Oklahoma City (October 31, 2017) – Nearly 400 Oklahomans joined the State Chamber of Oklahoma Research Foundation at OK2030 Regional Forums across the state in October to share their ideas for moving Oklahoma forward. OK2030 is a strategic vision and action plan to put our state at the top of the national rankings by 2030. The forums were held in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Durant, Stillwater, Lawton and Enid.
Facilitators included Aaron Fulkerson of SchnakeTurnbo Frank, Brent Douglas of Magellan Executive Partners and Brent Kisling of Enid Regional Development Alliance. Dr. Jennifer Lepard, Executive Director of the State Chamber Research Foundation, and Fred Morgan, President and CEO of the State Chamber, shared the OK2030 Framework that will guide the development of the full strategic plan.
“These forums were not only about gathering input from our communities but also about getting people engaged in the plan’s development,” said Dr. Jennifer Lepard. “Our state is in crisis, and people are looking for bold leadership to move the state forward. We are confident that OK2030 will provide a strong and positive direction for Oklahoma’s future.”
Each region also heard from a local business leader: J. Larry Nichols of Devon Energy Corporation (OKC), Ted Haynes of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma (Tulsa), Greg Massey of First United Bank & Trust Co. (Durant), Mark Funke of Bank SNB (Stillwater), Brent Copeland of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (Lawton) and Martie Oyler of Oklahoma Natural Gas (Enid).
“Changing lives – the lives of all Oklahomans – means we’ll have to do some things differently,” said President and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma, Ted Haynes. “As business leaders we have an obligation – an obligation to Oklahomans to speak up and speak out. By working together on OK2030, we can turn some of Oklahoma’s negative statistics around.”
The final plan will be released at the State Chamber’s Annual Public Affairs Forum on December 12. To sign up for updates or contribute input, visit OK2030.org.