Dee Anne Everson to fill the late Bill Thorndike’s position
Ashland.news staff reports
Dee Anne Everson, the CEO and executive director of United Way of Jackson County, has been appointed by Gov. Tina Kotek and confirmed by the Oregon Senate to serve on the university’s Board of Trustees, according to a news release. Everson began her service to the board on Nov. 20.
Everson is a two-time Emmy Award-winner for public service programming and regularly lectures on leadership and the nonprofit sector. She will complete the unexpired term of the late Bill Thorndike, who passed away unexpectedly in February. That term will expire June 30, 2026, and Everson will then begin her own full, four-year term on the board.
“It is an honor to join Southern Oregon University’s Board of Trustees, and especially humbling to be following in the footsteps of Bill Thorndike,” Everson said. “I believe that my experiences will be of value to the board, and I look forward to helping guide the university through an important period in its long and rich history.”
Everson has served as the CEO and executive director of United Way of Jackson County since 1996. Under her leadership, the local United Way has launched programs including Day of Caring, WILL (Women Living Leadership), the Meth Task Force, CAN (Child Abuse Network) and Tomorrow Needs You — a Southern Oregon suicide prevention and mental wellness campaign. She previously spent 13 years in the corporate financial sector before transitioning to nonprofits as an economist and research manager for the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce.
Recognitions since she joined United Way of Jackson County include being named one of Oregon’s 50 great leaders by Oregon Business Magazine, the Social Empowerment Award from the Black Alliance for Social Empowerment (BASE), and the Nonprofit Outstanding Corporate Citizen Award from the Medford/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce.
Everson — who received an Executive Nonprofit Leaders Certificate from Stanford University — is a member of the International Women’s Forum and serves on the boards of the Oregon Community Foundation, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, NewSpirit Village and the United Ways of the Pacific Northwest. She also serves on several committees, including the Jackson County Threat Assessment Committee, Wellness Court Advisory Committee and BEACON Leadership Team. She is a convener for the Governor’s Regional Solutions Committee for Southern Oregon.
“On behalf of my colleagues on the SOU Board of Trustees, I am very happy to welcome Dee Anne to the board and to the SOU community,” said Sheila Clough, the board chair. “Her expertise and public service portfolio speak volumes – her leadership and wealth of experiences will undoubtedly serve the university well.”
The next SOU Board of Trustees meetings will take place on the SOU campus on Jan. 15 and 16.
Information obtained from a SOU news release. Email Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at [email protected].
