Amy Tykeson

The Oregon Senate has belatedly confirmed Amy Tykeson to the Board of Trustees of the University of Oregon. 

Tykeson is the former CEO of BendBroadband and managing trustee of the the Tykeson Family Foundation. Her term begins July 1 and runs through June 30, 2027. 

The Senate confirmed Tykeson and 65 other nominees to state commissions and boards on June 15, one day after the end of a 42-day walkout by Senate Republicans to deny a quorum to vote on upcoming abortion and gun control bills. After six weeks, a deal was struck to bring the GOP lawmakers back to the floor of the Senate and vote on a backlog of hundreds of bill and dozens of nominations by Gov. Tina Kotek.

The 15-member University of Oregon Board of Trustees includes the president of the university and 14 volunteer appointees. The board sets the budget, tuition and policies for the liberal arts university in Eugene. 

Amy Tykeson grew up in Eugene and holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Oregon. The Willie and Donald Tykeson Hall on the University of Oregon campus is named for her mother, Margaret – known as “Willie,” and father, Donald, who both attended the university.

“My parents met on a blind date at the UO,” Amy Tykeson, told university’s “Around the O” website, which described Amy Tykeson as “a double Duck.”

Tykeson Hall on the University of Oregon campus, was financed by a $10 million gift from the Tykeson Family Foundation to go with $17 million in state bonds. It opened in 2019.

Amy Tykeson worked for cable (and more recently streaming) giant HBO in Chicago and New York before taking over as president and CEO of BendBroadband, a family-owned cable and broadband company based in Bend. BendBroadband was purchased by Telephone and Data Systems Inc. in 2014.

She’s now managing trustee of the Tykeson Family Foundation, which is involved in a wide variety of health, youth and arts programs. It currently has pledged to match up to $500,000 in donations to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s “The Show Must Go On” fundraising drive meant to stave off cancellations at the world-renowned theater company in Ashland. 

Amy Tykeson and her parents supported the creation of Oregon State University-Cascades in Bend, championing the campus in efforts for state and private funding. 

The first building to open at OSU-Cascades was Tykeson Hall in 2016. 

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony,  Amy Tykeson said she and her family’s loyalty was with the University of Oregon, but a four-year university was the “missing ingredient” to Central Oregon’s long-term growth and success.

“Green, yellow, orange, or black – all colors can agree on the importance of education,” Amy Tykeson said at the ceremony. 

In 2018, Amy Tykeson was named “Person of the Year” by the Bend Chamber of Commerce. She was among a group of civic leaders who invested in the Central Oregon Media Group, created to buy the Bend Bulletin at auction following the 2019 bankruptcy of Western Communications, the paper’s previous owner. EO Media Group partnered with the investors on the Central Oregon Media Group and eventually bought out the investors as planned.

Tykeson was among 66 people nominated to various positions on April 14 by Gov. Tina Kotek.

The governor appoints or reappoints members of about 250 state boards and commissions. They must be confirmed by the Senate under its advise and consent role in the Oregon constitution. The nominations do not have to be reviewed by the House.

Kotek’s announcement that included Tykeson’s appointment said the list would be considered by the Senate Rules Committee on May 9. A news release from the University of Oregon said Tykeson would likely be confirmed sometimes in May. 

On May 3, Republicans walked out to deny a quorum for the Senate to do any business, including confirmation of the governor’s nominees, including Tykeson. The quorum rule only applies to floor sessions, so the committee could go ahead with the hearing even if only the three Democratic members attended – Kate Lieber of Beaverton, James Manning of Eugene, and Elizabeth Steiner of Portland.

During the walkout, Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, had opted not to use his authority to compel members to be brought to the chamber. On May 9, Sen. Bill Hansell of Athena took part. The only absentee was Senate Majority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, the leader of the walkout.

In a virtual appearance at the May 9 hearing, Tykeson said the University of Oregon was a key source for Oregon’s future – resolving its problems, leading innovation, and building “intergenerational wealth” for an expanded number of people.

“I would like to help build a more inclusive and resilient Oregon,” Tykeson said.

Tykeson said she now lives in Ovando, Mont., about 55 miles northeast of Missoula. 

Tykeson serves on the boards of Meyer Memorial Trust, Providence Montana Health Foundation and the Montana chapter of The Nature Conservancy.

Other recent community service includes sitting on the governing board for Oregon Health & Science University, Oregon Public Broadcasting, and the advisory board for Oregon State University-Cascades Campus.

The Senate on June 15 also confirmed Shenika Cumberbatch-Corpas of Redmond to the Oregon Serves Commission, Maxwell Perkins of Bend to the Oregon Occupational Therapy Licensing Board, and James Adams of Bend to the Oregon Board on Public Safety Standards and Training.

Nominations can be made to the governor or individuals may apply for openings. Information can be found online at the “Boards and Commissions” webpage or in The Oregon State Board Book.