Office of the General Counsel Staff

Rebecca "Becca" Gose, Vice President and General Counsel

Office of the General Counsel
630 Kerr Administration Building
Corvallis, OR 97331-2158
(541) 737-2474 (phone)
(541) 737-0712 (fax)

Send a message to Becca Gose Executive Assistant: Heather Cashell

Becca Gose serves as Vice President and General Counsel for Oregon State University (OSU). As Chief Legal Officer, she leads the Office of the General Counsel, consisting of a team of attorneys focused on strategic and preventive advising, finding innovative solutions, and fostering collaborative problem-solving. Reporting directly to the President, Becca is a member of the University Cabinet and advises the Board of Trustees, President, Provost, and various levels of university leadership.

Becca has served OSU since 2010, as Assistant and then Associate General Counsel, and began her role as Chief Legal Officer in 2015. Prior to joining OSU, she was an associate litigation attorney in the San Francisco office of Munger, Tolles and Olson, where a portion of her practice was dedicated to representing higher education institutions. She received her JD from the University of California at Berkeley and her BA from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Following law school, she clerked for the Honorable David M. Ebel on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Becca actively contributes to the higher-education legal community through her involvement in NACUA. She recently completed a 3-year term on the Board of Directors and currently serves on the Committee on Strategic Planning and leads the LGBTQ+ Affinity Group. Her prior engagements include participation on the Annual Conference Planning Committee, Committee on Legal Education, General Counsel Institute Planning Committee, and the NACUA Membership and New Members Committee, as well as Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee. She has also been a speaker or a discussion leader at multiple NACUA conferences and workshops. Additionally, she served a 6-year term on the Board of Trustees for the Corvallis Public Schools Foundation, where she served as Chair, Immediate Past Chair, and Secretary.

Meet the Team

Jason Catz, Senior Associate General Counsel

Office of the General Counsel
524 Kerr Administration Building
Corvallis, OR 97331-2158
(541) 737-2474 (phone)
(541) 737-0712 (fax)

Send a message to Jason Catz

Jason A. Catz joined the Office of the General Counsel in 2022. Jason arrives at OSU having most recently served seven years as General Counsel for Southern Oregon University. Jason first came to higher education in Oregon as a member of the Oregon University System’s legal staff in 2012, where he served as Associate General Counsel and provided legal services to Southern Oregon University, Oregon Tech, and the OUS Office of the Chancellor. Prior to joining OUS, Jason spent ten years at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in San Francisco, California where he litigated numerous matters on behalf of education, health care, technology, and banking clients, among others. Jason received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in and his B.A. in philosophy from Kenyon College.

Julie Penry, Associate General Counsel

Office of the General Counsel
526 Kerr Administration Building
Corvallis, OR 97331-2158
(541) 737-2474 (phone)
(541) 737-0712 (fax)

Send a message to Julie Penry

Julie S. Penry joined the Office of the General Counsel in 2014. She has served the state of Oregon as an attorney since about 2007 for the Oregon Department of Justice and the Oregon Judicial Department. Prior to her state service, she worked in private practice as a patent attorney, engaging in intellectual property prosecution, registration, and litigation; and before that, gained experience in both criminal prosecution and defense. Julie received her J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School with a Certificate in Intellectual Property and a B.S. in biology with a chemistry minor from Wake Forest University.

Jessica Brubaker, Associate General Counsel

Office of the General Counsel
524 Kerr Administration Building
Corvallis, OR 97331-2158
(541) 737-2474 (phone)
541-737-0712 (fax)

Send a message to Jessica Brubaker

Jessica Brubaker joined the Office of General Counsel in 2016. From 2010 to 2016 she served as Associate Legal Counsel for the Montana University System. Prior to moving to in-house roles for institutions of higher education, Jessica was in private practice in Montana providing representation to K-12 public school districts. Jessica received her J.D. from William & Mary Law School and her B.A. in history and psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Alice Maginnis, Associate General Counsel

Office of the General Counsel
524 Kerr Administration Building
Corvallis, OR 97331-2158
(541) 737-2474 (phone)
541-737-0712 (fax)

Send a message to Alice Maginnis

Alice Maginnis joined the Office of General Counsel in 2025, bringing with her over two decades of legal experience in higher education and private practice. From 2011 to 2025, she served in the Office of General Counsel at Illinois State University, most recently as Deputy General Counsel. In that role, Alice advised on a broad range of legal matters including business transactions, procurement, real estate, research compliance, intellectual property, and data security. Prior to her tenure at Illinois State, Alice spent ten years in private practice at law firms in Washington, D.C., where she focused on higher education law, regulatory compliance, K–12 education issues, grant administration, and business law. Alice earned her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and holds a B.A. in Economics and History from Northwestern University.

Whitney Hill, Associate General Counsel

Office of the General Counsel
524 Kerr Administration Building
Corvallis, OR 97331-2158
(541) 737-2474 (phone)
(541) 737-0712 (fax)

Send a message to Whitney Hill

Whitney Hill joined the Office of the General Counsel in 2020. Whitney graduated magna cum laude from Claremont McKenna College in California. After working for many years in a variety of jobs with children, teens and lawyers, Whitney attended the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. In Portland, Whitney worked for the nonprofit law firm Youth, Rights & Justice (fka Juvenile Rights Project) in disability law courtesy of a public interest fellowship from her law school. Whitney then worked for the Oregon Department of Justice first in juvenile dependency law and then in the General Counsel section in 2016.

Kareem Walcott, Assistant General Counsel

Office of the General Counsel
524 Kerr Administration Building
Corvallis, OR 97331-2158
(541) 737-2474 (phone)
(541) 737-0712 (fax)

Send a message to Kareem Walcott

Kareem Walcott joined the Office of the General Counsel in 2021. Kareem received his J.D. from Willamette University College of Law, as well as a certificate in business law. Kareem received his B.A. in political science from Oregon State University. After law school, Kareem worked as a bankruptcy and general business attorney for the Caldwell Law firm, then transitioned to a business law, probate, trust and estates attorney here in Corvallis at the Reynolds Law Firm. Interested in litigation, Kareem then went to the Benton County District Attorney’s office where he litigated 30+ cases. Kareem has very much enjoyed the transition to higher education at OSU.