It Takes a Yes from One Person

This episode brings together two remarkable women, both public servants. Sophorn Cheang is the director of Business Oregon, the economic development   agency for the state of Oregon. Toc Soneoulay-Gillespie is the director of the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement for the state. They’ve worked together throughout their careers, and their relationship is one of friendship and mutual respect. They spoke about what it feels like to finally be inside the halls of power, with the opportunity to make a difference. Together they reflected on the promises and struggles of serving in government, got real about how immigration policy has advanced and stalled over time, and wondered how to involve the community in public policy decisions. Many Roads to Here is a production of The Immigrant Story. This episode was produced and edited by Caitlin Dwyer Young, with post production by Gregg Palmer. Our Executive producer is the Sankar Raman. Thank you to St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Beaverton, Oregon for letting us use their space to record. And a huge thank you to Toc and Sophorn for the generosity of their time. This episode is produced as a part of Oregon Rises Against Hate coalition, and made possible by a generous contribution by Anne Naito-Campbell. For more stories, visit The Immigrant Story website, listen live at prp.fm, or stream us wherever you get your podcasts.