General Counsel Staff

CINDY J. STARKE

GENERAL COUNSEL

Cindy provides advice and assistance on a wide range of legal issues for Portland State University, including student affairs, employment, litigation management, policy development and compliance. She has represented Oregon public universities since 2009, and joined PSU in April 2014. Cindy previously served as assistant general counsel to the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, and now serves as a judge on the Warm Springs Court of Appeals. Cindy earned her B.A. in English from the University of Maryland and her J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she served as co-chair of the Native American Law Students Association (NALSA). She is currently on the board of the Oregon Law Foundation and the Secretary of the Oregon State Bar’s Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion.

MICHAEL J. GRIESER

ASSOCIATE GENERAL COUNSEL

Michael is primarily responsible for business and transactional legal issues for PSU. He works closely with Finance and Administration, Purchasing and Contracting, Facilities and Planning, and similar units across campus. Michael started as an Assistant General Counsel at Portland State University in October 2011. Prior to joining PSU, Michael served as a Deputy General Counsel for TriMet and an Assistant General Counsel for the Portland Development Commission. Michael earned a B.A. in Philosophy with Honors from Seattle University and a J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School.

KRISTA S. STEARNS

ASSOCIATE GENERAL COUNSEL

Krista handles a variety of legal matters for PSU, including records requests and retention issues, government ethics, policy development, litigation, and transactional matters for the university. Krista joined Portland State in September of 2014. Previously, Krista was the City Attorney for the City of Kenai, Alaska. She also served as a state assistant attorney general and worked as an attorney at Boyd, Chandler & Falconer, LLP in Anchorage providing day-to-day legal advice and litigation services to municipalities and small business clients. Krista graduated with honors from Illinois Wesleyan University and earned her J.D. from the University of Minnesota. She is currently admitted to practice law in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

JEREMY S. HEALEY

ASSOCIATE GENERAL COUNSEL & BOARD SECRETARY

Jeremy advises on a variety of legal issues for the university, including student affairs, labor and employment, litigation management, government ethics, athletics, pay equity, policy development, and compliance matters. Jeremy has represented Oregon public universities since 2013, and joined Portland State University’s Office of the General Counsel in November 2019. Prior to joining PSU, Jeremy served as an Associate General Counsel for Oregon State University, and as an attorney at Lane Powell PC, where he focused on labor, employment, civil litigation and education law for a variety of public and private employers. Jeremy earned a B.A. in economics from Claremont McKenna College, and a J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law.

JOSEPH M. COOPER

ASSISTANT GENERAL COUNSEL

Joe advises on a variety of legal matters for the university, including student affairs, labor and employment, policy development, and compliance issues. Prior to joining PSU in September 2026, Joe worked as Of Counsel at Littler Mendelson, P.C., where he defended employers in matters involving state and federal court litigation, NLRB proceedings, administrative claims, and grievance arbitrations. Before joining Littler, Joe worked as an attorney at Whelan, Corrente & Flanders, LLP in Providence, RI, where he provided advice and litigation services for private and public sector clients, including K-12 school districts. Joe earned a B.A. in history from Boston College and a J.D. from Boston College Law School. During law school, Joe also earned an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from Boston College's Lynch School of Education.

AMY CRELLY

ASSOCIATE BOARD SECRETARY & OGC PROJECT MANAGER

Amy provides executive-level administrative support to PSU's 15-member volunteer Board of Trustees, to Jeremy in his role as Secretary to the Board, and to the Office of General Counsel. Amy also supports the University Policy Committee and maintains the University Policy Library. Amy began her career in higher education as part of a research communications team at the University of California, Davis, before joining PSU in November 2014. She served as an Executive Assistant in PSU's Research and Graduate Studies department for over 11 years before joining PSU's Legal Services team.

CLAIR CALLAWAY PINKERTON

LEGAL OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR & PARALEGAL

Clair is the Legal Office Administrator & Paralegal for the Office of General Counsel. Clair has an ABA-approved paralegal certificate from Portland Community College and a Core Registered Paralegal® designation. As a PSU alumna and employee of over twenty-five years, Clair has served in various roles across campus.

Annual Reporting

FY 23.24

FY 24.25

FY 25.26