After 24 years of dedicated service, Phoebe O’Leary is retiring from Meyer Memorial Trust. She leaves a profound legacy marked by steady, thoughtful leadership that has significantly contributed to our foundation’s evolution from a general purpose funder to the mission-driven, justice-focused organization of today.
Known simply as “Phoebe” to the legions of past and present staff and board members who have worked alongside her, O’Leary’s contributions to Meyer are stunning in their breadth and depth, spanning the whole of Meyer’s administrative and grantmaking operations.
O’Leary joined the staff as an administrative assistant three days after the Sept 11 attacks in 2001. Then-CEO Doug Stamm said that it didn’t take long to recognize that the quiet and soft-spoken woman he met at the reception desk had the potential to contribute much more to Meyer than answering the phone. As O’Leary remembers it, “Doug just kept giving me little projects to do…and then the projects just got bigger.”
From the Front Desk to Leadership Ranks
She managed a summer internship program, then shifted to a role in grant operations, eventually managing the department. She worked with Stamm to develop Meyer’s first matching gifts program in 2002. The popular employee benefit amplifies personal donations by matching and multiplying gifts of time and dollars. Since 2012, when tracking those donations was formalized, the program has supported more than 2,500 gifts totalling nearly $3.8 million.
As she grew at Meyer, so did her personal and professional reputation. “She's just this quiet, unassuming force for good in everything she does,” said Stamm.
Soon she began leading increasingly complex administrative, collaborative and technical projects like the development of Meyer’s first grants management software platform, GrantIS. She also led the operational transition of Meyer’s decade-long Willamette River Initiative to what became the Indigenous-led environmental network, Nesika Wilamut, now the Wilamut Legacy Fund.
When Meyer needed an internal point person for the construction of Meyer’s headquarters, it fell to O’Leary to ensure that the project successfully incorporated Meyer’s equity-driven approach alongside a technically challenging construction process that was completed in the COVID-19 pandemic. O’Leary considers the headquarters, a LEED v4 Platinum certified building, her proudest accomplishment, especially when seeing its shared spaces utilized by grantee partners.
‘Always for Meyer’
Mitch Hornecker, a longtime Meyer board member who partnered closely with O’Leary during the headquarters project, calls her “the Rock of Gibraltar” — the steady, reassuring force in the room who could be counted on to keep even the most complex, stressful projects moving forward.
“Phoebe knows Meyer better than anybody,” Hornecker said, recalling how her informal roles as chief historian and parliamentarian have helped to provide wise counsel to the board. He said O’Leary’s meticulousness and quiet confidence ensured that the headquarters, now a light-filled embodiment of Meyer’s mission, was completed with care and inclusivity — from supporting minority- and women-owned contractors to conducting neighborhood outreach to address concerns about parking or other issues.
Meyer trustee Janet Hamada reflected on O’Leary’s diplomatic skill through multiple staff and strategic transitions. “She’s really a unicorn, one of a kind. Meyer has been infinitely lucky to have her. The stabilizing hand. The peacemaking hand. And always, always for Meyer, never for herself.”
Former CEO Michelle J. DePass highlighted O’Leary’s contributions to the broader philanthropic sector. “She elevated the professionalism and practice of grantmaking procedures and operations,” noting her former leadership roles at PEAK Grantmaking and Grantmakers of Oregon and Southwest Washington.
When DePass left Meyer in 2022, she said there was no better person to serve as interim CEO. “Phoebe’s style of leadership was so incredibly respected.” she said.
O’Leary leaves Meyer as the Vice President of Operations.
Mentor, Colleague, Friend
O’Leary’s generosity and kindness have made her a trusted and beloved colleague across all levels of the organization. Director of Facilities and Office Operations, Iliana Tovar shared that “Phoebe always believed in me, even in times where I doubted myself. I attribute much of my growth at Meyer to her patience and willingness to teach me things beyond my job scope.”
Chanta Chhay, Meyer’s former Senior Grants Manager who now oversees grantmaking and sponsorships at 1803 Fund echoed that sentiment. “I was one of many who benefited from Phoebe’s knowledge of grant operations, but it was her advice on parenting and just life in general that was so meaningful…and which I still value and carry with me,” she said.
The End of an Era
Meyer CEO Toya Fick says, “It's hard to imagine Meyer without Phoebe. She has been the backbone of this organization for many years, helping to shepherd a substantial portion of the more than $1 billion that Meyer has granted in its lifetime. I will miss her daily dose of thoughtfulness and care — and especially her presence right next door. (A reference to Fick and O'Leary's adjacent offices.) I'm a better leader thanks to her generosity and wisdom.”
As she looks toward retirement, O’Leary offers a parting lesson that speaks to her philosophy of work and life: “Try to stay open and curious. Things are going to change — always. If you can accept that and keep showing up with kindness and a willingness to learn, you’ll be okay. And laugh! Laugh as much as you can.”
— Helen