In early August, Tom Insko, president of Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, announced that he was stepping down to become president and chief executive officer of Collins, a wood products company based in Wilsonville. Before becoming president of Eastern Oregon University, Insko worked as an executive for more than 20 years at Boise Cascade, another wood products company.
Now the board of trustees has named Lara Moore, vice president of finance and administration as one of two interim co-presidents. She will share leadership with Richard Chaves, chair of the board of trustees who will step down from that post while he serves as co-president.
Eastern Oregon University enrolls just over 2,500 undergraduate students and nearly 300 graduate students, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education. Women make up 60 percent of the undergraduate student body.
“I believe in EOU’s community,” said co-president Moore. “We have gone through a number of leadership transitions in the past, and I have confidence that we will come out of this transition with a great leader for EOU. In the meantime, I’m ready for a fantastic year.”
Moore joined the staff at the university in 2003 as executive assistant to the vice president for business, finance & facilities. In 2009, she was appointed director of business affairs. In 2014, Moore became vice president of finance and administration.
A summa cum laude graduate of Eastern Oregon University with a bachelor’s degree in history, Moore went on to earn an MBA with a concentration in nonprofit management from Marylhurst University in Oregon.