OWF Welcomes Three New Board Members
Graig Spolek
Holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. degree from Washington State University, all in mechanical engineering. He retired from Portland State University as Professor of Mechanical Engineering and is currently Emeritus Professor. While at PSU he taught courses in thermodynamics, heat transfer, instrumentation, thermal systems design, and design of experiments. His research areas include heat and mass transfer, energy efficiency in buildings, and industrial energy utilization. He also served as Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering for seventeen years.
Participation in Non-Profit Organizations
Board of Directors, Oregon Metals Initiative - Statewide organization to foster cooperation among metals manufacturers and higher education institutions.
Board of Directors, Chair, Whitewater Creek Conservation Association Organization to fund and support fisheries habitat in western Oregon Cascades.
Member, Building and Grounds Committee, Northeast Community Center Coordinate and manage facility’s energy conservation program.
Member, Four-State Waterfowl Consortium – Represent Oregon waterfowl community with representatives from California, Nevada, and Utah to influence and affect federal waterfowl policies.
Board of Directors, Chair (two terms), Oregon Duck Hunters Association – Develop policy and programs to support waterfowl hunting throughout Oregon. Served as Chair of Project Committee for five years. Coordinated project collaborations for habitat, access, regulation, and new hunting opportunities. Worked closely with ODFW and USFW.
Jason Surratt
I am a foot and ankle surgeon and did my surgical training/residency here in Portland. I am the founder of Northwest Extremity Specialists, a podiatry/ orthopedic specialty group that has grown to 14 physicians, 7 physical therapists, and one US technologist with Pathology and DME services. Our group sold to private equity in 2021, and since then I have found myself with more free time to follow my outside interests as I am peripheral in management currently.
I also function as a real estate professional tax designation with acquisitions and sales of commercial buildings over the last 15 years. I founded a property management company which I sold to my employees in 2015 and now maintain a small portfolio of buildings.
I served for 3 years as APMA national delegate representing Oregon. I also served as PAC chair for state of Oregon for 2 years. I am a past secretary of the OPMA as well.
My leadership skills seem to be most appropriate for building companies/ expanding on a concept and pulling in quality team members for day-to-day oversight. Personal
I was born and raised in Montana. Our family enjoyed the camping, fishing, and occasional hunting opportunities my home state offers during my formative years.
I received an athletic scholarship to run track at Colorado State for undergrad and then earned an academic scholarship for my medical training in San Francisco with an externship in New Mexico followed by my residency here in Portland.
I am married with 2 children, both of which are high school age, and we are a family of trail runners, hikers, and tennis players.
Jeff La Rochelle, M.D.
I am originally from Chicago and moved to Oregon with my family in 2009 after completing my medical training. I came to Portland to join the staff at OHSU as a urologic oncologist, a position I held there until 2014 when I entered private practice at Northwest Urology. I will be joining Legacy Good Samaritan this fall where I will be starting Legacy’s first in-house urology program. I have a long-standing interest in wildlife and outdoor recreation.
One of the reasons I chose to come to Oregon was its large swaths of wilderness and its abundant opportunities for fishing. Before medical training and my subsequent career consumed most of my time, I was an avid fisherman in the Midwest, going after steelhead in the coastal rivers in Michigan where I have extended family.
While I have not had nearly as much time to get on the rivers in the PNW as I would prefer, I have still had the great fortune to go salmon and tuna fishing in Oregon waters on many occasions. I should probably not admit it, but while driving on I 84 back and forth from Hermiston where I do some medical work, I allow myself to scan the slopes and bluffs in the eastern Gorge. Whenever I spot the desert bighorn sheep that inhabit those slopes, I am consumed with gratitude for living in such a remarkable place I look forward to joining the OWF so that I can contribute towards responsible stewardship of the truly amazing place we are so lucky to call home.
I believe that fostering in the community an appreciation and connection with the wildlife here will provide benefits for both Oregon’s wildlife and its people. Voters will be inspired to support conservation programs and feel more deeply connected to the land, something that is extremely necessary in our media-oversaturated world.
