The Oregon Health & Science University Foundation has announced the election of new members to the OHSU Foundation Board of Trustees. Truman Collins, Ruth Layton, Xandra McKeown, Carmen Phillips, Patricia Smith and Malia Wasson have been newly elected to regular four-year terms on the OHSU Foundation Board of Trustees. John Blackwell, Peter Kohler, M.D., Earle LeVernois, M.D., Deborah Novack and Shirley Papé, R.D., are returning to the board.

Truman Collins, a software engineer at Mentor Graphics, is a trustee of the Collins Foundation and the Collins Medical Trust. He has provided ongoing support to the Saturday Academy program at OHSU’s School of Science & Engineering.

Ruth Layton is president of the Layton Foundation and a community volunteer. Layton and her late husband, Rex, helped to fund the Layton Aging & Alzheimer’s Disease Center at OHSU.

Xandra McKeown is executive vice president of commercial banking at West Coast Bank. McKeown also serves as president of the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Foundation board of directors.

Carmen Phillips is owner of Polo Ridge Farms, a horse breeding facility in Monmouth, Ore. Phillips is a trustee of the Ford Family Foundation in Roseburg, Ore.

Patricia Smith is co-owner of William Smith Properties in Bend, which has developed Bend’s Old Mill District, shopping centers and the Les Schwab Amphitheater.

Malia Wasson is the market president for U.S. Bank in Portland and southwest Washington.

John Blackwell was re-elected to the board after a one-year hiatus. Blackwell is the retired president of the World Forestry Center and chairman of the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission. He is director of the National Forest Foundation.

Peter Kohler, M.D., president emeritus of OHSU, was re-elected to the board after a brief hiatus. Kohler is chairman of the Oregon Bioscience Association and a longtime board member for StanCorp Financial Group of Portland.

Earle LeVernois, M.D., was re-elected to the board after a two-year hiatus. Levernois worked as a surgeon in Klamath Falls for 30 years before retiring in 1994.  He is an active community volunteer serving nonprofits such as St. Paul's Episcopal Church, the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Red Cross, the Merle West Medical Center and Shriners.

Deborah Novack was re-elected to the board after a one-year hiatus. A civic leader and volunteer fundraiser, Novack is executive director of the Schnitzer/Novack Foundation and a member of the board of the Schnitzer Group, a family-owned and privately held real estate investment firm.

Shirley Papé, R.D., was re-elected to the board after serving as a trustee emeritus in 2006. Papé is a prominent northwest philanthropist whose late husband, Dean Papé, founded The Papé Group, a west coast capital equipment sales and service organization. Shirley Papé served on the OHSU Foundation board from 1997-2005. She is also an active director of the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital board.

“There is nothing more important to the success of OHSU’s fund-raising effort than the dedication of our board,” said Stephen T. Sanders, president of the OHSU Foundation. “We are indebted to the outstanding community leaders now joining the board for their commitment of time and expertise.”

The OHSU Foundation is governed by a board of trustees comprising civic leaders and members of Oregon’s business communities. Trustees are responsible for formulating long-range goals, policies and operating procedures.

The OHSU Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that exists to secure private philanthropic support for Oregon Health & Science University. The foundation raises funds from individuals, companies, foundations and organizations, and invests and manages gifts in accordance with donors’ wishes.