Service Territory and Board of Directors
West Oregon Electric Service Territory
Board Of Directors
 Bernard Bird - Serving Elsie, Jewell, & Neeanicum
Bernard Bird brings many years of public power experience
to the board. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he began
a career in power plant operations at Arizona's Salt River
Project, the largest public power project in the country.
Mr. Bird worked his way up through the ranks as a shift
supervisor, assistant superintendent and later as a liaison
to Colorado-Ute, a generation and transmission cooperative,
for construction and start-up of the Yampa power generation
project. He came to Oregon shortly after his retirement
from Salt River and became a director in 1991. Mr. Bird
currently serves on the budget subcommittee.
Bernard and his wife Janet own and operate an antique
and gift shop on Highway 26 in Elsie.
 Robert
VanNatta - Serving Apiary, Mist, & Birkenfeld
A life-long Columbia County resident, Robert VanNatta
has served on the West Oregon board since 1986. His leadership
abilities and commitment to keeping current on industry
issues has served him well as past board president, current
vice-president and member of the labor subcommittee. Mr.
VanNatta also serves as the co-op’s representative
on the Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association (ORECA)
board of directors.
A lawyer with a practice in St. Helens, Robert also operates
an award-winning tree farm with other family members. He
lives near Rainier with his wife Lois and has four daughters.
 Randall Aultman - Serving Vernonia & Keasey
Randy Aultman
retired from a distinguished career in education in 2002,
with his most recent assignment as principal of Vernonia's
Washington Grade School. Randy continues to occasionally
work as an educator through substitute teaching. Aultman
earned his bachelor's degree in education from Southern Oregon
College, and earned a Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction
from the University of Oregon.
Randy became a West Oregon
director in 2002, and serves on the budget subcommittee.
His new role at West Oregon Electric is not his first at
an electric cooperative. Aultman worked at Roseburg's Douglas
Electric Cooperative part-time on their tree trimming crew
from 1969-1973. A long-time Vernonia resident, Randy and
his wife Nancy have 3 children Randy serves as Secretary-Treasurer
for the Cooperative.
 Joe Riley - Serving Vernonia
Mr. Riley was appointed to
the West Oregon Electric in 1994 representing District 3.
A change in residency outside that district caused him to
resign his position. Joe returned to the board in 2003 representing
District 4.
A long-time Vernonia resident and former small-business
operator, Riley recently retired from Kinder-Morgan Energy
Partners, where he worked as a lea maintenance technician
for Oregon Operations. He currently works as an Inspection
and Construction Manager for Sun Engineering.
Joe is an active
and well-respected member of the community, having served
as president of the Vernonia Jaycees and on the Columbia
County Economic Commission.
 Mike
Pihl - Serving Buxton & Timber
Mike Pihl is our newest addition to the board. He has a
desire to fulfill his civic duties and make a difference
in his community. Mike felt that joining the West Oregon
Electric Board of Directors would be a good place to make
a difference. Mike wants to make sure that West Oregon is
able to provide quality service with keeping costs down as
much as possible. Being a business owner for 24 years (Pihl
Logging Co. Inc.), he has a solid background in setting a
budget and working within it.
Mike has seven kids, ranging
in ages from 5 months to 27 years old. When he is not working
at Pihl logging, he is working at home helping his wife Lisa
with the kids.
 Dixie London - Serving Scappoose & Chapman
Dixie London
is an example of the way in which a cooperative works - members
that look for a way to serve other members. Several years
ago Dixie was part of a group from the Chapman area that
had many concerns about the co-op. In her own words: "I
had complained so much that I figured I should stop complaining
and try to do something helpful." She has served the
members as a director since 1993, and was appointed board
president in 2002.
Dixie works for the Circuit Court in St.
Helens. Her previous work experience includes stints in various
capacities in the aviation, social services and hospitality
industries. She is a member of the Friends of the Scappoose
Public Library. Dixie spends her free time helping husband
Don with his business, designing and manufacturing components
for home-built aircraft.
 David Hess, PhD. - Serving Manning, Hagg Lake, & Yamhill
Co.
David Hess’ desire to help provide a critical service
to neighbors and friends led him to apply for the director
position as the result of a vacancy in 1994. David holds
a degree in Chemistry from Idaho State University and a Ph.D.
in Physiology from the Oregon Health Science University (OHSU).
He works at the Oregon National Primate Research Center at
OHSU and is a noted writer and speaker. He is a member of
the American Physiological Society, the Society for the Study
of Reproduction and the American Society of Primatologists.
Dr. Hess lives with his wife Joi in the Banks area and is
the father of three.
David serves on the labor subcommittee.
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