CANECAREERS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Employer Development Coordinator
Mr. Smith joined The University of Tulsa's CaneCareers as the Employer Development Coordinator in January 2021.
Mr. Smith graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2017 earning a Bachelor's in Business Administration, majoring in Sports Management. Following his graduation from Oklahoma State, he decided to continue his academic career at The University of Oklahoma receiving his Master's in Adult and Higher Education in 2019.
While at The University of Oklahoma, he worked as a graduate assistant in the Athletics Fundraising and Development department, The Sooner Club. As the Employer Development Coordinator, Mr. Smith will identify and recruit local, regional, and national employers to hire TU students and alumni.
Outside of work, he lives in Tulsa, OK. He enjoys spending time with his friends and family, exercising, trying new foods, traveling, music, and cheering on The Oklahoma City Thunder.
Job Titles:
- Chief Information Officer
- Vice President of Administration
- Executive Staff
With more than 25 years of leadership and management experience, Angela Kouplen has held a variety of positions in information technology, human resources, contracts and facilities management. Since 2016, she has been an independent director for AAON, where she serves on the compensation and audit committees.
Kouplen currently serves as chief information officer. Before joining TU, she was responsible for human resources, executive compensation, information technology, real estate and facilities for WPX Energy. Prior to that, Kouplen worked in information technology with Williams and CITGO. Her roles have included managing IT planning and governance, third-party applications and applications development, e-business strategy as well as sourcing.
She received a bachelor of science degree in management with a minor in management information systems from Oklahoma State University and an MBA from The University of Tulsa.
Angela has served on a variety of nonprofit boards and committees supporting the Tulsa-area community including YWCA, Resonance Center for Women and the Tulsa Area United Way Women's Leadership Council. She currently serves on the Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance Board of Directors, Junior Achievement Board of Directors, the OSU Alumni Association Board of Directors and TU's Collins College of Business Executive Advisory Board. Angela also serves as an Elder at South Point Church in Bixby.
Job Titles:
- Head of Finance for Product, Technology, and Customer Care Organizations, Chewy, Inc.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Student Association
Job Titles:
- Executive Staff
- the University of Tulsa 's Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
Barbara Abercrombie is The University of Tulsa's vice president and chief human resources officer. Prior to joining TU, Abercrombie served as vice chancellor for organizational effectiveness and chief human capital officer at the University of North Texas System. Before that, she was the vice president of human resources and organizational effectiveness and chief human resources officer at Texas A&M University in College Station. Other senior roles Abercrombie has held include associate vice chancellor for administration and chief human resources officer at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and director of human resources at the University of Oklahoma at Tulsa.
Abercrombie's leadership in human resources and organizational effectiveness is informed by a master's in human relations from the University of Oklahoma and a doctorate in workforce education and human resource development from Oklahoma State University. An expert in the collaborative leadership model, Abercrombie is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources and a member of the National Board for the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources.
Job Titles:
- Attorney at Law / Tulsa Chapter Alumni Association President
Job Titles:
- President
- President, the University of Tulsa
Brad Carson is The University of Tulsa's 21st president.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Career Coach - Arts and Sciences
- the University of Tulsa 's CaneCareers As a Career Coach
Ms. Smart joined The University of Tulsa's CaneCareers as a Career Coach for the students in the Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences in September of 2019. Prior to that, she served as a high school math teacher and assistant softball coach at Charles Page High School in Sand Springs, Oklahoma.
Bryan Bodnar has served on the AICPA Technical Issues for over five years and is the Chair. He is a technical partner in BKD's National Office accounting and auditing department. He takes a lead role in the firm's external peer review and internal inspection. He also provides technical support and training to BKD auditors, implements quality control policies and procedures for new professional standards, performs engagement quality review on engagements and assists with peer reviews of other firms.
He began his BKD career as a member of BKD National Health Care Group in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, office, where he provided audit, accounting and financial consulting services to clients. From 2009 to 2013, he served as A&A Director of the firm's Houston, Texas, office after working in BKD's National Office as national accounting and auditing assistant director from 2005 to 2009.
He is a graduate of The University of Tulsa.
Job Titles:
- President & CEO, Big Thought
Job Titles:
- Branch Executive of the Kansas City Fed 's Oklahoma City Branch
- Member of the Board of Directors for the Economic Club of Oklahoma
Chad Wilkerson is Branch Executive of the Kansas City Fed's Oklahoma City Branch office. In this role, he serves as the Bank's lead officer and regional economist in Oklahoma. He is responsible for briefing the Kansas City Fed's president, who is a member of the Federal Open Market Committee, on economic trends in the state.
Wilkerson's research focuses on developments in key industries in the region, including energy and manufacturing. He recruits and works closely with the Oklahoma City Branch's board of directors and the Kansas City Fed's Economic Advisory Council. He also supervises several business surveys.
Wilkerson has been with the Federal Reserve since 1998 and was appointed Oklahoma City Branch Executive in 2006. He holds a master's degree from the University of Chicago and a bachelor's degree from William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri.
Wilkerson is a member of the Board of Directors for the Economic Club of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Association for Business Economics. Additionally, he serves on the Advisory Board of Trustees and Campaign Cabinet of the United Way of Central Oklahoma. He lives in Edmond, Oklahoma, with his wife and four children.
Job Titles:
- Chief of Operations at the CIA 's Counterterrorism Center Monte Hawkins
Job Titles:
- Acting General Counsel and Secretary to the Board
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Career Coach - Engineering and Natural Sciences
- the University of Tulsa 's CaneCareers As a Career Coach
Chris Wong joined The University of Tulsa's CaneCareers as a Career Coach for the students in the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences in September 2019.
Mr. Wong earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Petroleum Refining Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. He entered the petroleum refining industry as a Process Development and Field Services Engineer for Universal Oil Products and completed start-up and optimization engineering for eleven refineries in the United States and Europe.
In 1995, Chris and his family settled in Claremore, OK, and Chris managed capital projects for Allied Signal's Catalyst Production Facility, where he had the opportunity to join and lead engineering teams that built new process lines in Shanghai, China; Florange, France; San Luis Potosi, Mexico; and Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Next, he engineered modular process units for John Zink Company's Fuel Vapor Control Division. Mr. Wong also took an assignment as Senior Process Engineer for Orica USA, and their production of advanced explosives and detonation technologies for the mining industry.
In 2006, Mr. Wong earned the level of Black Belt in Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma, a rigorous statistics-and-design-tools training regimen for professionals in the manufacturing industry. This honor allowed Chris to work as Continuous Improvement Engineer for steel and plastics manufacturing, as well as the production of ultra-high purity acids for the microelectronics industries. It was during this time that Chris found his calling to be a team motivator, mentor and technical coach.
Mr. Wong has taken to the country lifestyle on his small acreage in Claremore, where he and his family enjoy gardening, homebrewing, herbology for homeopathic remedies, equestrian activities, soapmaking, and other sustainable initiatives.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- the University of Tulsa 's CaneCareers As Executive Director
Ms. Caves joined The University of Tulsa's CaneCareers as Executive Director in July 2019. Prior to that, she served as Associate Dean and Director of Professional Development at The University of Tulsa College of Law since August 2015.
In college, Ms. Caves was a scholar athlete at The University of Tulsa, graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2002. Ms. Caves returned to the University of Tulsa and received her Juris Doctor from the College of Law in 2005. Following law school, Ms. Caves worked in Tulsa as a litigation associate for Atkinson Haskins where she served as the firm's Law Clerk and Licensed Legal Intern Coordinator. Additionally, she managed her own law firm, Swift & Watkins, PLLC, where she provided clients with representation in a variety of litigation matters.
In 2010, Ms. Caves joined the staff at The University of Tulsa College of Law as Associate Director and Public Service Coordinator in the Professional Development Office, assisting with all career and professional development programs for TU Law students and alumni, as well as coordinating with potential employers. In 2013, she became the inaugural Assistant Dean and Director of Experiential Learning where she coordinated the externship program, providing law students the opportunity to gain academic credit while working under the direct supervision of a licensed attorney or judge. In 2015, Ms. Caves returned to the Professional Development Office as Associate Dean and Director and served in this role until commencing her current role as Executive Director of CaneCareers at The University of Tulsa. Additionally, Ms. Caves is a volunteer attorney for Tulsa Lawyers for Children and is admitted to practice law in Oklahoma.
Job Titles:
- Mariner Wealth Advisor
- President, Freemount Corp
Job Titles:
- Mariner Wealth Advisor
- President / CEO, Webco Industries Inc
David Cole has been an FBI Special Agent for approximately seven years working Economic Crimes and Public Corruption matters. Prior to the Bureau, he worked at a Public Accounting firm working audit and tax matters for both public and private companies.
Prior to Public Accounting, Cole worked approximately ten years in the Title Insurance & Real Estate Escrow services industry as a Chief Financial Officer, State Accounting Operations Manager and Controller.
He received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree through the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a BA with a Concentration in Accounting from California State University, Fullerton. He is current and actively licensed CPA in California.
Job Titles:
- National Leader of the Private Equity Practice
Doug Puckett is the National Leader of the Private Equity Practice and also a Regional Private Wealth Practice Leader for Deloitte Tax. He works closely with the firm's investment management leadership as a member of Deloitte Tax LLP's Private Equity, Hedge Fund, and Private Wealth Steering Committees to bring leading practices to privately held businesses and their owners across the U.S.
Doug joined Deloitte from Helmsman Advisors LLC where he provided strategic tax and business planning advice to privately held businesses and family offices of high-net-worth individuals. Prior to his time at Helmsman, he spent over a decade with one of the world's largest private equity and hedge funds, where he was the founding member of what grew to be a 15+ member internal tax team. His primary focus was on managing the firm's global tax risk - including U.S. and foreign tax planning and structuring, tax controversies, and treaty/substance best practices for both the investment funds and internal (IPO ready) holding company structures. During his tenure with the firm, he also served for several years as deputy CFO and had management responsibility at various times for the family office operations of the firm's senior partners, the management company and its worldwide offices, and various other support services including HR and IT.
Doug has extensive experience in advising clients on all manner of business and personal tax matters. He is also the author or co-author of numerous Thomson-Reuters Tax & Accounting (PPC imprint) publications, including Guide to Mergers and Acquisitions, Guide to Practical Estate Planning, Guide to Buying and Selling Small Businesses, Practitioners 990 Deskbook, and Practitioners Tax Action Bulletins. Doug gained his initial experience with another of the Big Four firms where, among other responsibilities, he served as the personal tax advisor to one of the principals of a wealthy Texas-based family and several of the family's most senior executives and investment professionals.
Job Titles:
- Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Job Titles:
- International Student & Scholar Services
- Student Center
- Student Life ( Student Affairs )
- Student Success Coaches
After 20 years in corporate HR, Heidi Hartman ventured out on her own to pursue her greater purpose - building better leaders and businesses from the inside out - something she now guides teams and organizations to do as well. Heidi puts her experience in the trenches and extensive training to work for clients to understand the unique opportunities they face and offer tangible solutions that lead to wild success. She is a sought-after speaker. Heidi's expertise covers everything from coaching CEOs and customized team development to leadership development and strategic planning.
Heidi has a master's in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma, studied at Oxford and has an Executive Coaching certification from The Center for Executive Coaching. She is also an American Training and Development (ATD) accredited coach, Insights Discovery© Learning Practitioner and Yellow Belt in Lean Six Sigma.
Heidi's clients range from Fortune 500 energy companies to local non-profits. Her passion for people translates in her interactive style that helps clients of all shapes and sizes reach a myriad of goals.
She has served as the President of Central Oklahoma Coaching as well as President of Tulsa Area Human Resources Association. She is the OKHR Council Director elect and participated in Leadership Tulsa Class 44. In addition to partnering with her clients to achieve success, Heidi spends time with Chris, their two daughters, two cats and two dogs and serves on several non-profit boards.
Jeff Wilkie has made a career in organizational effectiveness strategies for the last 25 years. His human capital career spans retail organizations, oil and gas industries, telecommunications, health-care management, not for profits and governmental entities.
Today, Jeff leads the Human Capital and Organizational Strategies niche under Hogan Taylor Advisory Services. With offices in Oklahoma and Arkansas, he works as a confidante, consultant and coach to organizational executive teams and assists in the focus and formulation of a company's human capital strategies. Providing counsel around talent architecture, he collaboratively works diligently to identify and build human capital critical to the present operations and future growth of organizations. He also provides valuable insights around ethical and effective cultures, transition management and cascading employee engagement across large and small enterprises.
Jeff speaks and works with conference leaders across the nation, but resides in his native Tulsa, Oklahoma and is married to Cathy. He has been blessed with two sons and a daughter: Tucker, Drew and Megan.
Job Titles:
- SVP & Chief Information Security Officer, Walmart, Inc
Jill Geiger is a 5th generation Oklahoman and a native of Wynnewood, Oklahoma. After completing high school in Norman, she pursued a BA from William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, and an MA at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. While in Hawaii, she worked as a legislative analyst for the House of Representatives where her passion for public policy ignited. Upon completion of her formal education, she moved back to Oklahoma and began a 15 year career in the central budget office of Oklahoma state government, serving the last decade as State Budget Director. She left state service and began a fiscal and policy analysis consulting business in June of 2019.
Job Titles:
- Regional Chief Medical Officer, Ascension St. John Health System
Job Titles:
- President, Student Association
Job Titles:
- Dean
- Dean, Kendall College of Arts and Sciences / Professor of Political Science
Karen Petersen was named dean of The University of Tulsa's Kendall College of Arts and Sciences in 2021. She previously served as dean of liberal arts and professor of political science at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). Petersen received her doctorate in political science from Vanderbilt University in 2004. She earned her bachelor's degree in international relations from MTSU and her master's degree in political science from Vanderbilt.
Petersen's publications include journal articles on the causes of interstate conflict, terrorism, the federal courts, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and pedagogical issues related to online learning as well as high-impact practices. She teaches courses in international relations and comparative politics with an area specialization in international conflict. Petersen co-developed an education abroad course on Israeli politics, which she led from 2013-2019.
As an administrator, Petersen championed the liberal arts at MTSU. Her team implemented a comprehensive plan to articulate a strong value statement for the liberal arts and celebrate the diversity of disciplines and perspectives that makes the liberal arts indispensable in the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. She believes education, particularly higher education, has the power to change lives and transform communities.
Job Titles:
- Executive Staff
- Vice President of University Advancement and Alumni Engagement
As vice president of University Advancement and Alumni Engagement, Dr. Hale leads a team of 50 professionals in the areas of fundraising, alumni relations, special events and advancement services. Hale has 32 years of direct experience in the field of higher education advancement at progressive levels of responsibility and leadership and in both public and private settings. As a member of the President's Administrative Leadership Team, she serves as an adviser to the president and key members of the university's Board of Trustees. Hale serves as a liaison between faculty and non-faculty constituencies at the university and is responsible for a strong, team-oriented advancement program based upon creating fundraising strategy and establishing plans, goals and metrics.
Hale has been an active participant in two comprehensive fundraising campaigns at The University of Tulsa that, collectively, raised more than $800 million for the institution. She and her team are in the silent phase of the next fundraising campaign, A Greater Commitment, a $540.5 million effort that focuses on need-based scholarships, endowed faculty support and student support initiatives.
She previously held the position of assistant vice president for university development at OU-Tulsa; she also served as director of development and alumni relations at Rogers State University in Claremore, Oklahoma, and director of public relations and publications at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. Hale has been actively involved in the Council for Advancement and Support of Education for 31 years and has served CASE District IV in a number of leadership capacities. She is a regular speaker for CASE at the national and district level, and she has been a faculty member for CASE at 13 national conferences.
Hale holds a bachelor's degree from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, and a master's degree in business management from Friends University. In 2008, she received her Ph.D. degree in organizational leadership from the University of Oklahoma.
Job Titles:
- CEO, Capital Advisors Inc
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Career Readiness and Experiential Learning
Kelli comes to CaneCareers from Broken Arrow Public Schools where she was a biology and physical education instructor for 11 years. From 2016-2019 she was also the varsity tennis coach for Broken Arrow. In addition to her teaching and coaching responsibilities, Kelli was the head tennis professional at Forest Ridge Golf and Country Club in Broken Arrow from 2015-2018. In 2012, Kelli was named the Liberty Elementary site teacher of the year and a finalist for the Broken Arrow district. Additionally, Kelli was inducted into the Northeastern State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013 where she played tennis from 1993-1996. Mrs. Collins graduated from NSU with a degree in education. In her role as Experiential Learning Coordinator, Kelli will help students find and/or create learning experiences outside of their classroom through job shadowing, volunteering, micro internships, internships, externships and a variety of other avenues.
Job Titles:
- Executive Staff
- Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Kelli McLoud-Schingen is excited to return to higher education where she worked for 18 years before she left to serve as an international consultant for all issues related to cultural diversity, inclusion and cultural competence. She has facilitated development workshops, trainings and storytelling presentations for educational, nonprofit, governmental and corporate institutions in 15 different countries on four continents, as well as assisted them with strategic plans to develop, foster or strengthen their inclusion and belonging initiatives.
A certified professional mediator, she holds a bachelor of arts degree in communication from Aurora University and a master of arts in cross-cultural studies from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Additionally, Kelli co-authored the African American Cultural Detective©, an in-depth training tool for business managers, and contributed the article "Bias, Prejudice, and Discrimination" to the Sage Publication The Encyclopedia of Intercultural Competence. She has extensive training and leadership experience in the intercultural and diversity fields.
She is a member of the Diversity Collegium (a think tank of diversity practitioners) and has served on the board of directors for the premier intercultural organization the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research since 2002 as well as served on the organizing committee for the Global Community Dialogue on Leadership, Diversity and Change since 2003.
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean / Associate Professor of Art, Design and Art History
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Career Coach, Health Sciences
Marla Cole joined The University of Tulsa's CaneCareers as a Career Coach for Oxley College
of Health Sciences in June 2022. She loves connecting with people and helping them determine the direction of their future. She graduated from OSU with a degree in Family and Consumer Sciences.
Her affinity for career counseling began during her sixteen years at Jenks Public Schools, where she helped students navigate college applications and career choices. She is excited about bringing her love for students to The University of Tulsa.
Outside of work, Marla enjoys trips to the beach, playing tennis, reading, and spending time with her family and her two dogs.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Law
Matt Warren - Chief Compliance Officer, VP
Job Titles:
- Chief Compliance Officer
- Vice President
- Executive Staff
As vice president and chief compliance officer, Matt Warren (BA '06, MA '09) provides strategic leadership, direction and integration of enterprise risk management, campus safety and security, emergency preparedness and regulatory compliance at The University of Tulsa.
Prior to joining TU in 2017, Warren practiced employment and business law at the firm of Connor & Winters. He is also a former Oklahoma assistant attorney general as well as a former assistant district attorney in Tulsa County. Warren is a proud two-time alumnus of TU, where he was recognized as a top ten senior and most outstanding graduate in political science.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director
- the University of Tulsa 's CaneCareers As the Associate Director
Ms. Radford joined The University of Tulsa's CaneCareers as the Associate Director in August 2019. Prior to that, she served as the Assistant Director of Strategic Engagement within the office of Alumni Engagement at The University of Tulsa.
In college, Ms. Radford attended the University of San Diego, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Business Administration. Ms. Radford received her Master of Arts in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from The University of Tulsa. Following graduate school, Ms. Radford worked in Tulsa at American Electric Power (AEP) as an Organizational Development Consultant. She later joined The Williams Companies as a Management Consultant.
In 2017 Ms. Radford joined the staff at The University of Tulsa as Recruiting Coordinator in the Career Services office, assisting with all career and professional development programs for TU College of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Kendall College of Arts and Sciences, and Oxley College of Health Sciences students and alumni, as well as coordinating with potential employers. In early 2018, she implemented a new career services database and platform, Handshake, that is the largest career community for students and recent graduates. In late 2018, Ms. Radford was recruited by TU's Office of Alumni Engagement to lead and implement TU's university-wide mentoring platform and program, utulsa connect. In 2019, Ms. Radford returned to the newly reorganized career services office as the inaugural Associate Director of CaneCareers.
Job Titles:
- President, Case & Associates Properties, Inc
Job Titles:
- Executive Staff
- Senior Executive Director for Marketing & Communications
- Senior Executive Director for Marketing and Communications at the University
Mona Chamberlin is senior executive director for marketing and communications at The University of Tulsa. She oversees print and digital publications; marketing and advertising campaigns; news and social media; internal and executive communications; website content; and brand building. Chamberlin has served at TU since 2010.
Before coming to TU, she was a reporter and editor at The Associated Press, Gannett, McClatchy and other news outlets in several states, covering education, business, government and politics. Chamberlin holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Oklahoma State University. She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and serves on the board for Tulsa Tech Education Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Job Titles:
- Consultant, RAF Consulting
Job Titles:
- Employer Services Coordinator
Ms. McKee joined CaneCareers as the Department Assistant in August of 2021.
Ms. McKee graduated with a bachelor's in English and creative writing and a certificate in entrepreneurial management from the University of Iowa in 2019. During that time, she served as a business tutor for student athletes and as an editor for the student-run Iowa Chapbook Prize competition. Following graduation, she traveled across the country twice, gathering a variety of skills and experiences while serving as everything from human resources at a specialty paperboard manufacturer to the manager of a flea market.
While serving as a tutor, Ms. McKee realized her love of higher education, and she became passionate about helping students navigate the college sphere, discover their passions, and move onto successful careers. She is thrilled to serve both the CaneCareers and Academic Advising departments at TU.
In her free time, Ms. McKee enjoys reading, writing, and working with her hands. She is the author of seven publications and has received two awards for her writing. Her most recent publication can be found in apt. When she isn't struggling for inspiration, she can be found herding three-legged cats with her husband at their home in Owasso.
Job Titles:
- Director of Athletics
- Executive Staff
Director of intercollegiate athletics at three major institutions - The University of Tulsa, Washington State University and Tulane University - with a career spanning 28 years, Dickson's leadership skills were highlighted in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and throughout his career. A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1972 he graduated from Bishop Kelly High School, where he was a multi-sport athlete, earning All-State accolades in football and baseball. Dickson played defensive back from 1972 to 1976 for The University of Tulsa, where he began his career in athletic administration as interim athletic director in 1988. In 1989, Dickson was appointed director of athletics at the age of 34.
He spent six years as athletic director at his alma mater, where he was instrumental in forming a football scheduling alliance that evolved into Conference USA and the expansion of the Western Athletic Conference. He played a lead role in the campaign to attract an invitation to the 1991 Freedom Bowl as an independent collegiate football team with the city-wide Take Tulsa Campaign. His hiring of men's basketball coach Tubby Smith resulted in schools first-ever Sweet 16 appearance in history and launched a decade of success in men's basketball.
In 1994, Dickson began his tenure at Washington State, where he served as athletics director until spring 2000. There, Dickson oversaw an athletics program that was recognized nationally for its success in dealing with gender equity issues. He raised funds for a capital campaign for scholarships and endowments, an indoor practice facility and the renovation of Bohler Gymnasium. Washington State enjoyed on-the-field success during his tenure as they achieved a Top 50 Sears Cup ranking for first time in history, highlighted by the football team's first Rose Bowl appearance in 67 years in 1998.
During his tenure at Tulane (2000-2016), he garnered support from the campus community, donors and alumni to: sustain the university through an internal review of the program's D-1 status; build or rebuild every GreenWave facility after Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans; and restore Tulane's athletics department to the required 16 D-1 sports.
Dickson was the recipient of the 2004 Award for Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame for his leadership in guiding Tulane Athletics through the difficult time of the university's board review.
During the 2005-06 campaign, Dickson kept Tulane teams viable by overseeing the evacuation of student-athletes from New Orleans in advance of Hurricane Katrina, and then providing opportunities for the Green Wave's teams to continue competing while dispersed to four campuses in Louisiana and Texas. Working with no home facilities, a depleted budget and the university shuttered for the fall, Tulane Athletics was charged to "Carry the Torch, Be the Face and Represent the Name" not only of Tulane but New Orleans and the entire Gulf region.
Job Titles:
- Mariner Wealth Advisor
- Chief Investment Officer, George Kaiser Family Foundation
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, EtribeLLC
Job Titles:
- Events & Media Coordinator
- the University of Tulsa 's CaneCareers As the Events and Media Coordinator
Siduri Purnell joined The University of Tulsa's CaneCareers as the Events and Media Coordinator in August 2021.
Ms. Purnell is a Chicago native, new to the Tulsa area. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Public Relations with a minor in Fashion from Ball State University in 2017. She's also currently working on her Master's in Human Resource Management from Capella University.
Before relocating to Tulsa, Ms. Purnell worked as the Director of Marketing for an events company, Poppin Events Company, located in Chicago. As Marketing Director, Ms. Purnell created, planned and executed events, created marketing material, and managed social media.
Outside of work, Ms. Purnell lives in Broken Arrow, OK. She enjoys traveling, attending concerts, shopping, and spending time with loved ones.
Job Titles:
- Manager of Special Projects and Technical Needs
Job Titles:
- Special Projects and Technical Needs Associate
Susan Neal joined The University of Tulsa in May 2010. Neal comes to TU with more than 30 years of experience in government and community relations. While in Washington, D.C., Neal served as chief of staff to Congressman Mickey Edwards prior to her recruitment as a House and Senate lobbyist for the National Federation of Independent Business. Upon her return to Tulsa in 1984, Neal served as vice president of Downtown Tulsa Unlimited for seven years working in community development.
Neal operated her own public relations company before becoming director of Jumpstart, Tulsa's comprehensive early childhood education campaign. She was elected to serve two terms on Tulsa's City Council after which she served on both Mayor Kathy Taylor's and Mayor Dewey Bartlett's management teams as director of community development and education. Neal continues to serve on numerous city and nonprofit boards in support of the Tulsa community.
Neal earned her bachelor's degree in political science from Oklahoma State University in 1976.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Employer Services
- the University of Tulsa 's CaneCareers As an Assistant Director
Tery DeShong joined The University of Tulsa's CaneCareers as an Assistant Director in April 2022. Ms. DeShong has a long history with TU, having obtained both her Bachelor of Science degree and Law degree from The University of Tulsa.
Ms. DeShong has had an eclectic and varied professional career, primarily focused on public service. Prior to attending law school, she worked as an interpreter/tutor for the deaf, as a technical director and box office manager for Theater Tulsa, and as a substitute teacher for the Tulsa Public School System. After obtaining her legal degree, she worked with the Oklahoma Disability Law Center and was a Managing Attorney and Regional Administrator for the State of Oklahoma Child Support Enforcement Division where she supervised sixteen child support offices in Eastern Oklahoma. She also served as a Special Education Hearing Officer for the State of Oklahoma. Her last legal position was as the General Counsel for the Tulsa City-County Health Department.
Since 2016, Ms. DeShong has been involved in higher education, both as a professor and in administration. She taught in the business schools for both Texas A&M University and the University of North Texas prior to relocating back home to Tulsa. Most recently, she served as the Department Head for the Career Life Development program at Community Care College.
In her non-working life, Tery sits on several local nonprofit boards, enjoys playing guitar and singing (she previously performed competitively with three different choruses through Sweet Adeline's International), reading, playing cards and games, and is a movie buff.
A frequent speaker at statewide, regional, and national conferences, Ms. DeShong has an extensive portfolio of workshops and presentations across a wide variety of areas and loves public speaking. Ms. DeShong is excited to join the team in the Center for Career Development and Professional Engagement at the University of Tulsa.
Job Titles:
- President, William K. Warren Foundation
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Innovation
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Career Coach - Business
- the University of Tulsa 's CaneCareers As a Career Coach
Tom Trimble joined The University of Tulsa's CaneCareers as a Career Coach for the Collins College of Business students in November 2021.
Mr. Trimble earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The University of Tulsa. He also holds a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Information Systems Management. Additionally, Mr. Trimble has two Lean Six Sigma certifications and successfully completed the program to be a certified Master Gardener through Oklahoma State University.
Mr. Trimble has held highly challenging roles in both the public and private sectors. He retired from Tulsa County government after approximately 23 years of service where he served primarily as the Chief Information Officer. Recognized during this period as a digital technology leader, he was invited by the Chinese government to be the keynote speaker at the Global Economic Summit in Harbin, China, in 2011 and has spoken at the Pentagon to defend funding for cyber-security initiatives at the local government level. Under his leadership, Tulsa County ranked from 2004-2014 among the top ten most technologically efficient counties in the U.S. among more than 3,000 counties nationwide. Further, their efforts were recognized nationally by the Sunshine Review Board with an A+ rating for transparency in government from 2009-2014.
In the private sector, Mr. Trimble's roles have included Chief Technology Officer for a medical company, Managing Director of a consulting firm, and ICQA Manager for Amazon where he was responsible for leveraging technology to insure superior inventory control and quality assurance of all products sold at the TUL2 fulfillment center.
Mr. Trimble's current passion is to be a resource for students to realize their full potential both throughout their careers and life. Empowering students to achieve their goals through supportive systems is his metric of success. Mr. Trimble considers his life experiences to be a resource of resilience toward his professional and personal mission to encourage similar success for future graduates at The University of Tulsa.
Outside of work, Mr. Trimble enjoys soccer, gardening, music, and playing competitive trivia with friends. He sat on the Board of Directors of Volunteers of America from 2004-2016 and has been a lifelong volunteer for Junior Achievement with their Business Curriculum Education Program. Mr. Trimble has also been recognized for performing stand-up comedy for almost ten years over a four-state area during which time he was voted runner-up as Tulsa's Funniest Comedian in 2018.
Job Titles:
- Attorney at Law / Tulsa Chapter Alumni Association President
Job Titles:
- Executive Staff
- Vice President of Institutional Research and Data Analytics
Victor Soe serves as The University of Tulsa's vice president for institutional research and data analytics. Soe facilitates access to information for internal and external stakeholders, develops data-driven solutions and aligns institutional data with resources to support institutional mission, vision and strategy.
Prior to joining TU, Soe was the director of institutional effectiveness at Adams State University. While at Adams State, he oversaw reporting and research functions, worked closely with various units in implementing assessment activities and contributed to the efforts of securing re-accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission. Previously, he was an assistant director of admissions at Purdue University Fort Wayne where he analyzed recruitment territories and assisted in the development of enrollment analytics. He also served as a research assistant in the Management Department of Wharton Business School and an NGO delegate at the United Nations.
Soe holds a doctorate from Cornell University, a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor's degree from Lehigh University. He is certified in higher education planning by the Society for College and University Planning and is a member of the HLC Peer Corps.
Job Titles:
- Trust / George H. Odell Foundation / a.R. and Marylouise Tandy Foundation
Job Titles:
- Partner, Susman Godfrey, LLP
Job Titles:
- Department of English and Creative Writing