Judith Ramaley: Girlfriend, Trailblazer, Grandmother of 'STEM'

Marie Gettel-Gilmartin, Communications Committee co-chair

On August 24, 2026, we lost a treasured Girlfriend: Dr. Judith Ramaley, who was also Portland State University Trustee and President Emerita. I remember walking into my first ninety-nine girlfriends Letter of Interest workshop in 2024. Judith was one of the first women I met. I remembered her name from the media and asked if she had been the PSU president. She greeted me with warmth, wit, and deep intelligence, which continued throughout our conversations overithe past few years. Our organization, state, and the entire science community benefited from Judith’s deep intelligence and insights in so many ways.

When she joined ninety-nine girlfriends in 2022, “she immediately dove in and got involved with grants,” says Tammy Wilhoite, Operations Committee co-chair. “She had great leadership skills and moved to leading a team and helping the committee in several ad hoc ways, and then joined Coordinating Council as an at-large member. She also contributed to Member Education. What an honor it was to call her a Girlfriend and work alongside her.”

Judith leaves an enormous legacy behind. As director of the National Science Foundation’s Education and Human Resources Division, she coined the STEM acronym (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) in 2001. Previously, the foundation used the awkward acronym SMET to describe those combined educational disciplines. Judith rearranged the words because she did not like how "SMET" sounded. In the meantime, she oversaw a $900 million budget and campaigned for more participation of women and minorities in the sciences.

Judith dedicated her life to the education of young people, serving as administrator of several universities. She supported and increased the number of women scientists and was an early president of the Association for Women in the Sciences.

In 1990, she accepted the positions of president and professor of biology at Portland State University, becoming the first woman to helm a public university in Oregon. While at PSU, she had to fight for Portland State’s survival as a graduate school and demand the resources needed at the state level. According to the Oregon Encyclopedia, “In the 15 years since her tenure as president, her vision, mentoring, and consensus-building has had a transformative impact on PSU, bringing it national recognition as a center of educational innovation at a time when the Portland region was attracting national attention as a model for good planning. Her leadership at Portland State opened opportunities for community engagement and increased access to higher education in an urban setting.” She coined PSU’s motto, “Let knowledge serve the city.”

Our Girlfriends who served with Judith in leadership share their thoughts:

“I am so very sorry to learn of Judith’s passing. She was a champion for women, education, and Oregon. I had the privilege of knowing Judith for many years through my work with the International Women’s Forum, of which she was a member. She was revered among her peers and always so kind and gracious.” -Pip Meagher, former Governing Board chair

“It was an honor to know and work with her. It makes me happy to remember that she loved attending our Coordinating Council meetings. She said they stimulated her brain cells (how many people say that about meetings!?!). Such grace in the face of difficulty.” -Beth Parmenter, Member Education co-chair

“Judith’s passing is a huge loss to the entire Portland community. Her impact on education locally and nationally has been profound. We really lost a lion and a leader.” -Tong Zhang, Ph.D., Governing Board chair 

“Oh what heartbreaking news. Judith had so much wisdom to share.” -Sasha Muench, Coordinating Council co-chair

“We were lucky for having known her. What a dedicated champion of all that’s good.” -Barbara Hilyer, former Member Education co-chair

“Judith was such a gem. I'm glad we were all able to benefit from her experience, wisdom, and kindness.”-April Hasson, Coordinating Council member at large

“Judith was obviously a renowned educator who made a huge impact at PSU. I was impressed with her insight, experience, and commitment to staying vital to the end.” -Gina Taylor, Communications co-chair

“Such a lovely, wise woman who affected countless lives through her dedication to education and her community. My heart goes out to her family. It was an honor to work with her and receive her wisdom and advice.” -Megan Leftwich, Membership co-chair

“Indeed, a delight to know her and, it seems, an admirable life. May we continue our work in her honor.” -Jane Ullman, Finance

Judith's full legacy at PSU is documented in the university’s tribute to her. How fortunate we were to learn from her, and to call her a Girlfriend.

Member Spotlight on Kiva Hanson

Hello Girlfriends! I’m Kiva Hanson, a writer, storyteller, collage artist, and former community journalist. I currently work in communications and development at Confluence, a Native-led arts and storytelling nonprofit. Before that, I worked as a journalist, where I covered local government, schools, environmental issues, and the people who make communities interesting.

I’ve always been drawn to stories and the different ways we tell them. I studied journalism and archaeology at the University of Oregon, and I’ve spent much of my life working with community-focused organizations, including Planned Parenthood, United Way, and the UO Women’s Center. I care deeply about whose stories are told, who gets to tell them, and how storytelling can help people feel more connected to their communities.

Outside of work, I’m a collage artist and run a small creative project called This Open Field. I make collages using old photographs, paper, and found materials. I also love to sew and quilt and regularly begin new projects before finishing the ones already spread across my table. I host monthly collage nights in Portland, and I would love to have some Girlfriends join me! No art experience is needed! 

This sense of community is a big part of why I joined ninety-nine girlfriends through the Fellows Program. I spend a lot of time writing grants, so I was curious about the grantmaking side, but I’m just as excited to make friends and meet women outside my usual circles. 

I live in NE Portland with my partner, two cats, and one dog. When I’m not working, you can find me making art, reading, thrifting, kayaking, or convincing myself there is absolutely room for one more craft supply in my closet.

POIC Updates

Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center’s (POIC’s) Community Safety Team is working with the City of Portland, health care institutions, and other community-based organizations to reduce violence and gun-related deaths. Their work has received national recognition in The New York Times. 

Their 2026 Summer Culinary + Hospitality Emergent Fellowship Academy cohort completed the program and received their official black coats. 

Ten young women ages 12-17 completed POIC’s first-ever Girls Etiquette Program to strengthen self-esteem through lessons in healthy communication, self-care, positive self-talk, and relationship building. 

What is racial equity?

"Racial equity is about applying justice and a little bit of common sense to a system that's been out of balance. When a system is out of balance, people of color feel the impacts most acutely, but, to be clear, an imbalanced system makes all of us pay." ~ Glenn Harris, President, Race Forward and Publisher, Colorlines

Learn more about why we center racial equity thanks to Race Forward.

Public Education is Our Last Public Space

When you go about a typical day, how often do you interact with children who are not related to you? How many times has your neighbor dropped off their kids for an hour while they ran to the store? How many times have you gone to a restaurant that has a dedicated children’s corner? 

For some of us, the answer to these questions may be “all the time” but for more and more of us, the answer is…”rarely”.  And it may not be for the reasons you’re thinking. We might blame technology, hyper-vigilant parenting, or the lingering social fractures of the pandemic for this isolation, but another contributor is much  simpler, and much harder to fix: There are fewer households with children. Period. In the 1950s, over half of all US families had children. Today in Portland, only 24% of households do. We are rapidly becoming a city of adults, increasingly disconnected from the generation who will succeed us. We don’t see them and, in many ways, we have lost our collective responsibility towards them. 

We live in a region struggling with an education crisis and a worsening economic environment, and support for public education is under immense pressure. Many people are disengaged from the issue simply because Portland is no longer a place that has a lot of children or families. In fact, Oregon has one of the lowest birth rates in the country. Those who are born here are also increasingly more diverse and different from the adults in the region. For example, in the 2020 census, while 20% of Washington County residents identified as Hispanic/Latine, the K-12 population in the county is between 35-40% Latine. 

When so many of us are not directly involved with children, it’s hard to care about their future and their education—even though our future depends on them. Future leaders, public servants, tradespeople, scientists, service people, and medical professionals are students in our classrooms today. However, due to our aging population, the housing and childcare affordability crises, the high cost of living, and immigration enforcement, families with children can struggle. We have privatized parenting: treating the upbringing of children as a niche, personal hobby rather than a collective civic duty. We desperately need to return to the village model. And we already have the infrastructure to do it.

Public education is the last public space where we can build connections to our collective future and it is one of the last places where people across socio-economic backgrounds have regular interactions. It is the very essence of educational equity: the concept that every child receives what they need to develop their full academic and social potential. Children' s backgrounds should not be a predictor of their success. We need to rally around public education because it is also one of the last ways, through taxes, investments, and our time, that we can  invest in children who are not our own. 

Public education is not just a line item on our property tax bills; it is the last truly public space where we still build a shared future. When we disengage from our schools because we don’t have skin in the game, we forfeit that future. We must recommit to the success of the next generation - regardless of whose children they may be - because as James Baldwin famously reminded us, “These are all our children; we will all profit by or pay for what they become.”  Let’s take care of them even if they are not our own. 

Written for ninety-nine girlfriends by,

Barbara Hilyer, M.Ed., past Governing Board Member

Tong Zhang, Ph.D, current Governing Board Chair


Member Spolight on Hannah Pscheid

When my wonderful neighbor and friend Karyn Barsa invited me to an event at her home to learn more about ninety-nine girlfriends, I knew almost immediately this was something I wanted to be a part of.

What made it feel so timely was that just a few months earlier, my friends and I were having a really honest conversation about how much we want to make an impact here in Portland, and how it can sometimes feel like one person's contribution gets lost in the enormity of what our city needs. The ninety-nine girlfriends model answered that feeling so directly. Pooling our resources and being intentional about how they're allocated creates something truly powerful. I am so happy to be a part of that! 

I'm excited to be in a room with women who are deeply invested in Portland and show up with both their hearts and their resources. There's something special about collective giving that goes beyond the dollars: it's the conversations, the relationships, and the shared sense of purpose that comes with it. I'm looking forward to learning from the members around me and feeling more connected to the organizations doing meaningful work across our beautiful city.

I've spent my career in brand strategy and marketing, and one of the things I believe most deeply is that community is built through intentional connection. Ninety-nine girlfriends embodies that for me: women choosing to show up, give thoughtfully, and make Portland a better place together. 

Project Lemonade

On June 10, Project Lemonade moved into their new location in the Left Bank Building at 240 N. Broadway. Trina Brodsky, our liaison to Project Lemonade, attended the opening and was excited to see the venue filled with supporters, staff, and donors. Beyond the lovely refreshments and enthusiastic DJ, the atmosphere was truly celebratory. Tours showcased a beautiful new store on the lower level with an expansive storeroom, while the upper level features glassed-off offices and a large multipurpose community room decorated with an amazing mural. This new space will allow Project Lemonade to continue their existing programs while launching additional services to support youth in foster care.

A private tour, just for ninety-nine girlfriends, is in the works. Stay tuned for details after the summer break. Not up for an in-person tour? Watch a short video about the new space.  

Racial Equity Team recommends Portland Black Pioneers tour

This past weekend, members of the Racial Equity Team participated in the Black History Walking Tour by Oregon Black Pioneers to see if we should recommend it to our membership. We encourage you to book a tour to learn more about some of the racial inequities that continue to affect today’s communities and the bravery of Oregon’s Black pioneers – called that because they were the “firsts.” Our friendly guide shared lots of interesting facts while showing us locations of significant historical interest throughout Albina.

Our summer social was a sizzling good time

The sun was shining and the flowers were blooming as close to 60 Girlfriends gathered in Kathy Masarie's lovely backyard for our annual member social. Hosted by Kathy and Margie Sunderland, with an assist from Girlfriends who pitched in with food and flowers, the afternoon was full of good conversation, fun games, and yummy treats.

This quote from Helen sums it up beautifully.

“I had the best time. I found my time at the beautiful garden patio refreshing and engaging. The game was so much fun, and I made connections with several lovely women who I hope to see again. I will definitely go again next year. Please send my deep and sincere appreciation to our hosts.”

Member spotlight on Jennifer Ferro

A good friend introduced me to ninety-nine girlfriends. She invited me to an event on the subject of housing. The event included a PSU professor who I thought was very interesting. During the event I thought the women in the audience seemed genuinely engaged and interested in this subject and struck me as people I’d like to know better. Leaving the event, I thought I’d like to join and become involved with this group of women raising awareness about important issues that I strongly believe in. 

As a member, I’ve met some very lovely people and learned more about the different paths people take, as well as their interest in making our community better. I was also very inspired by the Awards Celebration at the end of last year where the award winners were honored. I loved hearing from the winners themselves and all the great things they had to say about ninety-nine girlfriends. For the first time, I heard the impact of ninety-nine girlfriends from outside the organization and it was heartwarming.

Given everything that’s going on in the world, sometimes it feels there’s nothing I can do to make a difference, but being a part of ninety-nine girlfriends helps me feel like I’m making a difference and that I’m a part of a community that cares and is putting their money where their mouth is. 

There is power in numbers and ninety-nine girlfriends is a great example of how when we pull together we can make a difference. I’m proud and happy to be a part of this community of women who build community from the inside out. 

Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center

POIC's Healing Hurt People team and researchers from the OHSU Trauma Center and OHSU Gun Violence Prevention Research Center recently gathered to present their joint project in a soft launch exhibition. The study, "Journeys: A Photovoice Project," is rooted in visual storytelling and centers on the experiences of POIC intensive case managers to capture the unseen aspects of their work.   

The project has drawn national attention for its unique research approach: the Photovoice methodology. Photovoice reimagines how violence prevention and intervention programs can collect and assess data by putting cameras into the hands of frontline workers. The resulting images offer an unfiltered look at the experiences of the POIC team and the community members they serve.

"You have to remember that through all the chaos in these photos, a good story came out of it. A lot of recovery came out of it." — Ronnie Salu, POIC frontline worker and Photovoice team member. 

Frontline workers are the core of the violence prevention and intervention movement. By documenting their realities, the team can make this work more visible, valued, and viable. View photos.

The Community 101 partnership ended with a wonderful celebration

Excitement filled the room as an enthusiastic group of 10th grade students from Westview High School in Beaverton awarded grants of $3,750 each to two local nonprofits: Janus Youth Programs and HomePlate Youth Services. These grants were made possible through funding from ninety-nine girlfriends, and Girlfriends Nancy Cheverton, Joan Lintz, and Gina Taylor were on hand to represent us in celebrating the students’ work.

In 2025, in celebration of our 10th anniversary of collective giving, we provided funding for this initiative through Community 101, a program administered by the Oregon Community Foundation.

Community 101 teaches students about collective giving through a hands-on curriculum that includes grantmaking, community research, and volunteer service. The students participated through Westview’s AVID program, which provides wraparound support to help prepare potential first-generation college students for success in higher education and beyond.

The difference between Member Updates and ninety-nine news

We issue two different publications: Member Updates and ninety-nine news. The first is for members only and comes out every other week except when we are on break. The latter is for Girlfriends AND the broader community and comes out three or four times a year with important announcements. Both have value, so please be sure to check them out when they hit your inbox.

Member Spotlight on Jill Murray

Having watched the intentionality of ninety-nine girlfriends from my role as development director of a local literacy nonprofit, a thrill jolted me when I joined in 2025. Trust-based philanthropy serving this place we call home is the superpower Girlfriends share. I look forward to deepening my engagement in the coming years, to learn from you and discover new ways to serve the people of our community.

I describe myself as a curious and empathetic collaborator. I am grateful that my work situations have been diverse, from community building, facilitating advocacy groups, developing foundation and corporate relationships, and expanding engagement to support young students learning to read. In each role, I have been fueled by lightbulb moments, those moments when a person’s eyes light up with wonder and new understanding. Helping people embark on promising futures ignites me. 

When I’m not curled up with a book, I’m walking in the woods, engaged with family and friends, exploring new waterways, or trying a new recipe. I welcome the idea of meeting up for coffee, a cup of tea, or a walk on a trail.

Jill Murray

POIC

On April 28, POIC, in partnership with the Opportunities Industrialization Center of America, hosted the first inaugural Portland STEMFest, an event designed to expose K-12th grade students to high-demand careers in science, technology, engineering, math, and the skilled trades. They brought together 40+ STEM industry leaders and companies who engaged more than 500 K-12 students in hands-on activities, demonstrations, and career exploration.

Activities for students included:

  • Hands-on STEM experiments and demonstrations

  • Career exploration in construction, engineering, and technology

  • Interactive exhibitor booths led by industry professionals

  •  Live problem-solving and design challenges

  • Exposure to real-world tools, equipment, and career pathways

“We’re so excited to bring STEMFest to the Portland community. If kids are going to be prepared to pursue high-demand careers in the years to come, we have to start enabling them to see themselves in those professions now. Introducing them at an early age will open any door they can imagine,” said Megan Bell, Director of Employment & Training at POIC. POIC is building a K-career pipeline, introducing students to STEM early and connecting that exposure to education, training, and employment opportunities aligned with industry demand.

Why we embed racial equity in all we do and focus on women’s economic empowerment

Since President Biden left office, more than 300,000 Black women have lost their jobs, while unemployment for them has shot up from 5.4% to 6.7%. “This structural inequality among Black women will eventually create a huge deterioration in the entire economy as they don't consume as much … [and] this contagion, I believe, will spill out throughout the entire economy,” says Democratic Congresswoman Gwen Moore of Wisconsin. New School Economics Professor Darrick Hamilton warns: “The adage ‘Black people are the first fired, last hired’ is indicative of what might come for the rest of us.”

Welcoming a wonderful group of new Girlfriends

Forty-nine amazing women gathered at the Kennedy School to meet and learn how to make the most out of their ninety-nine girlfriends membership. We had fun connecting and getting questions answered. If you wanted to be there but couldn’t attend, check your inbox for an email asking how we can get you connected.

“It was nice to connect with the other new members, especially the Fellows, and learn more about what brought us all to ninety-nine girlfriends.” - Hallie, new Girlfriend and Fellow 

Get more out of our website!

Take a brief tour of the important information on our website:

  • ABOUT is great for sharing and recruiting

  • GRANTS explains who we fund and how

  • JOIN tells how to become a part of our community 

  • MEMBERS gives info about our Fellows and events, and has a link to the directory

  • NEWS tab is where you can read our public announcements

  • EDUCATION is where you learn all about our educational arm and access archives

  • DONATE tab is where to make an even greater impact