Who We Are

Daniel McCreath joined the Komak board in 2015. Born in Illinois, Daniel later graduated from the University of Michigan. His career in volunteer work was enhanced after receiving his Master of Divinity from McCormick Seminary in Chicago. He worked with non-profit and church-related community organizations, in various cities around the country.

Later, Dan joined Merrill Lynch in Plano, Texas, moving to the Portland Merrill Lynch office in 1991. His entire family are now committed Oregonians. Dan was married to Mary, and they had two children, both of whom live in Oregon. Their daughter Robyn and her husband Justin have three children. Their son Chris, who is Dan’s partner at Merrill Lynch, is married to Christy and they have a daughter.

In late 2012, Dan’s wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. Following a barrage of treatments, her doctors were hopeful they had gotten all of the disease, but a later recurrence led to ongoing treatments. While her prognosis was quite hopeful, the treatments eventually stopped working and we lost Mary in May of 2018.

During her treatment, Mary became committed to the work that Komak does, helping to reduce financial trauma for so many patients. Dan and his family are committed to continuing their support of Komak in her memory.

Rosemary McDermott is a nurse with over 40 years of experience in the field of oncology. After working for Legacy Good Samaritan Oncology in both the inpatient unit and outpatient clinic, Rosemary transitioned to a position as Nurse Coordinator at Cancer Care Resources. Rosemary retired in 2016 from Compass Oncology where she worked as a patient education and community outreach coordinator.

Having seen the firsthand effects that cancer and cancer treatment have on her clients, Rosemary appreciates the role Komak plays in assisting patients. She was excited to join the Komak Board for the opportunity it gives her to make an impact in the community.

For over 30 years Donald Toomim has been in practice as a health practitioner, working in multiple modalities relating to supporting people in natural healing from everything to Massage, Essential Oil Therapy, Reflexology, Applied Kinesiology, Shiatsu, Craniosacral Therapy and Visceral Manipulation. Outside of business hours, Donald enjoys walking his dog, Hanna. You will also find him touring on his tandem bike with his wife, Roberta.

Donald was first introduced to Komak's mission through an invitation to the annual Persian Dinner fundraising event and eventually joined the board. A year later Donald was diagnosed with cancer and underwent treatment. Currently in remission, Donald brings a new perspective to his volunteer work. He says, “I thought from being in the health field for so long that I understood cancer, and now realize I had no real idea of the emotional stress and transformation cancer can bring to a person’s life. From my personal experience, I am now even more grateful to be part of such a great organization providing a needed bridge for people’s healing through our mission and financial support.”

Charity joined Komak in the summer 2022 after learning about Komak's mission.
After caring for her father throughout his battle with cancer in 2013, she experienced firsthand the financial struggle of caring for someone with cancer and trying to balance work, so when she learned of Komak's mission she was all in.
Charity is originally from Texas and moved to Oregon 4 years ago with her husband Nate, and their dog April. She is passionate about serving others and is a small business owner in the technology sector.

Diane is an international professional with over 35 years of business experience across North America and Asia Pacific. She is the founder of Executive Search Solutions International (ESSI), a premier executive search firm providing exclusive placement services for global fortune 500 companies.

Prior to ESSI. Diane was the Senior Vice President of a top US Executive Search firm, with responsibility for the development and building the firm's retail practice in Asia. Prior to that, she was the Asia Pacific Director of Administration, based in Tokyo Japan, for a global management consulting firm, responsible for the firm's Asia Pacific back-office operations including finance, human resources and general management. Earlier in her career, she was with a private label company where she was based in New York City engaged in accounting and finance functions.

Born and raised in Taiwan, Diane has an undergraduate degree from Chinese Culture University in Taiwan, and a Master’s Degree from University of San Francisco in the United States. She is trilingual in Chinese, English, and Japanese. On a personal level, Diane is a seasoned artist in Japanese traditional floral art, Ikebana. She currently serves on the board at the Portland Chapter of Ikebana International (I.I), the largest Japanese Ikebana organization worldwide. Diane joined Komak in 2021 and is actively involved in community services.

Lesley Valentine has been in the field of alternative health care for over 30 years. For the last 20 years she has been an acupuncturist, practicing Japanese Style Acupuncture in Portland, Oregon.

For as long as she can remember, Lesley has been vitally curious about healing, health and wellness. Her little sister was born with cerebral palsy, growing up meant learning to be with someone who is learning to be in the world in the best possible ways. She will tell you that her path in life has a lot to do with her sister, and the years her family and community worked together, giving her caring support and love, and using many alternative therapies.

More than anything else, her family has shaped her view of the role we all play in being the community for those who are healing. We don’t do this alone. Lesley is honored to be a part of the Komak story of a caring community in action.

Raymond Barrett Strasberg is a retired podiatrist relocated to the Portland Metro area from Dallas, Texas. Barrett’s former clinic treated patients with a variety of foot ailments including those suffering from issues as a result of cancer treatment. Working closely with these patients gave Barrett first hand exposure to the various financial strains cancer treatment places on individuals.

In addition to his medical experiences, Barrett also brings a great deal of knowledge in business and financial operations gleaned from his tenure managing his medical practice. Barrett’s family has been touched very directly by cancer over the years as both immediate and extended family members fought various forms of the disease. Barrett feels working with Komak is a worthwhile way to serve his community.