Biography
Phylis Myles brings a background in both the corporate world and in private law practice to the job of Assistant Dean for Career Planning and Development Emeritus. Before going to law school, she worked as editor, communications manager and director of marketing in the corporate world in areas as diverse as camping guides, surgical equipment and video arcade games at a division of Columbia Pictures.
After earning her JD, she clerked at the Oregon Court of Appeals for Justice R. William Riggs. She was a trial attorney in private practice with her husband in Portland for 12 years, specializing in employment discrimination and environmental justice issues. She also was a trainer for the U.S. Forest Service line employees in environmental justice issues.
Myles has been active in Oregon Women Lawyers, a professional organization that promotes women and minorities in the legal profession, since its inception in 1989 and is a past president. She is also a former president of the Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation and has served on several Oregon State Bar committees and task forces. She was awarded a lifetime membership in the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus for her dedication to discrimination issues. Myles continues to be active in discrimination issues and is a frequent speaker on strategic planning for nonprofit organizations.
She is a member of the Oregon and Washington bars and is admitted to the U.S. District Courts of the Districts of Oregon and Western Washington and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.