By Karen Vineyard, OBI board chair and market executive, global commercial banking at Bank of America
This year marks the 20th anniversary of one of OBI’s most time-honored and favorite traditions: The Statesman Dinner. Each fall, for two decades, hundreds of Oregonians have gathered to celebrate a thriving business community and acknowledge pioneers in business, government and community leadership. This is OBI’s flagship event, during which we bestow our highest honor to individuals who have gone above and beyond for the betterment of our state.
The anniversary of this cherished tradition has given our organization the opportunity to reflect on the success of the past, but also to consider what it should look like in the future. The past year has brought crisis after crisis for our state, and with that, we have seen real heroes step up time and again to see us through. A common trait among those heroes has been a vision – a vision for a more equitable, more prosperous, healthier Oregon.
We know that the challenges of the past year – the pandemic, wildfires, civil unrest, a reckoning with historic inequities – will be around for years, if not decades, to come. The problems we face are only getting more complex and intertwined, which means the solutions must be more comprehensive and creative. In other words, we need more Oregonians with a vision.
That is why the OBI Board of Directors has chosen to rename this classic event to the Vision Oregon Dinner, where we will honor deserving, forward-thinking Oregonians with the Oregon Visionary Award.
The award will be given to individuals who – through steadfast service to their communities – illuminate our collective path to shared prosperity, built upon a thriving state economy with opportunity for all Oregonians. With an uncompromising vision for a fair and prosperous state, Oregon Visionaries are willing to set aside individual interests and traditional political allegiances to bring Oregonians from all walks of life together around a common set of values, as well as practical and equitable solutions to the most difficult challenges of our time.
We’ll be announcing our first-ever Oregon Visionary Award recipients later this summer. Mark your calendar for Oct. 27 at the Portland Art Museum. This will be a great event.
It’s never too early to save your seat, so register now by clicking here.