Washington County Chair Candidate Forum
Westside Economic Alliance
10220 S.W. Nimbus Avenue
Suite K-12
Tigard, Oregon 97223
Wednesday, April 29, 2026 | 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Perlo Construction – 11450 SW Amu St, Tualatin, OR 97062
Join Westside Economic Alliance for a lunch forum with the candidates for Chair of the Washington County Board of Commissioners. David Molko, KGW’s Chief anchor, will moderate.
RUN OF SHOW
11:30 am Doors Open, lunch available
12:00 pm Program Begins
1:00 pm Reception and Networking
1:30 pm Close
PARTICIPATING CANDIDATES
County Commissioner Nafisa Fai – District 1
County Commissioner Pam Treece – District 2
MODERATOR
David Molko, Chief Anchor – KGW
Forum Rules:
- No opening statements
- Moderator and WEA staff will determine who goes first by drawing a name ahead of the forum. Following the first Q&A, we will alternate who goes first
- The candidate who goes first will also give their closing statement/final thoughts first.
- Questions will include those from the moderator, from WEA members, and potentially from forum audience members
- Candidates will each be given :90 seconds for their initial answer to a question
- The moderator may ask follow ups or grant additional time to candidates to respond to questions, or to one another. Generally, unless otherwise specified, those responses should be no longer than :30 seconds
- At the moderator’s discretion, questions may be posed to both candidates, while some may be posed to a single candidate
- Candidates are encouraged to prepare one or two questions to ask one other
- Candidates will be given :90 seconds for closing statements or final thoughts, or to address any other issues that haven’t come up during the forum
*WEA does not endorse any candidate campaigns*
Forum Series Sponsor:
Candidate Bios:
Nafisa Fai – Washington County Commissioner – District 1
Nafisa Fai is a Washington County Commissioner and candidate for Washington County Chair, representing Oregon’s second-largest county and one of the fastest-growing regions in the state. She previously served as Vice Chair of the Board of Commissioners.
An experienced public health leader, advocate, and coalition-builder, Commissioner Nafisa Fai has spent her career advancing systems-level solutions that put people first. As Commissioner, she has championed investments in affordable housing and homelessness services, expanded access to behavioral and mental health care, improved transportation safety, and prioritized climate resilience and environmental stewardship. Nafisa also serves on regional and national leadership bodies, including the National Association of Counties Transportation Steering Committee, where she has served as Vice Chair, advocating for safer roads and stronger federal investments in infrastructure.
Born in Somalia, Commissioner Nafisa Fai resettled in Oregon after fleeing civil war and has been a proud resident of Oregon for nearly 30 years. Her lived experience as a refugee, combined with decades of public health leadership, have shaped her approach to governance. Before entering elected office, she directed community health initiatives, led statewide policy efforts, and built cross-sector partnerships to address disparities in housing, health care, and economic mobility.
Commissioner Nafisa Fai envisions a Washington County where families have access to affordable housing, thriving local jobs, safe and reliable transportation, and a healthy environment for generations to come.
Pam Treece – Washington County Commissioner – District 2
A lifelong Oregonian, Pam grew up in the Parkrose neighborhood of Portland and made Washington County her home nearly 30 years ago. Before being elected as Commissioner for District 2 in 2018, Pam had a long and diverse career across the public and private sectors.
Pam began her career as a teacher at Clackamas High School, before moving into health and wellness. She worked at the YMCA, where she helped open the Metro YMCA at Duniway Center, and then created the first pregnancy-fitness program in the Pacific Northwest, in connection with a research project at OHSU. Pam designed the first wellness program, “Wellness Works” at St. Vincent Medical Center, which won the Oregon Governor’s Award for Most Innovative New Health Program.
Pam was then recruited to create training programs to increase worker safety at a local utility company. Pam worked there for over 20 years, retiring as the Vice President of Oregon External Affairs. Throughout her time there, Pam was focused on safe, equitable and reliable electric service, working to keep rates affordable for customers.
Pam transitioned to serving the community, helping launch a nonprofit that brings together government and industry to support businesses and attract investment to the region. She was then selected to lead Westside Economic Alliance, bringing together businesses, nonprofits, unions, and local governments to find common ground and shared solutions to boost the local economies in Washington County. She served for 9 years as their Executive Director.
Since winning election in 2018, Pam has found that even with decades of experience in the private sector, public service is her true calling. Just a year after taking office, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Pam took decisive action, working with her colleagues, county staff, and community partners, to limit the spread of the virus, launch vaccine access points, and support local businesses experiencing hardship.
As a Commissioner, Pam also championed passage of a historic equity resolution, supported efforts to successfully increase access to shelter beds and affordable housing, and worked closely with partners to support our libraries, public safety agencies, and local businesses.
Pam is a graduate of Portland State University with a Masters of Teaching from Lewis & Clark College. A recreation enthusiast, Pam loves enjoying Washington County’s natural spaces and spending time with her two children, four grandchildren, and her golden retriever, Ben.
Moderator Bio:
Moderator: David Molko – KGW
David Molko is a five-time Emmy and multiple Regional Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist and television news anchor and correspondent, with 20 years of experience on international, national, and local platforms. Molko has reported from 15+ countries, and has trained journalists around the world.
He currently anchors KGW News at 5, 6 and 11PM at the Portland, Oregon NBC affiliate, along with KGW’s special coverage, including election nights & political debates.
Molko is also the leading voice of KGW’s ongoing Talk About It series, which seeks to normalize conversations around mental health, and co-founded the KGW Mentoring Program, a station first that’s now been expanded to regional stations.
He joined KGW in 2022 after living and working outside the U.S. for nearly a decade, most recently as Senior Reporter for CTV News in Vancouver, Canada.
Molko earned Regional Edward R. Murrow awards for his coverage of the catastrophic 2021 B.C. floods, and his investigation into the operator of an unlicensed daycare, sparking changes to regulations that impacted millions. His reporting also led coverage of stories with a global impact, including the epic extradition hearings of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.
Prior to 2016, Molko was based at CNN’s Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong, where he reported on some of the biggest breaking news stories in the region. Those include the disappearance of MH370, the crash of Air Asia 8501, the death of Singapore’s Lee Kwan Yew, and the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests. He also trained journalists on the ground in Indonesia, Thailand and Mongolia.
Molko also produced more than a dozen news and feature specials on location, including CNN Business Traveller in China and the Philippines, editions of On the Road in India, Singapore and Japan, and A Nuclear Iran: The Expert Intel, hosted by Christiane Amanpour.
His move to Asia followed five years as a Senior Producer at CNN Intl. headquarters in Atlanta.
Originally from Southern California, Molko graduated from Columbia University in New York with a degree in Economics and Political Science. An avid equestrian, skier, and stand-up paddleboarder, he holds U.S. and Canadian Citizenship, speaks French, and has studied Arabic & Japanese.
Venue Host
Perlo Construction
Forum Series Sponsor
Legacy Health
Media Sponsor
KGW
