Becker Carries On Brown Family Legacy At Pacific
Tabitha Becker '84 At Petrified Stump
Trustee Tabitha Brown '84 at the petrified stump on the Forest Grove Campus that marks the site of the log cabin where her great-great-great-great grandmother, Tabitha Brown, opened the orphan school that became Pacific University. Photo by Thomas Lal.

In Fall 1980, Tabitha Becker ’84 stood in the hot southern Willamette Valley sunshine waiting to join the 17,000-plus students at the University of Oregon.

The longer she waited, the more she realized that it wasn’t the place for her.

Before making it to the front of the line, Becker ducked out and headed north to Forest Grove and Pacific University. It did not take long for her to realize that she had made the right decision.

Becker recalled talking with one of her brothers from a Walter Hall phone booth during her freshman year and telling him, “I am so happy at Pacific.” 

It wasn’t the first time that a member of Becker’s family found their way to Forest Grove. In fact, if it weren’t for her great-great-great-great-grandmother, there wouldn’t be a Pacific University at all. 

A descendant of university co-founder Tabitha Brown, the “Mother of Oregon,” Becker now finds herself as the latest member of the family helping to shape the future of Pacific, joining the university’s Board of Trustees in October 2025.

Four decades after her graduation and 176 years after Brown founded Pacific, she couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity.

“There is an authenticity of what Pacific portrays to the community,” Becker said. “Pacific is extremely strong in academics and carries that history with it. As our world changes, it will be necessary to pivot toward more relevant degrees. Pacific has never had problems with doing this in the past, and is uniquely positioned to arm their students with degrees that meet the demands of the current and future job markets. I’m excited to be part of that movement.”

Thanks to her familial connection, Pacific has been part of Becker’s life since the day she was born. Her mother, Patricia Hazelett, spent much of her life researching Brown and contributed volumes to our knowledge of her family, her journey on the Oregon Trail, and of her life. The family traveled to Forest Grove almost every summer, participating in annual Brown family reunions held in and around Old College Hall. Her older brother, Karsten, graduated from Pacific in 1975.

Though Becker headed to Eugene first, Pacific ended up being just what she needed, not only academically, but emotionally.

“When I got to Pacific, I felt a sense of belonging,” Becker said. “Upperclassmen immediately connected with me and really influenced my decisions, which have had a positive impact on me to this day. And the faculty was very welcoming.”

Graduating in 1984 with a degree in non-broadcast telecommunications, Becker spent two decades working in advertising agencies and with Intel’s marketing department before making a midlife career shift to child and family therapy. After earning her master’s and doctorate degrees in psychology, Becker spent 10 years in her own pediatric psychology practice in Lake Oswego before retiring in 2023.

For much of that time, Becker helped train doctoral students at her practice, where she offered practicum experience in pediatric neuropsychology. Additionally, her focus was centered on her four children and her husband Patrick’s involvement at the University of Portland, where he serves on the Board of Regents.

Tabitha Becker '84

"As our world changes, it will be necessary to pivot toward more relevant degrees. Pacific has never had problems with doing this in the past, and is uniquely positioned to arm students with degrees that meet the demands of the current and future job markets. I am excited to be part of that movement."

— Tabitha Becker '84

Then came Pacific University’s 175th anniversary. Becker was invited to narrate a video about her grandmother for the Pacific’s State of the University celebration. 

Back came the flood of memories of her student days, of her roommate from Los Angeles who became a fast friend, of Charles Trombley and his care for her, of her professors who not only paved a way to purpose but took an interest in her as a person, and, of course, of her Grandma Brown and the pioneer spirit that founded Pacific.

So when Becker was later extended an invitation to join Pacific’s Board of Trustees, it was a quick decision.

Tabitha Becker '84 Looking At A Portrait Of Tabitha Brown
Tabitha Becker '84 examines a painted portrait of Tabitha Brown that hangs inside Pacific University's Old College Hall. Becker, a descendant of Pacific's co-founder, is the newest member of the university's Board of Trustees. Photo by Thomas Lal.

“I had in the back of my mind that it was kind of crazy that I hadn’t been more supportive of Pacific,” she said. “As I was getting older, I started to think more about what has been achieved here and the impact that Pacific had on my life. It was a pivotal time for me and where that took me in my career path and the decisions I made throughout my life. It prepared me very well for the next chapter.”

Becker joins the board at a time when higher education is at a crossroads. There are fewer young people graduating from high school and, of them, fewer are choosing to attend college. Costs are high. Clear pathways from degree to career are more important than ever.

Pacific is addressing those challenges head-on. A designated high-access university, Pacific has stayed true to Tabitha Brown’s original vision of providing a home and education for all those seeking opportunity. Today, the university is streamlining and modernizing its operations to reduce costs and reinvest in student support, and it’s reorganizing academic programs to align to career pathways.

Already the leading private preparer of healthcare professionals in Oregon, Pacific is seeking even more opportunities to lead students to purpose-driven careers that uplift their communities. Its Pacific Priority program guarantees timely pathways to graduation and lets incoming undergraduates save a seat in grad school.

On the horizon are even more hands-on learning experiences, career connections, and accelerated pathways to the workforce.
Becker believes that for higher education to thrive, it needs to adapt to what the current generation needs and wants.

“I think that the working world has changed,” she said. “And I think that traditional universities need to be able to flex and change toward non-traditional degrees because the working world is increasingly in non-traditional careers. They still need people with skills. They still need people with education, but they need people who have a broader range of interests.

“The challenge moving forward is how do we make higher-quality universities, like Pacific, affordable to these students?”
Becker is excited to see the direction Pacific is moving in and the passion that other board members have for seeing her alma mater not only survive, but thrive. She believes it’s what Tabitha Brown would want.

“I think that we’re somewhat similar in feeling a sense of responsibility in helping younger people move forward in an educated and meaningful way,” Becker said. “I’m excited to be part of that.”

And Becker hopes that she provides the type of leadership that would have made Grandma Brown proud.

“We tend to have strong-headed women in our family and that’s no accident,” Becker says with a chuckle. “We know where that DNA came from. And I feel a sense of responsibility to be a part of that moving forward and helping to carry on that vision of my grandmother.”

By

Blake Timm '98
Media Arts
Trustees
Class of 1984
Alumni
Undergraduate Academics
Newsroom
Pacific History