After a formal vote last week to adopt the proposed search process, today the Board of Trustees began its search for UO’s next president with the announcement of the final membership of the search committee. The group will meet on Oct. 1 to discuss initial activities such as selection of a search firm and elements of the position profile. 

The 14-member committee includes representatives from the board, the faculty, academic leadership positions, another Oregon public university and the public at large.

The search committee will be assisted in the search by an advisory committee that represents the breadth of UO stakeholders both on campus and in the greater community. It will assist the search committee in its efforts to solicit input on key characteristics of an ideal candidate and ensures that diverse voices of UO stakeholders are represented in the process.

“These committees were established to ensure that several of UO’s important constituent groups have a voice in finding our new president,” said UO Trustee Connie Ballmer, who will chair the search committee. “We will announce the members of the advisory committee next week as we may make adjustments to the composition of the advisory group to increase faculty representation.”

There is no set deadline by which the Board of Trustees must vote on the final candidate, but the search will continue until a candidate who is well suited to lead the university is found.

Members of the search committee are:

• Connie Ballmer (Chair) of Bellevue, Washington, grew up in Oregon City and received her bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oregon in 1984. She now serves as member of the UO Board of Trustees and is a community volunteer and advocate for the well-being of children.

• Barbara Altmann, Ph.D., is the UO’s senior vice provost for academic affairs and is a professor of French in the Department of Romance Languages. She is past chair of that department and is a member of the Executive Council of the Modern Language Association.

• Peter Bragdon, J.D., is senior vice president of legal and corporate affairs, general counsel and secretary of Columbia Sportswear Company, which sells outdoor apparel, footwear and equipment in more than 100 countries. He is also a member of the UO Board of Trustees.

• Rodolfo (Rudy) Chapa, J.D., graduated from the University of Oregon in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He joined Nike Inc., in 1992, and ultimately served as the global vice president for sports marketing and then as vice president of Nike.com. He left in 2001 to found his own investment firm, Quixote Investment. Chapa currently serves on the UO Board of Trustees.

• Bill Cresko, Ph.D., is a professor and researcher who specializes in quantitative genetics, genomics and computational biology. The Cresko Lab at the UO studies the developmental genetic and genomic basis of trait variation in natural populations and laboratory model organisms. He is the director of the UO’s Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and co-director of the Graduate Internship Program and Genomics and Bioinformatics.

• Joseph (Joe) Gonyea III is a partner and chief executive officer of Springfield's Timber Products Company, which produces hardwood plywood and deals in transportation, international sales and timberland management. He is also a co-owner and director of SierraPine Ltd., a manufacturer of composite panel product, and managing partner of Michigan-California Timber Company. He currently serves on the UO Board of Trustees.

• Robin Holmes, Ph.D., is the University of Oregon’s vice president for student life, where she leads the UO’s efforts in support of students’ academic success and oversees the Career Center, the Counseling and Testing Center, the dean of students office, the Erb Memorial Union, the University Health Center, the Holden Center for Leadership and Community Engagement, University Housing and the Department of Physical Education and Recreation.

• Mariann Hyland, J.D., has more than 16 years of experience in institution-wide management, strategic planning and policy direction at educational and regulatory institutions, including Oregon Health & Science University. She is currently the director of diversity and inclusion for the Oregon State Bar and also serves as a member of the UO President’s Diversity Advisory Community Council.

• Leslie Leve, Ph.D., is a professor in the College of Education’s Department of Counseling Psychology and Human Services. Her research and teaching interests are focused on the translation of basic research to inform preventive interventions. She leads research grants that focus on outcomes for at-risk youth and families, including preventive intervention studies with youth in foster care and with adolescents in the juvenile justice system.

• Chris Maples, Ph.D., is president of the Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Maples received his B.S. degree in geology from West George College (now State University of West Georgia) and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Indiana University in geology (paleontology) with a minor in biology.

• Jamie Moffitt, J.D., is the university's vice president for finance and administration and its chief financial officer. As vice president, Moffitt works with the broad university community to strengthen and further align central administrative and financial functions with the university's core mission of teaching, research and service.

• Michael Moffitt, J.D., has been dean of the UO’s School of Law since 2011 and a member of the faculty since 2001. Before coming to Oregon, he served as the clinical supervisor for the mediation program at Harvard Law School and taught negotiation at Harvard and Ohio State University.

• Dr. Joseph (Joe) Robertson, M.D., MBA, is the president of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon. Prior to his appointment as president, Robertson was the dean of the OHSU School of Medicine and the university’s vice president for medical affairs.

• Paul Weinhold is president and CEO of the University of Oregon Foundation. He previously served as managing director for Wells Fargo Insurance Services. Before that, he served in various capacities at Willis of Oregon Inc., starting in 1986 and culminating in his appointment as president and CEO in 2000.

A website has been established dedicated to the search at trustees.uoregon.edu/presidentialsearch.

—By Tobin Klinger, Public Affairs Communications