By This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
OM Associates Inc. of Oregon (dba Oregon Destination Imagination) facilitates creative problem solving programs in Oregon. In the last 30 years, Oregon DI has helped 30,000 Oregon school children explore the boundaries of their creative intelligence and learn skills that have led to exemplary problem solving in their further education, careers, and volunteer activities.
Oregon OM was founded in the Fall of 1980 by a dedicated group of Talented and Gifted (TAG) teachers mostly from the Portland area but also from other areas of the state and with support from the State Department of Education. It was established to operate under the 501(c)(3) umbrella of the national program Olympics of the Mind (later called Odyssey of the Mind). Through pull-out programs during the class day, TAG teachers recruited team members and taught the creative problem solving process. These teachers recruited parents to take over the teams and work with students to compete at regional and state competitions.
Karen Clark was the first State Director, serving from 1980 to 1983. The first board consisted of Jackie Buisman, Mike Cullum, Lynn Koller, Karen Lachman, Joyce Lozito, Sue Novotny, and Karen Wedeking. The first two tournaments were held at Portland Community College Rock Creek Center. Teams were from Beaverton, North Clackamas, Hillsboro Grants Pass, Reedville, Sherwood, West Linn, Scappoose, Eugene, and Portland.
Joyce Lozito was the second State Director. 1983-86. Regional tournaments were being held in several areas of the state. The state tournaments were held at Portland State University. Sandra Howell was the third State Director serving from 1986 to April of 1988. There were regions in Beaverton, Salem, Bend, Corvallis, and Grants Pass. The state tournament was held at Western Oregon University in Monmouth.
Karen Anderson became State Director in April of 1988 and continues to serve in that role. Regions changed during this period to include two regions in Portland: Metro East and Metro West. The Corvallis regional tournament moved first to Tillamook and then to Pleasant Hill. From 1988 to 1991, the state tournament continued at Western Oregon University. It then moved to Oregon State University in Corvallis, where it continued to be held until 2009.
1995 saw major change for the program when tax Measure 5 reduced school funding and, following that, the number of TAG teachers in the state. The loss of many of the program’s major supporters and recruiters was a blow. In 1999, the National Board of Trustees filed a legal action which resulted in a split in the organization; Odyssey of the Mind broke away and became a for-profit company. A majority of board members and volunteers formed a new organization under the OM nonprofit umbrella—Destination ImagiNation Inc.
The Oregon OM Assoc. Board of Directors voted to go with the nonprofit OM Association—Destination ImagiNation. The first DI tournament was held in the Spring of 2000. OM Associates Inc of Oregon applied for and received a DBA for Oregon Destination ImagiNation—Oregon DI. In 2010, the organization officially changed its name to Oregon Destination ImagiNation, Inc.
Now seen as an extracurricular activity, Oregon DI teams statewide have decreased over the last decade from a high of more than 350 memberships, primarily due to limited promotion and the lack of time or willingness of parents to step up and coordinate teams. In 2007, the board consolidated the regions to three: Metro, Southern, and Eastern.
