The James B. Castles Leadership Award was established in 1998 to recognize an Oregon lawyer for excellence in the practice of business law, professionalism among fellow business lawyers, and outstanding community leadership. It is the highest recognition that the Business Law Section can bestow on one of its members.

James B. Castles began his career as an Oregon business lawyer advising Tektronix, Inc. founders Jack Murdock and Howard Vollum in the start-up phases of their business. He subsequently became the founding General Counsel of Tektronix and a long-time director of the company. Mr. Castles was also well known for his philanthropic support of Northwest organizations, and served as a founding trustee of the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust.

Read the Oregon Bar Bulletin article “Steward of the West: The Life and Times of James B. Castles.”

Recipients of the award

Ambyr O’Donnell (2025)

Ambyr O’Donnell advises companies through transformational periods, such as strategic acquisitions and initial public offerings. She epitomizes professionalism as a business lawyer and has made substantial contributions to the practice of business law in Oregon.

Ambyr has served in the senior executive roles at high-growth technology companies for more than 20 years. Prior roles include Chief Legal Officer of Truckstop.com, SVP and General Counsel of UserTesting, Inc., and VP and General Counsel of Tripwire, Inc. In 2021, Ambyr led UserTesting’s initial public offering. Prior to that, she guided Tripwire through its Form S-1 filing and subsequently led its sale to a private equity sponsor, then its sale to a strategic buyer. She has led M&A and strategic partnerships at both public and private companies.

Throughout her career, Ambyr has been recognized for her strategic judgment, operational rigor, and her ability to navigate complex transactions with clarity and integrity. She brings a pragmatic, business-first perspective to legal leadership and is known for building trusted partnerships with executives, boards, and investors.

Ambyr’s dedication to the legal community and the profession is extensive. She is a past chair of the Oregon State Bar Business Law Section Executive Committee and has served as a speaker for the Business Law, Intellectual Property, and Corporate Counsel sections. Ambyr also has served as Co-Chair of the Business Law & Innovation Board at her alma mater, Lewis and Clark Law School, and as a member of its Board of Visitors.

In 2013, the Association of Corporate Counsel recognized Ambyr as one of the “Top 10 30-Somethings” for her innovation, professional contributions, and pro bono work. In 2018, Lewis and Clark Law School honored her with the Distinguished Business Law Graduate Award for her leadership in technology law and her advocacy for women in the legal and technology fields. Beyond the legal sphere, Ambyr serves on the board of directors of Urban Gleaners, an Oregon nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating food waste and food insecurity.

Peter Bragdon (2024)

Peter Bragdon is the Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, and General Counsel of Columbia Sportswear Company, where he has worked for more than twenty-five years. Throughout his tenure, he has played a crucial role in helping transform from a $470-million-a-year company into a multi-billion, multi-brand, omni-channel apparel and footwear company selling products in more than ninety countries.

Peter started his legal career as an attorney with Stoel Rivers LLP, advising companies on corporate securities matters, including private financings, public offerings, and mergers and acquisitions. Peter also served as Special Assistant to the Oregon attorney general’s office, working with the attorney general and the governor to develop gambling policies in Oregon. A few years later, Peter served as the Chief of Staff for Oregon governor, Ted Kulongoski.

Before entering the practice of law, Peter wrote for the Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report as a political journalist. His writing has been quoted extensively in major publications, such as the Washington Post and the New York Times.

Peter has also served in many community and nonprofit roles, including serving on the Boards of Trustees of Reed College and the University of Oregon, and as a Board Member for the Oregon Community Foundation, the World Federation of Sporting Goods Industry, and other community and nonprofit organizations.

Eva Kripalani (2023)

Eva began her legal career at Stoel Rives in Portland, where she became a corporate law partner. She then spent over 20 years in general counsel and interim general counsel roles, including at KinderCare Learning Centers and FEI Company. Her career has included not only serving in legal capacities, but also in executive operational roles, including government relations, corporate communications, internal audit and corporate philanthropy. Eva is a thought leader regarding lawyers transitioning into company leadership, including by co-authoring the book, “The Generalist Counsel: How Leading General Counsel are Shaping Tomorrow’s Companies,” published by Oxford University Press in 2013.

Drawing on her experiences, Eva is now the co-founder of The Office of General Counsel Network, an innovative network of attorneys who act as general counsels to organizations that may not have a legal department and supplement the in-house legal teams of those that do.

Eva’s career has also included a rich and generous dedication to public causes. She serves as a trustee for Willamette University and she chairs its Audit Committee. She completed nine years of service on the board of The Library Foundation, including service as its board chair. She has also served on the board of the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System and numerous nonprofits.

Robert J McGaughey (2021)
The Executive Committee of the Business Law Section is pleased to announce that the 2021 recipient of the James B. Castles Award is Robert J. McGaughey. To honor our 2021 recipient, the Business Law Section has produced a short video about Robert, including comments from some of his close colleagues.

Ronald Greenman (2019)

Ron began working at Tonkon Torp in 1978, as one of its earliest attorneys. As a highly respected business lawyer, Ron has built a practice that emphasizes securities, finance, corporate acquisitions and leveraged buyouts. His business clients have included national and international corporations, as well as small and large family-owned operations.

Ron is a founding and current board member of the Lawyer’s Campaign for Equal Justice CEJ), which was established in 1991 by Oregon attorneys to improve the well-being of all Oregonians by supporting equal access to civil legal services.

Ron has also been an active speaker at OSB CLE functions focused on corporate and finance matters.

For four years, Ron served on the Board of Directors for the Oregon Law Foundation, supporting its mission to help fund organizations that provide legal services to people of lesser means, promote diversity in the legal profession, and educate the public about the law.

To help cultivate future generations of business law professionals, Ron joined the Business Law Advisory Council of the University of Oregon School of Law, and has established an endowment that will support business law curriculum at the law school.

In addition to providing leadership and guidance to the business law profession, Ron has provided service to our community at large. He served on the Board of Trustees for Pacific University for 15 years, and was a long-standing board member for the Tri-County Youth Services Consortium, an umbrella organization focused on providing services to at-risk youth. Ron has also served on the Finance Committees for both the Arlington Club and Waverley Country Club.

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John M. McGuigan (2017)

John M. McGuigan is a partner at Black Helterline LLP. He is the former Chair of the firm’s Business and Corporate Practice and currently serves on the Advisory Committee. In addition to his wide-ranging business and corporate practice, John also serves on the board of one of Portland’s long-standing social services organizations and is a frequent speaker for continuing legal education.

Since joining the firm in 1979, John has assisted domestic and international clients in a variety of corporate, business and commercial matters, from mergers and acquisitions to technology transfers, business formations and resolution of chronic minority shareholder disputes.

He has an accounting degree and is familiar with corporate and partnership tax issues, as well as corporate finance transactions and securities compliance for both closely held and public companies.

As Special Assistant Attorney General to the Oregon Department of Justice and several public universities, John represents various state agencies and public universities in matters involving business and corporate transactions, securities law, technology transfer and related matters. He has held leadership positions in numerous committees of the Oregon State Bar. John is listed in Oregon Super Lawyers 2009 in the Business/Corporate category.

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Jeffrey C. Wolfstone (2016)

For more than 30 years, Jeffrey Wolfstone has focused his practice on various aspects of business law, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate and commercial finance, corporate law and governance, business organization, venture capital and private equity, and sustainability and nonprofit corporations.

Throughout his career, Mr. Wolfstone has shown outstanding professional leadership. He is an oft-quoted author and speaker on business topics. He participated on the legislative drafting committee for HB 2826 (passed by the 2007 Oregon Legislature) that enabled Oregon corporations to place in their articles of incorporation provisions regarding environmentally and socially responsible conduct. He is the longstanding chair of the Oregon Nonprofit Corporation Act Task Force.

Mr. Wolfstone is an active member of Oregon Lawyers for a Sustainable Future, Corporate Governance Group; Japan-America Society of Oregon; Portland Tax Forum; Congregation Beth Israel; Oregon Entrepreneurs Network; Portland Angel Network; Oregon Jewish Community Foundation; and National Association of Corporate Directors, Portland Advisory Board. He currently serves as President of the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation.

In addition to Mr. Wolfstone’s many commitments to Portland’s legal community and the community at large, he serves as Co-chair of Lane Powell’s Corporate Finance and Securities Practice Group, as well as its Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group. He also serves as Chair of the firm’s Tax-Exempt and Nonprofit Organizations Practice Group.

Kenneth D. Stephens (2015)

While building a thriving business practice that spans more than four decades and emphasizes corporate and securities matters, Ken Stephens has consistently provided leadership and committee service to his law firms, the OSB community, and has contributed his expertise and talents to the business and nonprofit community in many ways.

In 2010, Mr. Stephens played a lead role in the resolution of the Sunwest Management Bankruptcy, which culminated in a $1.2 billion deal involving the sale of 140 senior living properties in 39 states. For his work on Sunwest, he received the Large Company Turnaround Transaction of the Year award from the Turnaround Management Association in 2011.

In the 1970s, Mr. Stephens served as Assistant Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs in connection with its Securities Industry Study. He has frequently served on Tonkon Torp’s managing board, including several terms as chairman.

Mr. Stephens has been recognized as a leading corporate and banking lawyer by Super Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America®, and Chambers USA America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. He was named by Best Lawyers as Portland, Oregon’s Lawyer of the Year in 2015 for Securities Regulation, in 2011 for Corporate Law and in 2009 and 2013 for Banking and Finance Law.

Since 2003, he has donated nearly 1,000 hours to pro bono matters, ranging from board service to representation of underserved populations through the SE Legal Clinic.

Carmen Calzacorta (2014)

Ms. Calzacorta, a business lawyer and Chair of the Business Transitions Group at Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, has dedicated her legal career to building a successful business practice ‎in Oregon, while serving as an advocate for her clients. She is a trusted corporate counsel to many of the region’s leading businesses. At the start of her legal career, she worked with another James B. Castles Leadership Award winner, Neva Campbell, a Schwabe partner. Since that time, Ms. Calzacorta has served as a mentor to attorneys at Schwabe as well as outside of the firm. She is active in the legal community, having previously served as Chair of the Oregon State Bar Business Law Section and on the Board of the Oregon Women Lawyers Association. In addition, she is ‎an active and often leading participant in numerous charitable and non-profit organizations, including currently serving as the President of the Board of Directors for SOLVE and on the Boards of Associated Oregon Industries and Friends of the Children. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Large Firm Committee of the Campaign for Equal Justice.

Brent Bullock (2013)

John Jaqua (2010)

Ruth Beyer (2008)

MardiLyn Saathoff (2005)

Robert Art (2004)

Neva Campbell (2003)

Donald L. Krahmer, Jr. (2002)

Andrew J. Morrow (2001)

Brian Booth (2000)

Henry H. Hewitt (1999)

Otto B. Frohnmayer (1998)