The Southwest Oklahoma Impact Coalition’s (SOIC)
third annual conference was held January 11 at the Quartz Mountain
Resort Arts and Conference Center.
Western was well represented at the event, as Glenna Lunday,
business instructor, is the SOIC coordinator and front line team
representative for Western. Duane Zeman, emeritus faculty, is also a
front line team member for Western.
Conference speakers were Jari Askins, Lieutenant Governor of
Oklahoma; Dr. Tom Boyd, emeritus faculty at the University of
Oklahoma; Neal McCaleb, former head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
in Washington D.C.; Gary Ridley, former director of the Oklahoma
Department of Transportation; Kenneth Poole, PH.D, CEO of the Center
for Regional Economic Competitiveness; Natalie Shirley, Executive
Director for the Oklahoma Department of Commerce; and Tom Stellman,
President and CEO of TIP Strategies, Inc.
SOIC is a voluntary association consisting of Southwestern Oklahoma
State University, Western Oklahoma State College, Cameron
University, University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Redlands
Community College, Association of South Central Oklahoma
Governments, and South Western Oklahoma Development Authority.
Other representatives attending the conference from Western were
Scott Charlson, director of instructional support; Alice Newman,
director of public information and marketing; John Johnson, adjunct
faculty; and Gilmer John Capps, WOSC Board of Regents member.
