Oregon Symphony Welcomes New Board Members Maureen Murphy, Paul Snyder, Liz Walker, and Rick Hinkes

The Oregon Symphony is pleased to announce the December 2024 appointments of Maureen Murphy, Paul Snyder, and Liz Walker, and the March 2025 re-election of Rick Hinkes to its Board of Directors. These board members bring a strong commitment to community, extensive experience in strategy and innovation, keen business acumen, and robust leadership skills to the organization.

“Maureen, Paul, Liz, and Rick bring a wealth of knowledge and skills to the Oregon Symphony, and we are thrilled to welcome them to our board of directors,” says Dan Drinkward, Oregon Symphony Board Chair. “Building a board with a wide variety of perspectives serves the institution and helps the Symphony serve our city.”

Maureen Murphy is a forward-thinking leader in digital strategy. She currently leads the global digital business for Nike across Nike App, Nike.com and SNRKS. Before joining Nike in 2020, Murphy spent 11 years in New York co-founding L2, a business intelligence firm that advised leading consumer brands on digital strategy and benchmarking. Murphy, a graduate of Stanford University and New York University, has served on the board of Land’s End and is a passionate believer in both the arts and women’s sports—and the role they can play in energizing a city.

Paul Snyder, with a rich background in corporate responsibility, public affairs, strategy, and leadership, recently held the position of Executive Vice President of Stewardship at the Tillamook County Creamery Association, a role he held until December 2024. Prior to that, he served as the Global Vice President of Corporate Responsibility at InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), where he spearheaded sustainability strategy and execution for the company’s nearly 5,200 hotels globally. Additionally, he directed the company’s U.S.-based foundation and several community-based and diversity-focused initiatives.

As a dedicated community leader, Snyder has actively participated in various boards and executive committees, including the Newtrient, Oregon Business & Industry, the Portland Metro ChamberGlobal Sustainable Tourism Alliance, the Metro Atlanta Chapter of the American Red Cross, and the Georgia Center for Nonprofits. His commitment to the arts is also evident, as he has served on the boards of the Atlanta Opera, the Atlanta Symphony, and the Portland Opera.

Liz Reaves Walker’s passion is launching innovative products that improve people’s lives and change the trajectory of a company. A native Oregonian and graduate of Duke University, Walker is currently a Product Marketing leader at Airbnb where she has directed product and strategy for features related to Identity, Trust, Safety, and Community Support for the past 8 years. Prior to Airbnb, Walker worked at Nike where she launched the Nike+Fuelband and established partnerships with Apple, Samsung, and Facebook. She spent 2 years at Zoom+Care leading product and design. Liz was also an early employee at LinkedIn where she drove product and strategy for the LinkedIn newsfeed, subscription business, and advertising products. Walker served on the board of Oregon Center for Contemporary Art (formerly Disjecta) for 6 years and was on board of the Duke Alumni Association in both New York and Portland. She also is a partner in the Oregon Venture Fund.

Rick Hinkes served on the Oregon Symphony board for seven years and, as Co-Chair in fiscal years 2021 and 2022, was instrumental in guiding the organization during the shutdown and return from the COVID-19 pandemic. His support and advocacy for the Symphony remained constant during his hiatus and he rejoins with enthusiasm for the future of the organization. Rick is retired from Engineered Machinery, Inc. (EMI), where he was the President and Chief Executive Officer from 2005 to 2015. He brings to the board his expertise in innovation, business development, and executive management.  

“We have a tremendous opportunity and responsibility to bolster Portland’s cultural vitality and growth,” says Isaac Thompson, Oregon Symphony’s President and CEO. “We are attracting some of the region’s top innovators and leaders to our board, and their support and guidance allows us to think boldly about the future of arts in Oregon.” 

For more information about the Oregon Symphony and its Board of Directors, please visit www.orsymphony.org/board.

About Oregon Symphony 

The multi-Grammy Award-nominated Oregon Symphony, led by Jean Vollum Music Director David Danzmayr, serves more than 250,000 people annually through live concerts, and education and community engagement programs. Through innovative initiatives such as the Creative Alliance, the Oregon Symphony engages cultural thought-leaders to bring a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives and inspiring musical experiences to our community that go beyond the concert hall and support the Symphony’s mission to move music forward. Online programming and syndicated broadcasts extend the Oregon Symphony’s reach to tens of millions more children and adults around the world. The Oregon Symphony has delighted audiences for more than 125 years and is the oldest orchestra in the Western United States. For more information, visit www.orsymphony.org. Follow Oregon Symphony on Instagram and Facebook.