EUGENE, Ore. -- (June 8, 2009)-Three public leaders with ties to the University of Oregon will be honored with awards at a ceremony and reception sponsored by the School of Architecture and Allied Art's department of planning, public policy and management and the PPPM Advisory Council on Thursday, June 11.
Honorees are Hardy Myers, former Oregon Attorney General, Rachel Bristol, CEO of Oregon Food Bank, and Karmen Fore, a district director for Congressman Peter DeFazio. The seventh annual awards will be presented at the 2009 PPPM/CSPA Alumni ceremony from 2-3 p.m. with reception following until 5 p.m. in Gerlinger Alumni Lounge, 1468 University St.
Hardy Myers, a 1964 graduate of the UO School of Law, is being awarded for his outstanding service to Oregon. He was elected attorney general in 1996 after 31 years of law practice. He was reelected in 2000 and 2004. His prior public service included five terms in the Oregon House of Representatives, including two terms as speaker of the house. As attorney general, Hardy presided over significant growth in the Oregon Department of Justice, including its resources to meet the legal services needs of state government. He placed special emphasis on consumer protection and crime victims' services and rights. During his tenure the department won six out of six cases before the United States Supreme Court.
Rachel Bristol, a 1982 UO graduate, is being honored as this year's distinguished alumna. She began her work in hunger relief in 1983 as a VISTA volunteer with Oregon Food Share. As acting executive director in 1988, she played a key role in formation of the Oregon Food Bank, and was named executive director and CEO in 1990. She was appointed to the Oregon Legislative Task Force on Hunger Relief in 1989 and served for 10 years, including several years as chair. Under Bristol's leadership, Oregon Food Bank was named "The Most Admired Oregon Nonprofit" in a statewide survey and has remained in the top five for this prestigious award for the past five years.
Karmen Fore, a 1993 UO graduate and former student body vice president, will be recognized as this year's distinguished young alumna. Fore has been district director for Congressman Peter DeFazio since January 2003. Fore previously worked at the Oregon Department of Administrative Services and for the Oregon Commission on Children and Families. She currently chairs the Oregon Student Foundation and serves on the UO Alumni Association Board of Directors and the PPPM advisory council.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 62 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.
Contact: Karen Johnson, A&AA communications, karenjj@uoregon.edu, 541-346-3603
Source: Rich Margerum, head, planning, public policy and management, rdm@uoregon.edu, 541-346-2526
Links: Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management, http://pppm.uoregon.edu
###