Oregon Legislature confirms six new members for the Oregon State Board of Trustees

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon Legislature on Friday confirmed the appointment of six new members of the Oregon State University Board of Trustees.

The new trustees, who begin their service July 1, are:

• Stephanie Bulger, president, Lane Community College, Eugene.
• Karla Chambers, vice president and co-owner of Stahlbush Farms, and a professional artist, Corvallis.
• Grant Kitamura, owner, managing partner and CEO/CFO, Baker & Murakami Produce Co. in Ontario; Fruitland, Idaho resident.
• Gregory H. Macpherson, retired attorney and former state representative, Albany.
• Elise McClure, former vice president of tax and customs, Starbucks Coffee Company, Portland.
• Kasaundra Bonanno, undergraduate student in public health and public policy, Oregon State, Corvallis.

“I welcome these new members to Oregon State University’s Board of Trustees and am very pleased to be able to work with them in the future,” said OSU President Jayathi Murthy. “OSU trustees provide stewardship of Oregon State’s mission in serving as Oregon’s statewide university. The diversity, experiences, skills and life contributions of these new board members will enrich an already strong board of trustees.”

As at large trustees, Bulger, Chambers, Kitamura, Macpherson and McClure will serve through June 30, 2027. As the student trustee, Bonanno will serve until June 30, 2025.

Prior to Friday’s Senate confirmation, Gov. Tina Kotek selected Oregon State’s newest at-large trustees from a pool of candidates put forward by the OSU Board of Trustees, following consultation with Murthy. Two students were also nominated by Associated Students of OSU.

Murthy made the recommendations to the board seeking to meet qualifications and criteria that the trustees had previously said were important for board appointment consideration. Those candidate criteria included experience within Oregon agriculture; ties and residence within rural and Eastern Oregon; experience in financial management or oversight; experience in innovation or technology industries; legislative experience; experience in higher education, including community college leadership.

Murthy and trustees also considered consideration of gender, race and ethnicity, age, geographic location of residence and other expressions of diversity.

The new trustees replace outgoing trustees Rani Borkar, Darry Callahan, Lamar Hurd, Preston Pulliams and Michele Longo Eder, who passed away this spring, and Jax Richards, a student trustee who graduated this month.

Trustees are volunteers with a commitment to public higher education. As public officials who hold a fiduciary responsibility for Oregon State’s overall management, oversight and operational and financial sustainability, trustees are guided by the board’s core values of accountability, diversity, integrity, respect and social responsibility.