New School Board, Budget Committee Members Appointed

The Eugene School Board has appointed a new member to the board to fill a mid-term vacancy and filled three openings on the budget committee.  Mary Walston, a longtime member of the 4J Budget Committee, was selected on September 30 to serve on the school board. On October 7, the board appointed Tim Gleason, Carla Gary and Wendy Laing to the budget committee.

Mary Walston, Eugene School Board Member

A 4J resident for the past 40 years, Mary Walston is well-known among those engaged in public education, local government and community organizations. With 35 years of experience in public administration at the state and local levels, she has served in a wide variety of roles. Before taking a job in resource development with United Way of Lane County earlier this year, Mary spent 21 years with the City of Eugene, including serving as the city’s council and public affairs manager since 1997.

Mary’s efforts to ensure that our schools’ resources are adequate and well-managed go beyond her 10 years on the 4J Budget Committee (including stints as chair and vice chair) and service with the 4J Audit Committee. She helped coordinate campaigns to renew 4J’s local option levy in 2004 and 2008; voters overwhelmingly approved both measures. Giving back to our community in other ways, Mary has served on the boards of Greenhill Humane Society, Lane Arts Council, Oregon Festival of American Music, and Pacific Cascade Federal Credit Union. Her community volunteer service runs the gamut from Kidsports coaching to the Eugene Celebration to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

Tim Gleason, 4J Budget Committee Member

Tim Gleason, dean and professor at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communications, has experience with budgets big and small, public and private. While these days Tim manages the journalism school’s budget and has served on budget advisory committees for the university, earlier in his career he experienced the pressures of balancing budgets in a small business environment as a partner in a freelance photography business. Tim is a 4J parent, a residential and commercial property owner, and a committed community volunteer. He has lived in the district for 22 years, since shortly after completing his doctorate in communications from the University of Washington.

Carla Gary, 4J Budget Committee Member

Carla Gary, also an education administrator, is the University of Oregon’s Assistant Vice President in the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity. In addition to her role at the university, Carla is a national consultant and motivational speaker on issues of community, inclusion, academic excellence and community service. A native Oregonian who grew up in Portland, Carla completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Oregon before going to the University of Iowa to earn her doctorate in law (JD). Between teaching and administration, she has worked as an educator for more than 25 years.

Wendy Laing, 4J Budget Committee Member

Wendy Laing has a long history with education in Eugene.  Having attended Eugene schools from Meadowlark Elementary School through earning her MBA and doctorate in law (JD) from the University of Oregon (with a brief departure to complete an undergraduate degree at the University of Chicago), Wendy now gives back extensively to the schools of her hometown. A dedicated community volunteer, she currently serves on the boards of several community organizations including the Eugene Education Fund and Buena Vista Elementary School.  Wendy was reappointed to the budget committee for a second term.