Rogue Credit Union president, non-faculty staff member and graduate student join 14-member panel
Ashland.news staff report
Upcoming SOU Board of Trustees meetings:
Thursday, Oct. 16
Academic and Student Affairs Committee – noon to 3 p.m.
Finance and Administration Committee – 5 to 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 17
Board meeting, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and noon to 5 p.m.
The board meets on the third floor of the Hannon Library. Meetings are open to the public.
For more details, click here.
Southern Oregon University will have three new trustees at the table at their upcoming Oct. 16 and 17 board meetings, following new appointments by Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek this week.
Kotek appointed Matthew Stephenson, president and CEO of Rogue Credit Union, as one of 11 at-large members on the board, with his term ending in June 2027.
Ashley King, a non-faculty staff member of the board, was also appointed to serve an unexpired two-year term that ends in June 2026, followed by a full two-year term that ends in June 2028.
Rose Harwood, the board’s graduate program representative, will serve a partial two-year term that expires in June 2027. All are full voting members of the board, according to a news release.
“I am very pleased to welcome this group of devoted public servants to our organization,” SOU Board Chair Sheila Clough said in a written statement. “These new board members have common ground in their love for the university and their appreciation of the value that SOU brings to our region and the state. Their individual strengths and experiences will enrich our board and the university.”
Stephenson has served as CEO and president of Rogue Credit Union since 2022. He has served in a variety of community service roles in the Rogue Valley, including as a member of the Central Point City Council, the Jackson County Budget Committee, the Chamber of Medford/Jackson County Board of Directors, the Medford School District’s Facilities Optimization Committee, Rogue Community College Budget Committee and the board of Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development Incorporated (SOREDI).
He earned a bachelor’s degree in information systems management and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He graduated with highest honors from Western CUNA Management School and received the prestigious Charlie Clark Memorial Award. He also holds the Certified Chief Executive designation from the Credit Union Executives Society CEO Institute.
King serves as the compliance coordinator for SOU. She develops and implements policies and procedures to ensure university compliance with various state and federal laws.
With expertise in public procurement, contract administration and policy development, she also supports university compliance for contracting and risk management. King has worked for SOU for more than 10 years, with previous roles including service center manager and senior purchasing and contracting specialist. King served as the inaugural chair-elect of the SOU Staff Assembly, which represents the interests of the university’s non-faculty employees, and has also been a member of the SOU Budget Committee, SOU Planning Committee and SOU Policy Council.
Her professional honors include the 2023 SOU Outstanding Staff Award and the 2021 SOU Service Excellence Award. King earned her bachelor’s degree in communication at SOU, graduating summa cum laude, and had dual minors in psychology and women’s studies. She was named the top graduating senior in human communication at SOU and the top graduating senior in women’s studies, awarded by the SOU chapter of the American Association of University Women.
Rose Harwood is currently completing a master of business administration degree with a focus on arts management at SOU, and earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in acting from the University of Southern California. Harwood, who prefers she/they pronouns, is a freelance writer and actor who has appeared on television and in films, and has been heard on national commercials.
Harwood currently serves on the Portland local board of SAG-AFTRA, the union they have belonged to since 2010. Harwood has produced, managed financials and run logistics for several independent films, and is the founding executive director of Unseen Films Oregon — a nonprofit that provides opportunities and mentorship for diverse populations working in the various aspects of media production. Harwood also works as a freelance grant writer and project manager for the Friends of the Oregon Caves and Chateau, and coaches at CrossFit Iron Haven in Ashland.
Trustees Julissa Taitano and Garima Sharma both served out the remainder of their terms in June.
Taitano’s position was filled while Sharma’s seat has yet to be filled, according to SOU board officials.
Reach Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at [email protected].
