The Oregon Senate confirmed Danny Santos JD’86, Willamette alumnus and former associate dean for student affairs and administration, to the Southern Oregon University Board of Trustees on September 22. Santos received his undergraduate degree from SOU in 1975.
Bill Thorndike, chair of the SOU Board, welcomed Santos back to his alma mater.
“Danny brings to the Board valuable expertise in higher education, as well as decades of service among the highest levels of state government,” Thorndike said. “He’s a perfect fit.”
Santos served under four Oregon governors, including Neil Goldschmidt, Barbara Roberts, John Kitzhaber (first administration) and Ted Kulongoski. His duties under the leaders at the capitol ranged from serving as a policy adviser to legal counsel. In each of his positions, he promoted education and diversity.
“Whether I was serving in the Office of the Governor or in our educational institutions, a constant truth for me has been that we all benefit when we invest in education,” Santos said. “This privilege to serve on the Southern Oregon University board of trustees helps me pay back the great investment SOU made in me.”
Before entering government service, Santos worked at Marion & Polk Legal Services, supervised the Oregon Migrant Education Service Center, and directed the Jackson County Migrant Education Program. Following his time at the capitol, he spent five years as an administrator at Willamette Law.
Santos was a founding member of Scholarships for Oregon Latinos, Willamette Academy, and Oregon Mentors/Institute for Youth Success. He serves on the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Mid-Valley Literacy Center boards and holds numerous honors, including being named one of SOU’s distinguished alumni in 1990.
About Willamette University College of Law
Opened in 1883, Willamette University College of Law is the first law school in the Pacific Northwest. The college has a long tradition at the forefront of legal education and is committed to the advancement of knowledge through excellent teaching, scholarship, mentoring and experience. Leading faculty, thriving externship and clinical law programs, ample practical skills courses, and a proactive career placement office prepare Willamette law students for today's legal job market. According to statistics compiled by the American Bar Association, Willamette ranks first in the Pacific Northwest for job placement for full-time, long-term, JD-preferred/JD-required jobs for the class of 2014 and first in Oregon for the classes of 2012, 2013 and 2014. Located across the street from the state capitol complex and the Oregon Supreme Court in downtown Salem, the college specializes in law and government, law and business, and dispute resolution.