The Indiana University Board of Trustees is honoring the memory of former trustee Melanie S. Walker, who died in 2021, with a special project on the IU Bloomington campus.

Among the honors for the late Melanie S. Walker are a tree planting and a portrait. Photo by James Brosher, Indiana UniversityAt their February meeting, the trustees approved an outdoor seating space with a view of the Metz Carillon and Cox Arboretum, and the planting of a pink flowering dogwood tree. Her portrait also has been added to the Women of IU Portrait Collection in the East Lounge of the Indiana Memorial Union.

Walker was appointed to the IU Board of Trustees by then-Gov. Mike Pence in 2016. While serving on the board, Walker was involved with many university organizations, including the Dean’s Council for the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, the Steering Committee of the IU Women’s Philanthropy Council, and the Manufacturing and Public Policy Steering Committee.

She was also president of the board of the Japan-America Society of Indiana and president of the American Heart Association Executive Leadership Team, and she served on the boards for the Indiana Economic Development Corp., the IU Credit Union, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and Susie’s Place Child Advocacy Center.