CLASS Directors

Margaret Bird

Margaret's educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theoretical Mathematics from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Science Degree in Economics from the University of Utah, as well as all but a dissertation on her PhD.

Margaret is recognized in Utah as an authority on trust lands. She is the contract specialist with both land grant universities in the State and is currently employed part-time by the Utah State Office of Education to represent the beneficiary interests of the largest trust in Utah. She has conducted research, provided data and analysis on school trust related issues to the media, industry, education, policy and financial groups involved with trust lands. She has represented schools on federal in-holdings and land exchanges requiring congressional action. As an economist, Margaret has researched land and mineral transactions and monitored land and financial activity within the trust portfolio.

Paula Plant

Paula first became a school trust lands advocate as a school PTA legislative vice president during the years the trust management was being studied and then reformed. She represented the education groups of Utah as the Legislative Vice President for Utah PTA in two school trust land exchanges between Utah and the federal government. One of these exchanges was the largest in United States history, resulting in the preservation of 400,000 acres of former school lands and the selection of natural gas lands that now generate over a million dollars monthly for schools. In addition, Paula worked for the passage of the School LAND Trust Program that distributes funds to each public school in Utah to improve academic performance. In 2000, the State Office of Education hired Ms. Plant as a Trust Lands Specialist to represent their interests as the beneficiary of the school trust and to oversee the implementation of the School LAND Trust Program in every public school across the state.