLC, as well as serving as Chairman for KB Pipeline Company, NW Natural Gas Storage, LLC, and NW Natural Water Company, LLC and its subsidiaries.

In addition to serving on the Boards of NW Holdings and NW Natural, Mr. Anderson serves on the Board of Directors of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE: NFG) where he has been appointed to the Audit and Compensation Committees. Mr. Anderson is Chair of the Board of the American Gas Association (AGA), where he is also a member of the Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Compensation Committee and Safety, Resilience/Reliability, and Security Task Force. He is also a Board Trustee of the American Gas Foundation and a Director of the Oregon Business Council. He is also a member of SOLVE Founder’s Circle. Mr. Anderson has also been appointed by Oregon Governor Kate Brown to serve on Oregon’s Global Warming Commission. Mr. Anderson is a past Board Member of the Northwest Gas Association, Portland Business Alliance, Portland State Foundation, and Greater Portland Inc., and a past President of The Oregon Partnership, Inc. (Lines for Life). Mr. Anderson is also a past CoChair of the AGA Clean Energy Task Force, and past Chair of the AGA Audit Committee, the AGA Finance Committee, the AGA Fiscal and Tax Committee, the Associated Oregon Industries (AOI) Fiscal Policy Committee, and PSU Foundation Investment Committee, and is a past Advisory Board Member for PSU School of Business and Oregon Department of Education Business Advisory Team. Mr. Anderson holds a BBA in Accounting from Texas Tech University and is a CPA (ret.) and CGMA.

Mr. Anderson serves a key leadership role on the Board of NW Holdings and provides the Board with in-depth knowledge of each area of NW Holdings’ and NW Natural’s business, its finance and operations, the energy industry generally, and the Company’s challenges and opportunities. He acts as the principal intermediary between management and the independent directors of our Board, and communicates to the Board management’s perspective on important matters brought before the Board. Mr. Anderson’s 16 years with NW Natural, his over 30 years’ experience in the energy industry, and his extensive involvement with the AGA and Northwest Gas Association enable him to bring to the Board a comprehensive understanding of the Company’s business operations as well as matters relating to the energy industry generally. Mr. Anderson’s service on local business, educational, charitable and public service boards provides an important connection between NW Holdings and the communities it serves. Additionally, his extensive experience in finance and operations provides important perspectives with respect to the Company’s business, operations, and financial positioning, as well as with respect to the communities the Company serves. Mr. Anderson’s combined professional skills and insights from his position as President and Chief Executive Officer, as well as his previous executive positions with NW Natural, strengthen the Board’s collective knowledge, capabilities and experience.

Mr. Boyle is the President, Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board of Columbia Sportswear Company, an active outdoor apparel and footwear company headquartered in Portland, Oregon. He has held the President and Chief Executive Officer positions since 1988, except he relinquished his position as President from February 2015 until June 2017. He was appointed as Chair of the Board of Columbia Sportswear Company in January 2020. Mr. Boyle began working with Columbia Sportswear Company in 1970. Mr. Boyle is also a member of the Boards of Directors of NW Natural and Craft Brew Alliance, Inc., and is a Trustee of Reed College, as well as an Emeritus Trustee of the Freshwater Trust. He also is a past Trustee of the Youth Outdoor Legacy Fund, and University of Oregon Foundation, where he was past Vice Chairman of its Capital Campaign Committee. He is also a past Member of the Young Presidents’ Organization. Mr. Boyle earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from the University of Oregon.

Mr. Boyle’s professional experiences, including his service as President and Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board of Directors of Columbia Sportswear Company, his service as a Director of Craft Brew Alliance, Inc., as well as his service on the NW Natural Board, and his current and prior community and public service, enable Mr. Boyle to provide valuable insight to the Board and management regarding public company operations, acquisitions, human capital management, executive compensation, investor and media relations, government relations, and growth and strategic direction, all of which strengthen the Board’s collective knowledge, capabilities and experience.

Mr. Carter served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. from May 2005 to December 2008 when he was appointed to his current position of Chairman of the Board. From 2002 to May 2005, he was engaged in a consulting practice focused primarily on strategic planning in transportation and energy for national and international businesses, as well as other small business ventures. From 1982 to 2002, Mr. Carter served in a variety of senior management capacities at Bechtel Group, Inc., including Executive Vice President and Director, as well as President of Bechtel Enterprises, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Bechtel Group, Inc., and other operating groups. Prior to his Bechtel tenure, Mr. Carter was a partner in a San Francisco law firm. He is Chairman of the Board of Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc., and a Director of NW Natural and FLIR Systems, Inc., where he also serves as Chairman of its Governance Committee. Mr. Carter also previously served as a Director and Chairman of the Board of privately-owned Kuni Automotive and as a Director of privately-owned JELD-WEN Holding, Inc., prior to it becoming publicly-traded in January 2017. In the United Kingdom, he served as a Director of London & Continental Railways until February 2006, and, until December 2005, he served as a Director of Cross London Rail Links, Ltd. Mr. Carter also serves on the Board of the Oregon Business Council. He is a former Chairman of the Oregon Business Plan and a former Member of the Boards of Grow Oregon and the Nature Conservancy of Oregon. Mr. Carter is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School.

Mr. Carter brings to the NW Holdings Board a broad array of executive, leadership and board service experiences that contribute to the Board’s governance of the Company. Mr. Carter’s extensive executive senior management experiences, including his positions at Bechtel and as President and Chief Executive Officer of Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc., as well as his other current and prior board service, including as Chairman of the Boards of Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. and Kuni Automotive, as Chairman of the Governance Committee and a Director of FLIR Systems, Inc. and as a Director of NW Natural and JELD-WEN Holding, Inc., enable him to provide effective oversight of management and insight into a wide variety of strategic, corporate governance and financial matters, including, but not limited to, experience in large project development, acquisitions, human capital management, executive compensation, media and governmental relations, growth orientation, change management, and strategic direction. In addition, Mr. Carter’s tenure as General Counsel of Bechtel Group, Inc., where the Chief Financial Officer and finance group reported to him, and prior experience as a partner in a San Francisco law firm brings to the Board substantial legal and governance expertise. Mr. Carter also has extensive knowledge of finance and accounting matters, including through his service as President and Chief Executive Officer of Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. and Bechtel Enterprises, Inc., the finance and project development subsidiary of Bechtel Group, Inc., as a result of which, the Board has determined that he is an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the SEC rules. Mr. Carter’s multifaceted skill set and professional experiences strengthen the Board’s collective knowledge, capabilities and experience.

In 2008, Ms. Enand founded Zapproved, Inc., a cloud-based software provider for corporate legal departments, where she currently serves as Chief Executive Officer. Prior to founding Zapproved, she was the Director of Business Development and Marketing at Avnera Corporation, a fabless semiconductor manufacturer. Ms. Enand has also held sales and marketing positions at IBM and was a Program Manager in the Compiler and Architecture Group at Intel. Ms. Enand is also a Board Member of NW Natural. Ms. Enand serves as Chair of Auth0, is an Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Directors of Technology Association of Oregon, is a Board member of Oregon Business Council, and is a Member of the Oregon Investment Council. Ms. Enand has previously served as a member of Oregon Growth Board and Oregon Innovation Council. She received the 2018 Sam Blackman Award for Civic Engagement, the 2016 Portland Business Journal Entrepreneur of the Year award and the 2010 Portland Business Journal Orchid Award for achievement for women in business. Ms. Enand earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Portland.

Ms. Enand brings to the NW Holdings Board and the NW Natural Board on which she also serves, entrepreneurial and executive expertise from her more than a decade of experience founding and leading Zapproved, as well as substantial technological background from years of working in the technology industry. Ms. Enand’s current and previous professional and management experiences in technology, business development, sales and marketing, allow Ms. Enand to contribute important insights on the Company’s strategy and strategic direction; business development; growth and expansion activities; mergers and acquisitions; business diversification; cyber and information security, finance, compliance, human capital management, marketing and sales, and customer experience and support, which strengthens the Board’s collective knowledge, capabilities and experience.

Mr. Hamachek served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Penwest Pharmaceuticals Company from October 1997 to February 2005. Penwest, which was spun off from Penford Corporation in 1998, was located in Danbury, Connecticut and was engaged in the research, development and commercialization of novel drug delivery products and technologies. From 1985 until 1998, Mr. Hamachek served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Penford Corporation, a diversified producer of specialty paper, food starches and pharmaceutical ingredients. Mr. Hamachek is Chair of the Board and Chair of the Governance Committee of NW Natural. Mr. Hamachek is a director of the Seattle Times Company, where he is also Chair of the compensation committee, and The Blethen Corporation (the majority owner of the Seattle Times Company), and is a member of the board of directors and chair of Virginia Mason Medical Center and the Virginia Mason Health System in Seattle, Washington. He is also a past director and past President of the board of directors of The Sun Valley Center for The Arts in Ketchum, Idaho. Mr. Hamachek is a graduate of Williams College and Harvard Business School.

Mr. Hamachek is our longest-serving director, and he brings to the NW Holdings Board a broad array of institutional knowledge and historical perspective, and has participated in a variety of our and NW Natural's principal standing committees. Drawing on his experience as an executive and director of Penwest Pharmaceuticals Company and an executive of Penford Corporation, along with his other professional experiences, Mr. Hamachek is able to provide important insights to our management and other directors on subjects ranging from corporate governance and corporate strategy to management oversight on large project development, public company operations, acquisitions, executive compensation, and media and government relations, all of which strengthen the Board’s collective knowledge, capabilities and experience.

Since 2010, Karen Lee has served as Chief Executive Officer of Pioneer Human Services, a leading nonprofit social-enterprise business based in Seattle, Washington, which operates several businesses to help fund its social mission to assist individuals with criminal histories lead healthy and productive lives. From 2005 to 2010, Ms. Lee served as the Commissioner of the Washington State Employment Security Department. Prior to her role as Commissioner, she held several leadership roles at Puget Sound Energy, including Director of Gas Operations, from 2002 to 2005. She also previously served as an associate attorney at K&L Gates LLP in Seattle, Washington, and spent four years as an Officer in the U.S. Army. Ms. Lee holds a juris doctorate from the University of Washington School of Law. She is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Russian Studies and a minor in engineering. Ms. Lee currently serves as a trustee at Western Washington University, a director at W. Lease Lewis Company, and a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. She is also a member of Washington’s Statewide Reentry Council and the Regence Blue Shield Community Advisory Board. Ms. Lee has been named a “40 Under 40” honoree and one of “Seattle’s Women of Influence” by the Puget Sound Business Journal, and more recently, received an “Executive Excellence” award from Seattle Business Magazine.

As Chief Executive Officer of Pioneer Human Services, Ms. Lee brings to the Board more than a decade of executive and leadership expertise and is well positioned to provide valuable guidance on a wide variety of matters, including, but not limited to: human capital management and development, business growth and strategy, customer experience, business operations, legislative and public policy development, government relations and regulatory matters. Ms. Lee additionally brings to the Board a comprehensive understanding of the natural gas and utility industry, having served in several leadership roles at Puget Sound Energy, including as Director of Gas Operations, and is able to contribute important insights on: natural gas operations and regulation; and local, state and federal regulatory matters. Ms. Lee also has extensive legal and regulatory experience, having served as Commissioner of the Washington State Employment Security Department. Her deep industry expertise, combined with the breadth of her leadership experience across the private, non-profit and public sectors strengthens the Board’s collective knowledge, capabilities and experience.

Hon. McCurdy served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Gas Association from February 2011 to March 2019, representing over 200 natural gas energy and pipeline utilities. From 2007 to January 2011, Hon. McCurdy served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, an organization of the thirteen largest global auto manufacturers. From 1999 to 2006, Hon. McCurdy served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Electronic Industries Alliance crafting domestic and international policies for EIA’s nearly 1,300-member companies. In 2001, he co-founded the Internet Security Alliance between EIA and the Software Engineering Institute of Carnegie Mellon University. From 1995 to 1999, Hon. McCurdy was the President and Chief Executive Officer of the McCurdy Group, a business consulting and investment practice, serving as a Strategic Advisor for health care, defense manufacturing and other sectors. Hon. McCurdy served seven terms as a United States Congressman in the United States House of Representatives for the 4th District of Oklahoma from 1981 to 1995. Hon. McCurdy’s distinguished career in Congress included attaining numerous leadership positions, such as Chair of the House Intelligence Committee and Chair of the subcommittees of the Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Hon. McCurdy also practiced law both as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Oklahoma and in private practice from 1975 to 1980. Hon. McCurdy is a 1972 graduate of the University of Oklahoma and received his JD in 1975 from Oklahoma Law School. As a Rotary International Graduate Fellow, he studied international economics at the University of Edinburgh. He also held a commission in the United States Air Force Reserve, attaining the rank of major and serving as a judge advocate general. McCurdy received the 2017 Business-Government Relations Award from the Bryce Harlow Foundation for honesty, integrity, and strategic leadership. Hon. McCurdy has served on the Board of Directors of LMI, a private defense consulting company headquartered in McLean, Virginia from 2011 to present and is a Member of its Audit and Finance Committees. He also serves as an industry expert on the TSA Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee and on the subcommittee for cybersecurity.

Hon. McCurdy brings to the Board extensive experience in governmental and public affairs as well as a comprehensive understanding of the natural gas industry. As the former President and Chief Executive Officer of the AGA, Hon. McCurdy is well positioned to advise management on utility operations and natural gas distribution, pipeline, storage, and other energy matters. In addition, his extensive experience in government, including as a seven-term United States Congressman, and as a leader of several industry organizations, including the AGA, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the EIA, enables him to provide important insights on government relations and policy development at the federal, state and local level. His breadth of leadership experience across industries, including as a Director of LMI, positions him to provide valuable guidance to the Board on a wide variety of matters affecting NW Holdings, including, but not limited to: business development, expansion and strategic direction, customer service and support, risk oversight and cyber security matters, all of which strengthen the Board’s collective knowledge, capabilities and experience

Nathan Partain is the former President and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co., a position he held from 2005 until December 2020. Previously, Mr. Partain served as Executive Vice President of Duff & Phelps. Earlier, he was with Duff & Phelps Investment Research Co., where he served as the Director of Utility Research, Director of Equity Research, and Director of Fixed Income Research. Mr. Partain currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of DNP Select Income Fund Inc., a position that he has held since 2001, and was Chief Investment Officer of DNP from 1998 to 2017, having previously served as its Executive Vice President and Senior Vice President. Since 2004, he has also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Duff & Phelps Utility and Corporate Bond Trust Inc. and DTF Tax-Free Income Inc. He has served as a Director of DNP Select Income Fund Inc., Duff & Phelps Utility and Corporate Bond Trust Inc., and DTF Tax-Free Income Inc. since 2007, and President, Chief Executive Officer, and a Director of Duff & Phelps Utility & Infrastructure Fund Inc. since 2011. Mr. Partain is serving on the Boards in his individual capacity and not in affiliation with any Duff & Phelps entity. Prior to joining Duff & Phelps, Mr. Partain held financial and regulatory positions with Gulf States Utilities Company. Mr. Partain has served on the Board of Directors of Otter Tail Corporation since 1993 and as its Chairman since 2011. Mr. Partain is a National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Board Leadership Fellow. He earned a BS and MBA from Sam Houston State University. Mr. Partain is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and a member of the CFA Society of Chicago.

Mr. Partain brings to the Board significant board oversight and executive leadership, financial and governance expertise as a result of his many years of experience at Duff & Phelps. Mr. Partain’s service as Chairman of the Board of Otter Tail Corporation enables him to provide important insight and advice to the Board on a wide range of matters related to the utility and energy industry as well as management oversight, corporate governance, strategic and financial matters. He additionally brings to the Board extensive knowledge of the utility industry gained from over 30 years of providing utility investment research and management services to institutional clients of Duff & Phelps and is well positioned to advise management on matters of business strategy, growth and development, finance and capital markets, human capital management, and executive compensation. Mr. Partain’s deep industry knowledge, as well as his financial, governance and executive experience strengthen the Board’s collective knowledge, capabilities and experience.

From 2005 to January 2009, Ms. Peverett served as President and Chief Executive Officer of British Columbia Transmission Corporation (BCTC), an electric utility in Vancouver, British Columbia. Between 2003 and 2005, she served as Chief Financial Officer of BCTC. Prior to joining BCTC, from 1988 through 2003, Ms. Peverett held various senior positions with Westcoast Energy Ltd., including serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of Union Gas Limited, a Westcoast Energy company, between 2001 and 2003. Ms. Peverett currently serves on the Boards of Directors of NW Natural, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), Capital Power Corporation, and Canadian Pacific Railway Limited. She currently serves as Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee of Canadian Pacific Railway Limited. Ms. Peverett has also previously served on the Boards of Directors of Hydro One Inc., AEGIS, Encana Corporation, Postmedia Network Canada Corp., BC Ferry Authority, BC Ferries Services, Inc. (BC Ferries), and the United Way of Lower Mainland, also serving as Chair of BC Ferry Authority, and as Chair of the Audit Committee of Encana Corporation. Ms. Peverett earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McMaster University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Queen’s University. She is a certified management accountant.

Ms. Peverett’s extensive senior management experience at Union Gas Limited of Chatham, Ontario, a natural gas distribution, storage and transmission company, and BCTC, the entity responsible for managing British Columbia’s publicly-owned electrical transmission system, Capital Power Corporation, a North American power producer, as well as her board experience at Canadian Pacific Railway Limited and NW Natural, and her prior board experiences at Hydro One Inc., one of North America’s largest electricity delivery companies, AEGIS, Encana Corporation, Postmedia Network Canada Corp., and BC Ferries, position her to advise management on a wide range of natural gas and energy industry-specific strategic and regulatory matters, including large project development and other business matters. In addition, Ms. Peverett’s other board experiences, including as Chair of the Audit Committees of CIBC, a leading North American financial institution with almost 11 million personal banking and business customers, and Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, a former Chair of the Audit Committee of Encana Corporation, and a former Audit Committee Member of Postmedia Network Canada Corp., enable her to provide effective oversight of management and insight into a wide variety of corporate governance and financial matters. Ms. Peverett also has extensive knowledge of and training in finance and accounting matters, which strengthen the Board’s collective knowledge, capabilities and experience.

Mr. Thrasher served as Chairman of the Board for Alternative Legal Solutions, Inc. (dba Compli), a software solution provider for management of compliance in employment, regulatory, environmental, health and safety, and corporate governance practices from 2002 to 2018, where he also served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 2002 through December 2009. Prior to joining Compli, Mr. Thrasher held executive positions with Fred Meyer Inc., including serving as President and Chief Executive Officer from 1999 to 2001 (as a division of the Kroger Co.), as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer from 1997 to 1999, as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 1987 to 1997, and as Vice President and Treasurer from 1982 to 1987. Mr. Thrasher previously served as Chairman of Compli, as well as serving as a member of Compli’s Audit and Compensation committees. He also currently serves on the Boards of Directors of NW Natural, the Jensen Quality Growth Fund, where he Chairs its Audit Committee, College Possible Oregon where he is Chair of the Board, and the Children's Institute. He serves as Treasurer on the Advisory Board of Children's Public Private Partnership (CP3). He is also on the Oregon State University College of Business Dean's Council of Excellence, and is a Senior Director on the Oregon Business Council. Prior to 2019, Mr. Thrasher served as a member of the Boards of Directors for GSL Solutions Inc., Friends of the Children, the Portland State University Foundation, the Cradle to Career Council of All Hands Raised, Albertina Kerr Centers, the Oregon Coast Aquarium, Education Northwest, the Children's Institute, and is past Chair of Oregon's Quality Education Commission. Mr. Thrasher earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Oregon State University and was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Portland State University in 2012.

Mr. Thrasher brings to the NW Holdings Board a wide range of leadership experiences in both the public and private sectors, including his services as a Director of NW Natural. Mr. Thrasher’s service as an executive at Fred Meyer, Inc. positions him to provide oversight of management on a wide variety of strategic, financial, and public company matters, including, but not limited to, large project development and acquisitions. Mr. Thrasher’s service as an executive, chairman, member of the Audit and Compensation committees of Compli, and member of Finance and Audit committees of Education Northwest enables him to advise management on matters of compliance, regulation, human capital management, executive compensation and corporate governance. Mr. Thrasher's cumulative experience has led the Board to determine that he is an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the SEC rules. Mr. Thrasher’s other professional experiences, particularly his community and government related experience, provide insight with respect to government, community and media relations, all of which strengthen the Board’s collective knowledge, capabilities and experience.

Ms. Wasson is the Chief Executive Officer of Sand Creek Advisors LLC, which provides business consulting to chief executive officers of public and private companies. Previously, Ms. Wasson was an Executive Vice President of Commercial Banking at U.S. Bank, N.A., and served as President of U.S. Bank’s Oregon and Southwest Washington operations from 2005 to 2015. She also led the U.S. Bank, N.A. Advisory Board in Portland, Oregon. Ms. Wasson is a 33-year veteran of the banking industry. Prior to joining U.S. Bank in 1989, she held various commercial lending positions with the former Oregon Bank and Security Pacific Bank of Oregon. Ms. Wasson currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Columbia Sportswear Company, where she is the Chair of the Audit Committee, and NW Natural. She is also a Director and Past Chair of the Oregon Business Council. Ms. Wasson formerly served on the boards of Oregon Health & Science University Foundation, Inc., OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, Portland Business Alliance, Greater Portland Inc., Portland Mall Management, Inc., SOLVE Founders’ Circle and the American Red Cross-Oregon Trail Chapter and was past Chair of the Oregon Business Plan. She also serves as a Senior Fellow at American Leadership Forum. Ms. Wasson holds a Bachelor of Science and Commerce degree in finance from Santa Clara University.

Ms. Wasson brings to the NW Holdings Board extensive experience in commercial banking, finance and accounting and remarkable local and regional experience. Ms. Wasson’s management and leadership roles in the banking industry as well as her strong community presence position her to provide insight and advice to the NW Natural Holdings and the NW Natural Boards, on which she also serves, on a wide range of financial, accounting, commercial and local and regional strategic matters, including, but not limited to, regulated industry, merger and acquisitions, consumer and commercial businesses, public and government policy and relations, human capital management and diversity, media relations, marketing, change management and compliance. In addition, Ms. Wasson’s service as Chair of the Audit Committee of Columbia Sportswear highlights her substantial experience in finance and accounting matters and positions Ms. Wasson to provide important guidance to the Board on matters of accounting, finance, and corporate governance, as a result of which, the Board has determined that she is an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the SEC rules. Ms. Wasson’s extensive knowledge and experience of finance, accounting, commercial banking and regulation, and her strong community ties, strengthen the Board’s collective knowledge, capabilities and experience.

Since 1990, Mr. Wilhoite has worked for, and since 1995 has been a Managing Director of, Willamette Management Associates, Inc., a consulting firm in the fields of business valuation, forensic analysis, and transaction financial advisory services. Before his tenure at Willamette Management Associates, Inc., he was a Senior Auditor at KPMG. Mr. Wilhoite currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Meyer Memorial Trust and as Chairman and a Board Member of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco - Portland Branch, as well as serving as a Board Member of NW Natural, Legacy Health, The Nature Conservancy of Oregon, Inc., Portland Business Alliance and the Oregon Housing Stability Council. He also serves as an Advisory Board Member of Metal Toad Media and has been appointed by Oregon Governor Kate Brown as a member of a blue-ribbon task force to evaluate state and local debt to the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS). Mr. Wilhoite has previously served as Commissioner and Chair of the Board of Portland Development Commission (PDC) and the City Charter Review Commission. He is also a past Chair of the Portland Business Alliance, Oregon Health & Science University, SMART, Urban League of Portland, and The Nature Conservancy of Oregon, Inc., and past Chair of the Portland Police Bureau Budget Advisory Committee. Mr. Wilhoite also previously served on the Boards of PacificSource Health Plans, U.S. Bank of Oregon, the Oregon State Bar, Jesuit High School Portland, Portland State University Foundation, and Oregon Health & Science University Medical Group, and served as an Economic Advisory Council Member of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Mr. Wilhoite earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and a Bachelor of Science degree in finance, both at Arizona State University. He is a certified public accountant, with accreditations in business valuation and financial forensics. His other accreditations are from various financial governing bodies and include certifications in chartered global management accounting, management accounting, financial management, business valuation and appraisal, and fraud examination.

Mr. Wilhoite brings to the NW Holdings Board extensive experience, as well as financial accreditations, in business valuation, finance and accounting, developed from over 28 years of experience as a Consultant with Willamette Management Associates, his position as a Senior Auditor with KPMG, and service in numerous regional and local economic and business organizations, including the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco-Portland Branch, the Portland Business Alliance, the Oregon Housing Stability Council, the Portland Development Commission, and the Portland Police Bureau Budget Advisory Committee, positioning him to provide insight and advice to the Company on financial, accounting, and strategy topics including, but not limited to, mergers and acquisitions, growth and diversification, risk and consumer and commercial businesses. Mr. Wilhoite also has served as Managing Director of Willamette Management Associates, Inc. for over two decades, thereby giving him entrepreneurial and marketing insight valuable to the Board. His experience in highly regulated industries, including his service as a member of the Boards of Directors of Legacy Health and Oregon Health & Science University, and his former service as a member of the Board of Directors of PacificSource, enables him to provide management oversight on subjects including public and government policy and relations, compliance and regulation. Furthermore, Mr. Wilhoite’s strong community presence positions him to provide important guidance to the Board on local and regional strategic matters, and provide an important connection between NW Holdings and the communities it serves. Mr. Wilhoite's cumulative experience has led the Board to determine he is an "audit committee financial expert" as defined by the SEC rules. Mr. Wilhoite’s extensive knowledge and experience of finance, accounting and regulated industry, along with his strong community ties strengthen the Board’s collective knowledge, capabilities and experience.