This week, Meyer welcomed two new trustees, Toya Fick and the Hon. Darleen Ortega, something that has only happened six times since the doors of the Meyer Memorial Trust opened 33 years ago.
We are excited to announce that Toya and Darleen will join George Puentes, Charles Wilhoite, Debbie Craig and John Emrick on Meyer's Board of Trustees.
Their appointments fill the vacancy created after the death in August of longtime trustee, Orcilia Zúñiga Forbes, and an additional vacancy created by an amendment to the Trust's bylaws that allows for more than five members.
Both new trustees bring passions for education, equity and civic life.
Toya, born and raised in central Louisiana, is the executive director for Stand for Children, Oregon. She was the first in her family to attend college, graduating from the University of Chicago with a degree in political science before launching a career as a teacher, first in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with Teach For America, and later at a charter school in Washington, D.C. She also served as a policy advisor to former Senator Hillary Clinton, authoring three education bills, and then worked on education policy with the Alliance for Excellent Education.
When Toya first arrived in Portland in 2010, she served as associate director of Oregon Health & Science University's local and federal relations. In June 2014, she was tapped to lead Stand Oregon. She juggles work with family: Toya lives in Northeast Portland with her husband and two young children while remaining deeply involved in civic life. She has served on the boards of City Club of Portland, Oregon Food Bank and the Mt. Hood Cable Regulatory Commission.
Darleen was born in Southern California and raised in Banks, Oregon, a rural community 20 miles west of Portland. Class valedictorian at Banks High School, she earned a B.A. degree with summa cum laude honors from George Fox University and juris doctorate with magna cum laude honors from the University of Michigan Law School. In 2003, Darleen was elected as the first woman of color to serve on the Oregon Court of Appeals, where she is now one of the most senior members, having authored more than 415 opinions.
Darleen also serves on the board of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where she chairs the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She co-founded OneGeorgeFox, an alumni organization that advocates for LGBTQ students at her alma mater. She has served on the board of Northwest Health Foundation, where she chaired the Equity Committee. And in 2013, Darleen was awarded the Oregon Women Leaders Award from Portland State University.
In his will defining the Trust, Fred Meyer created wide parameters to guide his trustees: "Realizing as I do the uncertainties of the future, I want my trustees to be able to exercise broad discretion in shaping and carrying out charitable programs which can be tailored to fit changing conditions and problems."
Please join us in welcoming Toya and Darleen to the Meyer Memorial Trust team!