Meet our Board

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Board of Directors

Dedicated to Protecting Oregon’s School Trust Lands

Oregon Advocates for School Trust Lands (OASTL) is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors dedicated to enforcing the state's constitutional duties to public schools. Our board brings together expertise in constitutional law, forestry science, trust management, and education policy to direct our litigation and advocacy strategies.

Our Strategic Expertise

We Wrote the Book on Oregon's School Trust

Our leadership team has literally written the book on the crisis facing Oregon's schools. Oregon's Constitutional Duties to Schools (2025), co-authored by Board members Margaret Bird and Dave Sullivan, is the definitive guide to the state's broken promise.

This 150-page volume documents the "billion-dollar inheritance" meant for Oregon’s children and details the specific breaches of fiduciary duty—loyalty, prudence, and accountability—that have drained the Common School Fund. It serves as the foundation for our legal strategy.

Dave Sullivan, Ph.D., President

Dave Sullivan serves as President of OASTL, bringing a background in systems analysis and public service. He is a Professor Emeritus from Oregon State University’s College of Business where he wrote many textbooks about using computers effectively. His extensive public service includes prior terms on the Corvallis School Board and the Oregon Small Woodlands Association Board of Directors.

Dave and his wife, Barb, are small woodland owners who live on their 200-acre tree farm in Kings Valley. They have spent the last decade promoting historic preservation and fire lookout restoration. Dave leads the organization's strategic planning and daily operations.

Barb Sullivan, Treasurer

Barb Sullivan serves as Treasurer, overseeing the non-profit's financial compliance and resource management. She is retired from a career with the Oregon Department of Corrections. As a tree farm owner alongside her husband, she brings a practical perspective on land stewardship and a deep commitment to securing funding for Oregon's education system.

Dave and Barb can be reached through drdavesullivan@gmail.com or barbaraksullivan@yahoo.com or by phoning or texting 541-791-6470.

Laura D. Cooper, Attorney, Board Member

Laura Cooper joins the board bringing decades of high-level legal experience in civil rights, complex litigation, and appellate advocacy. A member of the Oregon, California, and District of Columbia Bars, she is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court as well as the 5th and 9th Circuit Courts of Appeals.

Laura’s distinguished career includes serving as General Counsel for the Pain Relief Network, Counsel to the Chairman of the Interstate Commerce Commission, and as a Staff Attorney for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. She has received numerous awards for her advocacy, including the Paul G. Hearne Award for Disability Rights from the American Bar Association and the Oregon State Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award. Her expertise is vital to OASTL's litigation efforts regarding fiduciary duties.

Margaret Bird, Board Member

Margaret Bird is an economist and nationally recognized school trust lands expert based in Utah. She co-founded the national non-profit Advocates for School Trust Lands (ASTL) and co-authored the book Oregon's Constitutional Duties to Schools with Dave Sullivan.

Margaret led the historic reform of Utah’s school trust lands, championing legislation and constitutional changes that transformed Utah's management into a professional endowment model. Her leadership helped grow Utah's annual school distribution from under $5 million to over $113 million. She serves on the OASTL board to help Oregon achieve similar success and honor its historic commitment to schoolchildren.

Bob Zybach, Secretary

Bob Zybach is a member of the board of directors and Secretary for Oregon Advocates for School Trust Lands (OASTL). Bob has a PhD in Environmental Sciences from Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, which he earned in 2003.

Bob is a staunch advocate of keeping the Elliott State Forest as a School Trust Land and actively managing it to provide revenue for the Common School Fund. He has been involved in the forestry industry for over 20 years and has operated a successful reforestation business from Eddyville, Oregon.

Bob is also an expert in the field of forest and wildfire history. He has conducted extensive research on the pre-contact history and cultural legacy of forest research sites in southwestern Oregon.

Bob also cofounded Oregon Websites and Watersheds Project (ORWW), a non-profit organization that aims to assist Oregon students, teachers, residents, and resource managers in implementing computer technology, historical documentation, scientific reasoning, community consensus building, environmental enhancement projects, and long-term monitoring strategies to help make more informed decisions regarding local natural and cultural resources.

April Diviney, Board Member

April Diviney brings the essential perspective of Oregon’s parents and students to the board. A Registered Nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, April is a parent of four children who have attended Oregon’s public schools, with one currently attending high school in McMinnville. She advocates for the beneficiaries of the trust—the students who rely on the Common School Fund for their educational resources.

In Memoriam: David Gould (1942–2024) Past President

David Gould was the heart and soul of OASTL, serving as its president throughout 2023. A great-grandson of pioneers George and Hattie Gould, his family history is deeply rooted in the Elkhorn Ranch in the heart of the present-day Elliott State Forest. David was a tireless advocate for keeping the Elliott as a School Trust Land. We dedicate our ongoing work to his legacy.

Join Our Coalition

OASTL seeks to represent a diverse cross-section of Oregonians. We invite inquiries from prospective directors or volunteers representing:

Education: Students, Teachers, School Board Members, and Administrators.
Forestry & Industry: Foresters, Tree Farm Owners, and Forest Industry Professionals.
Government: Current or former employees of the Department of Education or Forestry.

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