March 26, 2012 – Salem, ORE, The Oregon Cultural Trust has hired Meryl Lipman as its new communications manager. Lipman, of Northeast Portland, joined the Trust on March 20, 2012.
Raised in Los Angeles by a music industry executive and a fine artist, Lipman recalls being rolled through the Getty Museum and Mark Tapor Forum in her stroller at age two. “The arts became like oxygen to me, transparent and sometimes unnoticed but absolutely necessary.”
Lipman holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Russian Language from The American University in Washington, DC. With near fluent Russian, Lipman’s work history includes three years in Russia and Belarus, managing grants, leading tours, and teaching. On return to The U.S., she spent seven years in tourism marketing for an airline, a tour operator, an Oregon destination marketing organization, and a Portland hotel.
She earned her Master of Arts in writing from Portland State University while working in marketing, community outreach and intercultural services for Portland Community College. After graduating PSU, she served over two years as public relations manager for the Rock Creek campus.
“Meryl Lipman stood out in the interview process. She’s an experienced, clear communicator who cares about Oregon culture. We’re delighted to have her on the Cultural Trust team,” said Christine D’Arcy, executive director of the Trust.
Lipman is thrilled to be part of the Oregon Cultural Trust. “I look forward to telling the story of the Trust, particularly as we approach our tenth anniversary. Oregon’s culture and heritage are every bit as robust as our famed outdoor life. My job will be to communicate that message and have it be widely recognized.”
No stranger to Oregon’s outdoors, Lipman is an advanced level Northwest record holding skydiver. An intrepid hiker and beginning technical mountaineer, she has climbed three Cascade peaks and looks forward to climbing Mt. Hood in June.
About the Oregon Cultural Trust
The OREGON CULTURAL TRUST is an innovative, statewide private-public program raising significant new funds to support and protect Oregon’s arts, humanities and heritage. In addition to the creation of a permanent endowment, funds are distributed annually through three multi-faceted, wide-ranging grant programs. Donors to the Trust are eligible for a 100% Oregon income tax credit for contributions of up to $500 for individuals, $1,000 for couples filing jointly and $2,500 for corporations. To motivate Oregonians to increase direct giving to cultural groups, Trust donors must also make matching gifts to one or more of 1,300 cultural nonprofits in order to qualify for the tax credit. No other state in the nation has a program like the Oregon Cultural Trust, which has been ranked with the bottle bill and the beach bill as among Oregon’s most progressive public policy measures. More information: (503) 986-0088 or www.culturaltrust.org.