Merle Chambers

Merle received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California at Berkeley, her Juris Doctor from Hastings College of the Law, and an LLM from the University of Denver. She participated in the social change movement at Berkeley and was the third woman to reach both the North and South Poles. Merle founded and managed Axem Resources Incorporated, a privately held, independent oil and gas company, until its sale in 1997. Under Merle’s leadership as president and CEO, Axem was a consistent leader in exploration, development and acquisition projects. Merle brings a wealth of private sector skills and knowledge to her work as a philanthropist, having worked with her father, Jerry G. Chambers, a successful executive in the transportation and oil and gas industries. Merle’s mother, Evelyn Hemmings Chambers, devoted much of her time and resources to community participation and charitable giving, setting an early and important example for her daughter. Evelyn Chambers passed away in March 2001 at age 90. Merle Catherine Chambers created Chambers Family Fund in 1997 to support early care and education of children, women’s economic self-sufficiency, justice, equality and opportunity and arts and culture