Please join us in congratulating the 2022 Tigard Shining Star Award Recipients and thanking them for their service to our Tigard community. Awards were formally presented at Tigard’s 2022 Shining Stars Community Awards Gala Presented by Edge One Media, which can be viewed on the Tigard Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
For further details about Shining Stars, please contact the Tigard Chamber of Commerce at 503-639-1656 or Jessica@tigardchamber.org or go to our website at www.Tigardchamber.org.
Bill Gerkin has been named the 2022 “From the Heart” Volunteer of the Year, named in honor of Jim Hartman. Bill has been volunteering for the Tigard Senior Center, Meals on Wheels People for just over 30 years. He started in December 1991 after retiring. Each week, Bill takes over an hour of his time to deliver food to 8 to 12 community members. He has also been the Liaison between the Tigard Senior Center Meals and the board and was later a member of the board when the organization was called “Loaves and Fishes.”
Besides volunteering for Meals on Wheels People, Bill has also volunteered for Just Compassion, Bethlehem House of Bread, United Way, American Red Cross, and the Washington County Sheriff’s office. He has also been a member of the King City Lions Club since 1997.
Margaret Doherty has been selected as the 2022 Tigard’s First Citizen, named after former Mayor John E. Cook. Margaret has been impacting the Tigard community for more than 20 years! For two years, she has been a board member for the Tigard High School Tigard Turns the Tide. This past year Margaret also assisted the Tigard Tualatin School District with their strategic planning and has been a mentor to Tigard High School students through the career center. You may have also seen her assisting at the Foundation for Tigard Tualatin School District Annual Art in the Burbs event.
Margaret has also been a long-time volunteer for the City of Tigard. She was on the Tigard Planning Commission for eight years. She has also been volunteering at the Tigard Public Library for over 20 years!
Over the last six years, Margaret has been a volunteer and board member for Just Compassion. She has also been on the Tigard Arts Council for two years and the Tigard Historical Association board member for a year. As you can see, Margaret is a standout in the Tigard community.
Tanya Christensen, MBA, Real Estate Broker with Coldwell Banker Bain, has been named the 2022 Tigard Chamber Ambassador of the Year. The Ambassador of the Year Award is presented to an Ambassador volunteer who significantly affects a positive perception of the Chamber through active participation, an optimistic attitude and solid business practices.
Tanya has been a member of the Ambassador team for just over two years and is acting secretary for the group. She is an amazing team member that brings great energy and focus to the group. Tanya continues to help keep the group organized and on top of upcoming projects. She is always one of the first to step up and assist with registration at events and help with organizing Holiday Happy Hour donations. Outside of the Ambassador team, Tanya has helped staff coordinate the yearly silent auction, is a graduate of Leadership Tigard and is a current sitting board member.
Dr. Whitney Green Bautista, Owner of Whitney Green Acupuncture, has been named the 2022 Tigard Chamber of Commerce Young Professional of the Year. She is a licensed acupuncturist and is nationally board certified by the NCCAOM as a Diplomate of Oriental Medicine to practice acupuncture and Chinese herbs. She earned her master’s degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. She also received her Doctorate in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in 2020. Dr. Whitney was named Top Docs by Portland Monthly in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Dr. Whitney is also a Rotarian with the Tigard Noon Club. As one of the younger members of Rotary, she entered the club with enthusiasm to make a difference in her community, and various projects Rotary participates in around the globe. She rotated into a series of officer positions, eventually becoming President in the 2019/2020 year.
Tom Markgraf, Director of Government Relations with TriMet, has been named the 2022 Bert Tousey Tigard Chamber Volunteer of the Year. Tom volunteered to become the Chair of the Tigard Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs & Public Policy (GAPP) Committee in 2018. Tom shared his decades of experience navigating and understanding the political process in a variety of career roles for the benefit of the Tigard Chamber of Commerce on behalf of our business community.
Under Tom’s leadership as chair, we saw our GAPP committee grow from 3 to 4 committee members to 10 committee members giving us a great mix of seasoned business professionals as well as members with depth of policy and advocacy experience and understanding of the political process. We also strengthened our relationship approach, and outreach to our elected officials at both the county, Metro and state levels and expanded our voice.
As GAPP Chair, Tom also became a member of the Tigard Chamber Candidate Endorsement Committee, again lending his insights and experience into the process, questionnaire development and evaluation of Candidates against the chambers Business Advocacy Agenda.
Broadway Rose Theatre, Founded by Sharon Maroney and Dan Murphy, has been selected as the 2022 Tigard Chamber Business of the Year. They have been a Tigard Chamber of Commerce member for 24+ years.
Starting with the Founders, Sharon and Dan have been heavily involved in the community. Sharon has served on boards for PHAME, The Westside Cultural Alliance and the National Alliance of Musical Theatres. Dan has been involved in the community by serving on the Tigard Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors for over eight years, a Rotarian at the Tigard Noon Club since 2002, and a knighted Royal Rosarian in 2015. He currently sits on the boards of the Washington County Visitors Association, Tigard Downtown Alliance, the Portland Area Theatre Alliance, and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre. Dan is also active with the Tigard Tualatin School District and has directed Tualatin High School’s annual musical for 18 years.
The Broadway Rose Theatre has long served as a cultural hub for the community. They have opened their doors to over 25 local nonprofits and organizations to use their space for meetings and events. For the Tigard Chamber of Commerce, the Broadway Rose team has offered the space for Good Morning Tigard, Leadership Tigard, Holiday Happy and so many other chamber events.