ARCS Light Recipients

Oregon Chapter ARCS Lights

Front row: Leslie Workman, Sharon Hewitt (Founding Member), Ellen Richardson (Founding Member), Caron Ogg
Back row: Kathleen Ames, Barbara Silver, Joan Foley, Jamie Anderson, Jean Josephson, Julie Drinkward, Kate Joseph, Diane Alexander, Anne Jarvis

	Susan Smith 2024 ARCS Foundation Oregon is delighted to honor Susan Smith as the 2024 ARCS Light recipient. A member of the Oregon Chapter since 2007, she has served in many roles, including VP of Philanthropy, VP of University Relations, Board Member at Large, and has funded 6 Scholars. She also agreed to take the lead on developing a Scientist of the Year Award for the chapter. Susan brought new members to the Oregon Chapter, including Nancy Haigwood, who followed Susan’s 13 years as Director of the Oregon National Primate Research Center, and Diana Gordon, our current Chapter President. Susan has also served ARCS Foundation nationally, on the Council of Advisors, the Hall of Fame Committee, the SEAC Evaluation Committee, and as the Co-Chair of the Long Range Planning committee. Having earned her PhD in Physiology from the University of Georgia, Susan was the Founding Director of the Center for Women’s Health at OHSU in 1997. She is now Professor Emerita at the Oregon Health & Sciences University, where she has served on their Board of Trustees. In addition, Susan’s professional achievements and leadership in ARCS, she is also a wonderful colleague and friend.
	Julie Branford 2023 Julie has contributed her energy, leadership and organizational experience to the Oregon ARCS Chapter since she became a member in 2014 after attending an annual scholar luncheon and being wowed by the scholar speaker. She was Chapter Co-President or President for three years from July 2018 through July 2021. She was president when our chapter hosted the All Members Conference for National ARCS here in Portland. Challenges arose while Julie was president. One of our members wrote this when nominating Julie for this award: “Life threw two big curveballs in rapid succession – COVID and her husband’s terminal illness. Without missing a beat, Julie led us through the unprecedented change of the pandemic. She remained extremely professional, positive, and forward thinking despite upheaval of normal operations and the heavy heart of losing a spouse.” Since being president, Julie launched a Visioning Committee for our chapter, then served on the Strategic Implementation Committee to put in place several decisions, including the decision to hire an Executive Director. Julie was part of the Search and Screen Committee and continues to provide wise counsel in the transition from a volunteer-run board to a shared leadership board with an ED. This past year she served on several of our Oregon committees, including Governance. She also chaired the Governance Committee for ARCS National and has been a National board member representing the Council of Presidents.
	Aletha Anderson 2022 Aletha has been a loyal and contributing member of ARCS Oregon for eleven years. She moved from California to Oregon with a background in journalism, including writing and communications. She was also active with the Race for the Cure in Orange County where, as Race chair, she was involved with event planning and fundraising. In her quiet manner, Aletha has shared her many skills and expertise to enhance our chapter’s growth. She has been an active member, chairing almost every committee! Aletha was our chapter president in 2014 and co-president in 2017. In 2019 she chaired our annual fundraiser, the Scholar Awards Luncheon, and in 2012, 2016, and 2018 she co-chaired the event. Aletha headed the ad hoc committee which evaluated the event in 2020.The ARCS National All-Member Conference was held in Portland in fall, 2019. Again, Aletha stepped up and co-chaired this huge three-day event. The co-chair tasks included planning many unique events, procuring national and local experts to speak, showcasing some of our scholars, and hosting ARCS members attending from our 15 national chapters.This year, besides co-chairing Philanthropy, Aletha volunteers for ARCS National, headed by our own, Caron Ogg. Aletha chairs the National Communications and Marketing Committee as well as the editorial planning committee. Overseeing the National Website Refresh Project is another one of her responsibilities. The Komen Foundation and race for the cure in Oregon and SW Washington also received Aletha’s attention when she arrived in the Pacific Northwest. She continued her critical involvement as a member of the Komen Foundation, as its board president, and chair of the Race for the Cure raising thousands of dollars for breast cancer research. Aletha has brought her skills, diligence, and creativity to each position she embraces. We thank you, Aletha, for your love of ARCS and devotion to our mission. You are the epitome of the best volunteer a community could have!
	Lee Ragen 2021 Lee has been a loyal and contributing member of ARCS Oregon for 12 years. She has excellent organizational skills and is devoted to accomplishing committee goals and tasks. She always says “yes” when asked to lead. In 2009 and 2010, Lee chaired our Scholar Awards Luncheon where she expanded the event to celebrate our scholars and invited William Gates Sr. to be our guest speaker. Lee was instrumental in pivoting the logistics to increase the number of guests and raise more sponsor dollars. In 2013-2015, she chaired Member Relations. Lee was diligent about welcoming new members, either at planned orientations in members’ homes or with individual members over wine or coffee. Her efforts to welcome new members benefitted our chapter greatly! From 2017-2021, Lee served as Board Member at Large, serving on several ad-hoc committees. In this role, she worked diligently to organize and update our new member orientation. In 2019, Lee co-chaired our 15^th Anniversary Celebration at Waverley Country Club. As a member of the Nominating Committee, she spent a great deal of time collecting information about our members to help the Nominating Committee be more aware of members' skills and interests. She has been a consistent leader and cheerleader for our chapter, with grace and warmth, always with careful attention to detail and a willingness to work on any project needed. Lee also has many years of community board experience. She was the president of the Junior League of Portland in 1974-1975 and was named Sustainer of the Year in 1990. Lee and Ron have been long-time supporters of the Japanese Garden. Lee has been an outstanding, long-serving “GEM” for our chapter!
	Nancy Fischer 2020 Nancy is one of the five founders of ARCS Oregon. From friends in Seattle she heard about ARCS and was excited to share the story of their chapter with the right people at OHSU. The rest is history! Nancy has graced ARCS Oregon with her determination, friendship and generosity since the chapter was founded in 2004 and she continues today as an active, participating member. With her warm personality she connects easily with others. This great strength of hers has brought people into the ARCS fold and in turn made ARCS Oregon a thriving chapter. Nancy served four years on the ARCS Oregon board: two years as co-VP Programs, two years as VP Governance, and she continues to serve on the Member Relations and Scholar Relations committees. Nancy has also been a frequent chair of Celebrate the Scholars and the Summer Party. She and her late husband Dodd funded three ARCS scholar awards and then decided to fund a University Matched Endowment in the OSU College of Forestry. Nancy’s philanthropic focus has been on education, science and medicine. She has been a member of the Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute Council and she has served on the OHSU Foundation’s Marquam Hill Committee. Recently she was elected trustee of the Oregon State University Foundation Board.
	Joan Foley 2019 This year's ARCS Light committee faced an easy task. All of the nomination letters were strongly supportive of a single candidate. One of the letters states, Joan is "an extraordinary woman of great strength and character." Joan is one of our charter members. She is also the only one among us to have served as Chapter President for three years and a National Board member for two. She and Per have supported many ARCS Named Scholars and her contributions to Chapter fundraising efforts have been extraordinary. For example, she played a key role in helping secure the $1.5 million bequest from the estate of late Jill Josselyn. Creativity, energy, and a full set of skills is what she brings to everything she does. She pays attention to each scholar, knows most of them, and follows their progress. Joan was instrumental in getting National to approve the University of Oregon as a qualified university and in getting many departments added at Oregon State University. Her help has also been essential to our expansion of the number of University Matched Endowments.
	Anne Jarvis 2018 An ARCS member since 2013, Anne Jarvis has the background and experience to help guide chapter finances by chairing the finance committee and serving as treasurer for the chapter. With an undergraduate degree from Wellesley College and an MBA from Columbia University, this former CPA and tax professional oversaw the process of interviewing and selecting the chapter’s new investment manager and led the charge to increase the efficiency and transparency of the chapter’s accounting practices and systems. Anne has worked seamlessly with our paid bookkeeper Susan Jones, longtime Assistant Treasurer Kathleen Ames, and our administrative assistant Lee Ann Verboort. She and her husband, Peter, have sponsored two ARCS scholar awards. Multiple local boards, including Chamber Music Northwest, the City Club of Portland, Fruit and Flower Child Care, and the Legacy Foundation, have been lucky enough to have Anne serve on their behalf. She enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, entertaining, traveling, working crossword puzzles, and doing Pilates and needlepoint.
	Kate Joseph 2018 Born in Salem, graduating from Cleveland High School, our 2018 ARCS Light Kate Joseph, then moved to Boston, where she graduated from MIT, earned a master’s from Boston University and worked as an investment banker. Returning to Portland, she earned a law degree at Lewis & Clark Law School. Kate became an ARCS member in 2013 and brought that dynamic combination of expertise to the finance committee. She crafted our University Matched Endowment (UME) agreements and helped to establish a timeline and protocol so that the UMEs can be implemented efficiently. She also restructured the chapter budget and has helped to rewrite some of the chapter’s finance Policy and Procedures with a goal of creating a chapter finance manual. She served as Assistant Treasurer and is our current chapter Treasurer. Kate and her husband, Tom Murray, have sponsored two scholar awards. She enjoys keeping up with politics and, when life slows down a bit, is looking forward to traveling. One final note about Kate: she once mentioned that one of her favorite pastimes is reading science books, especially about the theoretical physics of the universe. She was destined to become an ARCS Oregon member.
	Jamie Anderson 2017 An ARCS Oregon member since 2010, Jamie is a gentle, quiet, gracious member, with a wonderful, dry wit, ready to volunteer and willing to take on any tasks asked of her. Our ARCS Light, was raised in Oregon, and is an OSU graduate where she focused on Humanities at OSU. Jamie has many wide-ranging interests: a master gardener, writer, artist, reader, hiker, excellent cook and photographer. She is deeply keen to learn, stimulated by the exposure to bench science and detailed research in action that we witness in our scholars. Jamie has served our chapter on the board as VP of Communications, Nominating Committee Chair, newsletter editor and principal photographer. She attends many ARCS events and meetings, to take photos of members and scholars and to be well-informed about committee work. Jamie has mastered MailChimp, with colorful, eye-catching graphics, coordinating with committees to announce events in a timely, thoughtful manner, alerting members to scholar thesis defenses, and providing active links to parking, maps, and photos. As philanthropists, she and her husband have joined in three scholar awards, supporting scholars at the universities ARCS Oregon supports: OSU, OHSU and UO. They have endowed a scholar award at the University of Oregon, and this fall, her father, at age 93, will sponsor a scholar award. Beyond ARCS, Jamie and her family are major supporters of The ALS Association, Oregon and SW Washington Chapter.
	Barbara Silver 2016 In 2008 Barbara was new to Portland and she became an ARCS member extraordinaire in no time. She’s served our chapter on the board as VP Fund Development, VP Scholar Relations, and as a member of the Governance committee. Barbara and her husband, Phil, have personally funded four scholars, and they were second among our members to establish two endowed ARCS scholar awards. Together they have been wonderful ambassadors for ARCS in the community, speaking publicly about ARCS and hosting numerous events. Raised in Chillicothe, Missouri, Barbara was the daughter of a physician. Following graduation from the University of Missouri, she became an elementary school teacher, married, and started her family. After moving many times as Phil built his career, they settled in New Canaan, Connecticut, where they raised their two boys. Both sons moved to the Northwest upon finishing their educations, and although it was early for retirement, Barbara and Phil moved to Portland to be closer to their children and grandchildren. Her beloved father’s profession was the basis for her love of science and Barbara speaks eloquently about the importance of supporting science education. She is a long time member of PEO, is active in her church, participates in the OHSU Circle of Giving, serves on the Marquam Hill Steering Committee, and is trustee of the OHSU Foundation.
	Jean Josephson 2015 Jean Josephson’s career as an educator is evident in how she has conducted herself as president, board member, and active member of the Portland Chapter. A member since 2005, she taught herself how to do the newsletter in her first year on the board because she likes to learn new skills. Her precise and thoughtful editing has benefitted the newsletter, the handbook, luncheon programs, our chapter’s history, our first Annual Report and many other communications. Leading with diplomacy and example, Jean has been a model to others to always push a little harder. Jean guided our chapter’s 10th anniversary celebration with the slogan “Light Years Ahead,” a written history and a collaborative fund raising effort for future scholar awards. She led the discussion that resulted in a new member category and a needed dues increase, while keeping membership steadily climbing. Jean has been instrumental in expanding the colleges we support at Oregon State University and adding the University of Oregon as our third university. She and her husband Rich have been luncheon underwriters and supported scholars personally. As the parent of a deaf child, Jean advocated for state legislation that required newborn babies to have their hearing checked before leaving the hospital. She has been active in Junior League and is a past president of the Portland Women's Foundation, now called the Women's Foundation of Oregon.
	Julie Drinkward 2014 A member of ARCS Foundation since 2006, Julie Drinkward immediately joined Portland Chapter's leadership team where she served on the board for three years as co-chair of the program committee. She coordinated lecture and field trip opportunities for members and guests that covered diverse topics in scientific research while always ensuring that every detail was addressed. Julie set our program standards very high and members came to expect and appreciate excellent speakers. No task was too small or too large for Julie as she organized many of the programs we've enjoyed to date. Julie and her husband, Wayne, continually step up for worthy causes, whether in the community or with ARCS Foundation. They have taken personal interest in and support three students as they complete their PhD's. When the Recognizing Genius Scholar Awards Luncheon became the signature event for our chapter, it was Julie who encouraged Wayne and Hoffman Construction to become the premier sponsor and to show their support for the ARCS mission. In addition, Julie and Wayne hosted the Summer Party for members and their spouses in 2009. Julie's other community involvement includes OES, the Circle of Giving at OHSU, and the High Desert Museum. All of Julie's efforts are done quietly, without fanfare. Julie is friendly and welcoming and always has a smile on her face. Perhaps because she is a mother of four, Julie is straightforward and unflappable. Her constant smile cheers us all.
	Caron Ogg 2013 Caron Ogg understands foundations - how they work and what they need. She founded the Shoreline Public School District Foundation in Seattle, and after moving to Portland Caron joined and continues to serve on the board of New Avenues for Youth, a homeless youth non-profit organization. She and her husband, Larry, are trustees of the Washington State University Foundation. In addition, Caron serves on the ARCS Foundation National Board as VP Chapter Relations. Caron's tireless leadership in organizational development and long range planning set our chapter on a course of growth. Membership counts, the number of scholar awards, and our chapter's financial assets all increased during Caron's term as president. She designed our chapter's web site, our development materials, and membership brochure. Always leading by example, Caron and Larry gave our chapter its first endowed scholar award. Dedicated to youth and education, and generously willing to share her design talents and exceptional administrative abilities, Caron deservedly joins our wonderful group of ARCS Lights.
	Mary Ann Lockwood 2012 Mary Ann Lockwood has devoted her professional life to the advancement of education. A graduate of the University of Washington, she joined the faculty of OHSU in 1956. As Associate Professor, Director of University Relations and Assistant to the President for University Relations, she and her staff received over 70 national, regional and local awards for outstanding publications and public relations programs. She taught numerous classes on publication design, public relations and communications and was the first woman to chair the national conference of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. In 1994 she became a member of OHSU's emeritus faculty. Mary Ann is one of Portland ARCS' founding members. Her contribution was crucial to our success. Because of her long-term involvement at OHSU, she provided invaluable counsel and asistance in opening doors at the university. In our first few years, Mary Ann organized our yearly scholar picnic, parking for programs, and meeting arrangements. She kept our chapter records, printed nametags and reminded us of our manners. She has continued to be active in the chapter, quietly and humbly behind the scenes. Since 2004, she has served on the University Relations committee, working with all ARCS students at OHSU.
	Kathleen Ames 2011 “Volunteer Extraordinaire” is the perfect description for ARCS Foundation Portland’s ARCS Light for 2011, Kathleen Ames. Kathleen joined the Portland Chapter in 2005 and has been very involved ever since. She has served on a variety of committees, including Development, Scholar Awards Luncheon and Finance. Since joining ARCS Foundation Portland, Kathleen has worked as assistant treasurer or treasurer. Every Portland Chapter member knows her – many checks arrive in our mailbox with personal notes. Kathleen attends to the details. She has handled RSVPs and alphabetizes name tags in her spare time, and she is the go-to “Eagle Eye” to proofread everything for the chapter – the roster, the newsletter, the Scholar Awards Luncheon program – and she never misses a thing. She always jumps in with both feet to call members, encouraging them to attend the Scholar Awards Luncheon, the Annual Meeting or the Summer Social. Extremely dedicated to ARCS Foundation, she once pulled an all-nighter for an ARCS Foundation project when she was scheduled to leave on a European vacation the next day. And she does it all with a smile. Dedication, energy and a fun sense of humor are all attributes. Kathleen is not only a committed ARCS Foundation member, she is also a friend to all.
	Diane Alexander 2010 Diane Alexander is a charter member of the Portland Chapter who took a leadership role right from the start. She co-chaired the Membership committee and was enthusiastically involved in the organization of the fall Scholar Picnic for scholars and donors to meet one another prior to the Scholar Awards Luncheon in October. After two years as co-chair of the Membership committee, Diane became a Member-at-Large on the Chapter Board, never failing to ask excellent questions and generate discussion. She chaired University Relations for three years. She originated the idea of the Celebrate the Scholars event each May to recognize donors and advisors and to honor scholars completing their funding, encouraging them to keep in touch with ARCS Foundation. She researched departments and programs at Oregon State University (OSU), and completed work to include two schools and a department at the College of Engineering as recipient areas for scholar awards. She kept OSU leaders informed about ARCS Foundation activities, and organized events for ARCS alums in the Portland/Vancouver area. Diane is creative, hardworking, intelligent and friendly, and she follows through on all projects she undertakes. She is a delight to work with, a privilege to know and an asset to ARCS Foundation.
	Ellen Richardson 2009 Ellen Richardson has been instrumental in all phases of ARCS Foundation Portland since its inception and has participated on every committee. Ellen is one of the Chapter’s five founding members, and it is through her energy, dedication, hard work, enthusiasm and hospitality that the Chapter has reached the success experienced today. She always thinks of ways to include new members and makes everyone feel welcomed. She held the office of president and continues to use her experience to readily answer questions. Her knowledge of the many departments and who’s who at Oregon Health & Science University has facilitated access to many program speakers, smoothed the way for communication, mailing and parking help, and provided behind-the-scenes information to assist the Chapter’s work. Without a doubt, all of our committees — Communications, Database, Finance, Development, Governance, Membership, Program, Scholar Awards Luncheon and University Relations — have been recipients of her time and her talents, her warm smile, and her gracious Southern charm. ARCS Foundation members at both the Chapter and national levels hold Ellen in high esteem.
	Leslie Workman 2008 Leslie Workman is a charter member of the Portland Chapter and has been an enthusiastic participant in every facet of the Chapter’s life. In 2005 Leslie and her husband Mark provided the Chapter’s first five scholar awards, propelling the Chapter to a level of success that would otherwise have taken years to achieve. Leslie has been an indispensable member, becoming the Chapter’s third president and serving on nearly every committee. She has organized and maintained mailing lists, never misses a scholar's picnic or luncheon, rarely misses a program or Chapter Board meeting, and always has a smile. Leslie is the ideal ARCS Foundation member, understanding and teaching our mission and building community. She is loyal, enthusiastic, generous and wise. The Portland Chapter is proud to have Leslie as a member and to have named Leslie as the Chapter’s second ARCS Light.
	Sharon Hewitt 2007 Sharon Hewitt has been enthusiastically dedicated to the establishment of the Portland Chapter, leading the Chapter's inception in the fall of 2003 along with four other women. The five initial members assembled a steering committee, developed the relationship with Oregon Health & Science University, set organizational board structure, and approached others for membership. Sharon served as the Chapter’s first president. She served on the Membership and Program committees and has written many articles for the newsletter. Sharon established financial arrangements with the bank and brokerage and achieved 501(c)(3) status for the Chapter. She continues to work on the establishment of a database and helped solidify the relationship with Oregon State University. Sharon’s remarkable leadership, vision and drive have been instrumental in the formation and success of the Portland Chapter.