Our Team
Leadership
Kevin Cooney, PhD
President
Dr. Kevin Cooney assumed leadership as President on September 1, 2020 becoming only the second leader of Wilberforce International Institute. Kevin has his PhD in international relations from Arizona State University, an MA from Lancaster University (UK), and a BA from Oral Roberts University. He is a Visiting Professor at Ritsumeikan Asian Pacific University (APU) in Japan. The current student population at APU is over 50% internationals. He is published widely, and for the past ten years has led the Liberty Tree Seminars Series, funded by the Charles Koch Charitable Foundation. He has long been involved with international students both as a student himself and as a professor. Dr. Cooney has been married to Atsuko for 28 years, and together they have two children. The Cooneys reside in Snoqualmie, Washington, outside of Seattle.
Robert “Bob” Osburn, PhD
Senior Fellow
Sylvanus Adetokunboh Ayeni, M.D.
Faculty Associate
Sylvanus is a retired Neurosurgeon. Born and raised in Nigeria. He graduated from the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria. He followed this with two years of general surgery training at Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York and then his residency training in neurosurgery at the Uni-versity of Wisconsin Hospitals, Madison, Wisconsin. He spent his career involved in both the education and healthcare sectors in the USA and in Sub-Saharan Afri-ca working in both Academic and non-Academic settings. He is the author of the book: RESCUE THYSELF: Change In Sub-Saharan Africa Must Come From Within (2017).
He is the President and Founder of Pan Africa Children Advocacy Watch, (PCAW), Inc., a non-profit organization involved in education of children in poor communities in Nigeria. He is a sought-after keynote and guest speaker at profes-sional meetings both nationally and internationally. Married with three children and two grandchildren, he currently resides in Bethesda, Maryland.
Rob Burton
Treasurer
Rob Burton has spent the last thirty years in business, working in the Medical Device industry in the areas of Internal Audit and Compliance. After a lay-off in 2020, Rob is happy he can utilize his business experience in assisting Wilberforce International Institute as Treasurer. Rob also enjoys the challenge of preparing and gathering around an excellent culinary meal. Rob and his wife Jill find great blessing in utilizing their gifts from God in service of Emmaus Church White Bear Lake.
Jill Boehrs
Bookkeeper
Jill Boehrs has served as the bookkeeper for Wilberforce International Institute since it was founded. She has worked behind the scenes to support the mission and leadership of WII. Jill and her husband, Bruce, have four adult children and continue to live in Minnesota. She enjoys gardening, reading, and spending time at the lake.
Aiyana Cooney
Artist in Residence
Aiyana Cooney is a Japanese American dual national whose creative calling bridges continents and cultures. Currently completing her Master’s in Art and Design Management—a hybrid Art/MBA program—at Southeastern University in Florida, Aiyana brings a rare blend of strategic design thinking and missional heart to her work.
Her passion lies at the intersection of faith, visual storytelling, and global outreach. As part of her graduate thesis, Aiyana led a mission initiative in Tokyo, Japan, partnering with three local churches to reimagine how gospel truth is communicated through branding, advertising, and logo design. In a nation where less than 1% identify as Christian, her work helped congregations clarify their message and deepen their reach.
Aiyana’s commitment to redemptive creativity began early—serving in a Cambodian orphanage during high school—and continues to grow as she explores what truly resonates in church marketing and cross-cultural evangelism. Her vision is rooted in the belief that design can be a tool of transformation, illuminating truth and beauty in places hungry for hope.
As Wilberforce’s Artist in Residence, Aiyana collaborates across our global network to craft visuals that inspire, unify, and mobilize. Her work helps tell the story of redemptive change agents—one image, one campaign, one culture at a time.
Board
Rinto Dasuki, MS
Board Chair
Having grown up in Jakarta, Indonesia, Rinto experienced life as an international student in the US in the 80s. During this time and later as a professional, he recognized the strategic importance of ministry to internationals. Rinto joined Wilberforce International Institute as a founding board member in 2009 and became Chairman of the Board in 2016, serving as a contact point for the board and the president, ensuring continuous focus on the overall mission of Wilberforce. In addition to his work with Wilberforce, Rinto serves as a board member of Fellowship of Indonesian Christians in America (FICA) and works professionally as an engineering manager in the high tech sector. Rinto and his wife, Nike, live in Eden Prairie, MN, and have three young adult children (Mark, Joseph, and Seth). In his spare time, Rinto likes to travel, read, and follow personal finance and technology topics.
Kevin Cooney, PhD
Executive Director
Dr. Kevin Cooney assumed leadership as President on September 1, 2020 becoming only the second leader of Wilberforce International Institute. Kevin has his PhD in international relations from Arizona State University, an MA from Lancaster University (UK), and a BA from Oral Roberts University. He is a Visiting Professor at Ritsumeikan Asian Pacific University (APU) in Japan. The current student population at APU is over 50% internationals. He is published widely, and for the past ten years has led the Liberty Tree Seminars Series, funded by the Charles Koch Charitable Foundation. He has long been involved with international students both as a student himself and as a professor. Dr. Cooney has been married to Atsuko for 28 years, and together they have two children. The Cooneys reside in Snoqualmie, Washington, outside of Seattle.
Josiah Lindstrom, JD
Secretary (Minneapolis)
Josiah Lindstrom grew up in the tropical island of Papua New Guinea as the child of missionaries. His family worked closely with the Male tribes in the mountains of Morobe province. Upon graduation from high school Josiah returned permanently to the United States as an undergrad student at the University of Minnesota. After graduating, Josiah decided he wanted to serve entrepreneurs in a meaningful way. To this end he moved to Virginia to attend Regent University Law School, graduating in 2016 specializing in tax law. Josiah now practices law in south Minneapolis, Minnesota focusing on non-profit and business clients. The thing he enjoys most about his current job is being able to serve a culturally diverse set of businesses, entrepreneurs, and community activists in the greater Twin Cities metropolitan area. Josiah lives with his wife in south Minneapolis, and they are expecting their first child later this year. Josiah and his wife attend Hope Community Church in Minneapolis, enjoy walking around Powderhorn Park in their neighborhood, eating at local restaurants, and camping. He still keeps close personal and business ties to Papua New Guinea.
Robert “Bob” Vander Lugt, JD
Treasurer (Little, Rothwell & Vander Lugt, PLLC, Washington, DC)
Robert “Bob” Vander Lugt joined the Wilberforce board in 2020. Bob has thirty years of experience in international trade compliance and government contracting matters, divided almost equally between outside law practice with international law firms and in-house positions with a Aerospace and Defense prime contractor in the U.S. His experience includes advising on trade control laws and regulations, building and managing the corporate infrastructure for international trade compliance as well as auditing that compliance infrastructure and investigating and disclosing potential instances of non-compliance. In his national security law practice, Bob leverages experience as a retired naval intelligence officer (with command and combat experience) to assist U.S. and foreign clients with reviews by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), as well as security clearances and compliance with the National Industrial Security Program (NISP), nuclear and naval nuclear technology controls, and the DoD technology release processes. He specializes in international trade and anticorruption controls, government contracts, offsets, and public international law, including legal and regulatory compliance issues.
EDUCATION
University of Virginia, J.D., 1991
Oral Roberts University, B.A. History and Government, summa cum laude, 1987
Admitted to practice: Virginia & District of Columbia
ACTIVITIES
• Captain, US Navy Reserve (Ret.), most recently commanding a U.S. Pacific Command Joint Intelligence Unit, with prior service in combat in Afghanistan
• Society of International Affairs (SIA); Mergers, Acquisitions & Divestitures Task Force
• Attorney Advisor to the President of Afghanistan (pro bono)
• Member, Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics (SCCE), and Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional
• Council on Foreign Relations; Homeland Security Task Force
• Sanctions negotiator, US Mission to the U.N.
• Chairman of the Board, Oral Roberts University Alumni Association
• Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, Board of the U.S. National Christian Choir
• Christian IV Society (Danish Honorary Society)
• US Naval Institute
Board Members
Rinto Dasuki
Board chair
Robert “Bob” Vander Lugt
Board member since 2020
Josiah Lindstrom
Board member since 2018
The Board’s founding members were Chair Roger Arnold, Rinto Dasuki, Glenn Bratt, Arthur Brown, Greg Marcus, Prof. Bryan Dowd, Lee Granlund, and Chad Marolf.