Legal aid lawyer and honors student join SOU Board of Trustees
(Ashland, Ore.) — Medford legal aid attorney Debra Lee and Mimi Pieper, an SOU sophomore Honors College student, have been appointed by Gov. Kate Brown and confirmed today by the Oregon Senate to serve on the university’s Board of Trustees.
Lee succeeds Les AuCoin, who served on the board from its formation in 2015 until his resignation in January. She will serve a four-year term. Pieper succeeds Dylann Loverro, who has served as the student member on the 15-member board since November 2019 and will graduate in June.
“SOU is a tremendous asset for our region and a vital part of the southern Oregon community,” Lee said. “I am honored to join my esteemed colleagues on the governing board and hope to contribute to the university’s bright future.”
“I am excited to be a part of my university’s Board of Trustees,” Pieper said. “I look forward to supporting the mission, vision and values that will increase student success at SOU.”
Pieper, who is working toward a 2024 bachelor’s degree business administration with minors in ethics and rhetoric, carries a 4.0 grade point average and is an active participant in the Honors College Democracy Project. She is a marketing intern for Prelio Technology.
Lee was born in Toisan, China, and immigrated with her family to Rhode Island in 1956. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rhode Island and her law degree from Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C. She served as a legal aid attorney in Tennessee, Arkansas and Jackson County before becoming executive director of Medford’s Center for Nonprofit Legal Services in 1989.
Lee has been involved in the Medford Rogue Rotary Club, SOU Foundation, Medford Housing Advisory Commission, Jackson County Continuum of Care Board, Oregon Community Foundation and the American Leadership Forum of Oregon.
“We are pleased to welcome Debra and Mimi to SOU’s Board of Trustees,” said Paul Nicholson, the board’s chair. “They are both extraordinarily bright, talented and accomplished, each in her own way. Their voices will be welcomed additions to the board.
“The board also thanks Les AuCoin and Dylann Loverro for their dedicated service to the board. We wish each of them all the best in their future endeavors.”
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