Two new trustee members have been appointed to the UO Board of Trustees this summer: Amy C. Tykeson and Andy J. Storment. The Oregon Senate approved Governor Kotek’s two nominees on July 7. 
Amy Tykeson is a member of the Tykeson family, who earned their fortune in the telecommunications industry. The University of Oregon named Tykeson Hall after her parents, Don and Willie Tykeson, who were prominent donors to the University of Oregon throughout their lifetimes. 
Don Tykeson, who met his wife Willie while attending UO, founded telecommunications company BendBroadband and served as a founding board member at C-SPAN. Tykeson was later diagnosed with multiple sclerosis disease (MS) in 1957. He passed away at the age of 90 in 2017.
In 2004, the Tykesons began the Tykeson Family Charitable Trust, a charitable foundation, in the hopes of funding research into ending MS. 
In 2023, the Tykeson Family Charitable Trust donated $250,000 to the National MS Society and $50,000 to research programs at the Oregon Health & Science University.
Amy Tykeson was the CEO of cable company BendBroadband, as well as the current managing director of the Tykeson Family Foundation. She also currently serves on the boards of OPB and the Nature Conservancy – Montana.
“It is an honor to serve my alma mater on UO’s Board of Trustees and continue the family legacy as an engaged and involved Duck,” Tykeson said in a statement to the Emerald. 
“Higher education is an important contributor to address injustices and accelerate equity. The UO has made important strides to attract, retain and support first generation college goers and make a college degree more accessible and attainable,” she said.
The second new appointee is Andy J. Storment, the founding director of Eugene-based Summit Bank, and the managing director of private equity firm McKenzie Capital.
Storment served as a board member of the Ford Family Foundation, which provides scholarships and grants to low-income and rural students. Storment then served as the Executive Vice President of barcode company Percon, Inc. 
“My time on TFFF Board has expanded my understanding of the additional challenges faced by first generation, low income and rural students in post-secondary education and that the graduation rate for these students is significantly below the national average for students in general,” Storment said. 
Storment emphasized the importance of mentoring and counseling services, which he believes helps with student persistence and higher graduation rates. 
“While not necessarily advocating for a particular group of students, I will advocate for support services to enhance the graduation rates for all students,” he said. 
The Board of Trustees is the body in charge of most financial decisions at UO. Because UO is a public university, the members of the Board are appointed by the governor. Members vote on financial matters such as tuition, which then go to the university president for approval.
Sophomore Stamps Scholar Ruby Wool was also appointed as the student representative on the Board of Trustees and is a sports reporter for the Daily Emerald.
“Any University of Oregon student can apply to be on the Board,” said ASUO communications in a statement. “ASUO has historically provided a recommendation from the pool of applicants, but appointing the student member to the Board of Trustees is the role of the Governor.”
When asked about what they plan to do during their time on the Board of the Trustees, each Trustee gave a different response. 
“I look forward to growing my understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing UO, its students, instructors and researchers, and higher education in general,” Tykeson said. 
Tykeson hopes to advance student accessibility and stakeholder alignment during her time as a trustee member. 
Storment wrote to the Emerald that he hopes to improve graduation rates, ensure affordability at UO and assist in a “successful on-boarding and integration of our new president.”

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Photo courtesy of the UO Board of Trustees website

Andy Storment is the founding director of Eugene-based Summit Bank, and the managing director of private equity firm McKenzie Capital. Storment's term expires June 30, 2027.