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Sophorn Cheang slated to serve as new director of Business Oregon

After a long search, Oregon Governor Kate Brown has selected Sophorn Cheang to lead the primary economic development agency for the state of Oregon, Business Oregon.

“Sophorn brings to this role a strong background in financial, executive, and organizational management, as well as extensive experience in promoting equity and social and racial justice,” said Governor Brown. “Her combination of experience will serve the agency well as we look to recover Oregon’s economy from COVID-19 and make our state a more inclusive place for all people and businesses. I look forward to her leadership, especially as the agency works on its strategic priorities, which includes advancing economic opportunity for Black, Indigenous, Latino/a/x, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and underserved communities.”

Business Oregon supports a wide variety of business objectives for the state, from research and development to encouraging the incubation and growth of startups to attracting and retaining the largest corporations. One of its most recent efforts is the “Futures Commission,” which is working to establish a 10 year innovation strategy for Oregon.

For more on the appointment, see the press release from the Oregon Governor’s Office.