Oregon Tech Board of Trustees approves appointment of new board chair and vice chair, welcomes new student board member

November 25, 2019, WILSONVILLE, Ore. – The Oregon Institute of Technology (“Oregon Tech”) Board of Trustees met November 21 at the university’s Portland-Metro campus in Wilsonville, approving the appointment of a new board chair, vice chair, and welcoming a new board member in the student position.

Board Transitions 

Dr. Lisa Graham, chair of Oregon Tech’s board since its inaugural year in 2014, passed the chair role to the current vice chair, Jessica Gomez, who has also been on the board since inception.

Dr. Graham will remain on the board as a trustee.

Ms. Gomez, who is assuming the role of chair immediately, is the Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rogue Valley Microdevices, the first microelectronics manufacturing company in Southern Oregon.

She began her technical career at Standard Microsystems as a Wafer Fabrication Operator in the mid 1990’s. In 2001 she relocated to Southern California to join Integrated Micromachines Inc., a telecommunications hardware startup. While there, she developed a love for entrepreneurship. In 2003 Ms. Gomez relocated to Medford, Oregon and founded Rogue Valley Microdevices, Inc.

Trustee Vincent Jones was appointed board vice chair, having served as a trustee since 2016, and as chair of the Finance Committee of the Board since 2018. He is a retired Deputy City Engineer with the City of Los Angeles. Jones began his engineering career with the Oregon Department of Transportation; then worked for the City of Los Angeles, Department of Public Works, Bureau of Engineering for 27 years on a wide range of projects as a design engineer, project manager and construction manager. Trustee Jones is an alumnus of Oregon Tech in Civil Engineering, and proudly played basketball for the Hustlin’ Owls under legendary coach, Danny Miles.

New Trustee 

Trustees also welcomed Dana ‘Londen’ Londen, as the board’s student member, and appointed her to sit on the Academic Quality & Student Success Committee. Londen is studying Geomatics at Oregon Tech’s Klamath Falls campus and is on course to graduate in June 2020. Londen proudly served in the United States Navy as a Naval Aircrewman Acoustic Warfare Operator and holds an associates degree in pre-nursing from South Puget Sound Community College. Londen is an extremely dedicated volunteer, serving in every community in which she has lived and traveling abroad to assist others.

About Oregon Institute of TechnologyAs Oregon’s polytechnic university, Oregon Institute of Technology provides bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in engineering, health technologies, business, technology, communication and applied sciences. All of Oregon Tech’s degree programs prepare students to be effective participants in their professional, public and international communities through applied, relevant learning and professional practice. The university has a central, residential university in Klamath Falls; an urban, industry-focused campus in Portland-Metro (Wilsonville); an Online campus; and offers degrees at Boeing Seattle, Chemeketa Community College and at other sites. Visit www.oit.edu to learn more about Oregon Institute of Technology.