The University of Oregon Foundation has recognized three retiring trustees. Ed Maletis, Cheryl Ramberg Ford and Michael Wilkes are stepping down June 30 after eight years of service.

“We’re very grateful to Ed, Cheryl, and Michael,” said Paul Weinhold, president and CEO of the UO Foundation. “They have dedicated unparalleled time, expertise and resources to the university and the UO Foundation. As volunteers, Foundation trustees accept the ultimate fiduciary responsibility for the UO Foundation. Foundation trustees go well beyond the call of duty, engaging with faculty members, students and alumni around the world. They exemplify what it means to be true advocates for the university.”

Ramberg Ford, an alumna, has served the UO in many capacities, including the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art Board of Directors, the UO Alumni Association Board of Directors and the Campaign Cabinet.

As a UO Foundation trustee, she served on the advancement and advocacy committees. As a volunteer and donor, she led the effort to build the Cheryl Ramberg Ford and Allyn Ford Alumni Center. The Fords support many areas on campus, including intercollegiate athletics, the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art and the renovation of Pacific Hall. She was recognized with the university’s Pioneer Award in 2006 and the Jeanne Johnson Alumni Service Award in 2011.

Maletis, a 1976 alumnus and former chairman of Columbia Distributing Co., was vice-chair of the UO Foundation Committee on Trustees. He played a significant role during the university’s presidential transition and championed the UO’s successful effort to form its own governing board.

Maletis is a longtime member of the Lundquist College of Business Board of Advisors. In addition to supporting the business school, he has contributed to the Ford Alumni Center and the School of Journalism and Communication’s Allen Hall expansion, where the atrium is named in honor of his wife Cyndy. Maletis generously devotes his time and resources to Oregon athletics and the university’s student-athletes.

Wilkes, a former principal with the San Diego architecture firm now known as Delawie and a 1971 alumnus, has served on the School of Architecture and Allied Arts Advancement Council and the Campaign Cabinet.

His tenure on the UO Foundation board includes chairing the advancement committee. Wilkes and his wife Penny support architecture, theatre arts, environmental studies and intercollegiate athletics. For more than 15 years, he has mentored architecture students—both while they are in school and after graduation.

The UO Foundation is a nonprofit corporation responsible for administering private gifts made to further the university's mission. Since 1922, the Foundation has received, invested and distributed tens of thousands of private gift per year, funding student scholarships, faculty support, academic programs and building improvements.

Although the UO Foundation is a separate entity, it partners with the university to ensure that private gifts are allocated according to donors’ intentions in support of the university’s academic mission.