91视频

Kenechi Onyeagusi has long had an affinity for numbers and earned her degree in accounting and worked as a CPA before deciding she wanted a career with more social interaction.

鈥淲hen I moved to Portland, I started my career in commercial banking,鈥� she said, adding she worked closely with businesses and honed her financial analysis, business development and risk management skills over more than a decade.

鈥淎s I grew in my career, I started managing relationships and working with both businesses and nonprofits to help them grow.鈥�

The mother of two young children, Onyeagusi found that she wanted more balance between her work life and her home life. She joined PBDG as executive director in January and said the transition has been a good fit for her.

鈥淚鈥檓 an entrepreneur at heart and I wanted to work with businesses of color. I wanted to invest my time in creating generational wealth for and with people who look like me,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he construction industry has really marginalized not just people of color but women of color, so it鈥檚 my goal that we start to listen to women and people of color and that everyone feels heard and valued.鈥�

Onyeagusi said that moving forward she would like to see PBDG strengthen the education, training and advocacy it provides to remove barriers and create opportunities for certified members to network and connect with partners. The organization is also focused on the health and safety of its member firms and their employees.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important that businesses are not just thriving but the owners are thriving as well,鈥� she said. 鈥淎s an industry, we need to start paying attention to the way that our businesses impact our community and our organization will continue to do that.鈥�

Onyeagusi has served on the boards and committees of several other nonprofit organizations, including Birch Community Services, Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon, Business Diversity Institute, Mercy Corps NW, Meals on Wheels, Risk Management Association of Portland and Impact NW. She currently serves on several equity and economic development-focused committees serving COBID-certified firms in the region.