PORTLAND, Oregon, August 3, 2009 - The Software Association of Oregon (SAO) today announced that it has elected Ryan Buchanan as chairman and David Childers as vice chair to its board of directors. These two appointments follow the recent selection of Matthew Nees as SAO’s new president and spotlight the organization’s growing emergence as a leading advocate for Oregon’s diverse technology community.

 

SAO’s board of directors consist of more than 30 organization members representing some of the most innovative and dynamic technology companies in the country. As chairman and vice chair to the board, Buchanan and Childers will draw on the experience and skills offered by board members to maximize SAO’s ability to build opportunities and economic growth for Oregon’s technology companies.

 

Ryan Buchanan has been an SAO board member since 2007 and is president and CEO of web and email marketing company eROI. Buchanan has served as president of the board of the Portland Advertising Federation and as a board member of the Friends of the Children, Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Starve Ups and Greenlight Greater Portland. He was named Portland Business Journal’s “40 Under 40,” and received honors as one of the “50 Great Leaders For Oregon” by Oregon Business Magazine.

 

Childers joined the SAO board in 2009 and is president and CEO of EthicsPoint Inc., innovators in governance, risk and compliance management software and services. He is a member of the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics, the Ethics & Compliance Officer Association and the National Association of Corporate Directors. He is a charter member and serves on the leadership council of the national Open Compliance and Ethics Group. In 2008 he was named one of the “100 most Influential People In Finance” by Treasury & Risk Magazine.

 

Buchanan’s replacement of Michael Phillips as board chair is part of a leadership transition within SAO that began in 2008. Philips, a partner at the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, played an instrumental role in facilitating the recent restructuring of SAO as the organization moved to meet the new challenges being faced by Oregon’s technology companies.

 

“Michael did an amazing job as a leader, facilitator and referee, at a time when SAO was reevaluating its mission and vision for the future,” said Buchanan. “As board chair, he skillfully steered the organization through an evolution that is already showing results.”

 

“Thanks to the hard work of many, SAO is now poised for enormous success,” said Phillips. “Recent activities show that we are heading in the right direction and it is now time for dynamic leaders within the software community, such as Ryan, to take us into the future.”