Philip Keith Armstrong is a native of Ohio and has been in Tulsa for 20+ years. He holds a Bachelor’s in Mass Communications from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Akron. In 2019, he was hired by the Tulsa Community Foundation as Project Director for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission to lead all coordination for fundraising, educational curriculum, economic development initiatives and construction projects, namely, the Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center.

Sworn in as the 40th Mayor of Tulsa in 2016 and re-elected to a second term as mayor of Tulsa in 2020, Mayor G.T. Bynum is using data and innovation to bring people together and make our city globally competitive. To accomplish this, Mayor Bynum is focused on fiscal responsibility, public safety, equality of opportunity, and community investment.

Under Mayor Bynum’s leadership, Tulsa recruited the two largest new employers in city history, secured the largest private sector investment in Tulsa history, opened the greatest park gift in American history, and became known across the nation for innovative programs such as A Better Way, the New Tulsans Initiative and the Resilient Tulsa Strategy. Mayor Bynum steadily led Tulsa through critical incidents including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, multiple tornadoes, the 2019 flood and a record-breaking winter snowstorm. Mayor Bynum also continues to seek justice and truth through the ongoing search for victims of the 1921 Race Massacre in Tulsa’s Greenwood community.

In a career engrained in public service, Bynum has worked in the United States Senate for two Oklahoma Senators and served eight years as a Tulsa City Councilor prior to his election for mayor. As a native Tulsan, Bynum and his wife, Susan, are the proud parents of Robert and Annabel – the sixth generation of the Bynums to call Tulsa home.

Libby Ediger is the Executive Director at Holberton Tulsa, a cutting-edge software engineering school with a mission to empower motivated and talented people, regardless of background, age, experience, or financial ability, to succeed in their dream career and learn to code. Under Libby’s leadership, Holberton Tulsa is poised to create the next-generation talent pipeline for the region.

Before launching Holberton Tulsa, Libby spent five years with Quorum, a B2B SaaS company in Washington, DC, where she was on the founding team and helped lead business development and marketing growth.

She enjoys advocating for women and young people’s role in government as a MaverickPAC board member and national advisor for Women’s Public Leadership Network. In 2021 Libby was honored with the “40 Under 40” award by Oklahoma Magazine.

Justin Harlan joined the Tulsa Remote team in April 2021 as the Chief Operating Officer. In his role, he guides the daily operations of the Tulsa Remote staff, supports the community team, oversees the new member application process and member experiences. He is excited to lead the program and welcome more remote workers to Tulsa as it continues to expand.

Justin has dedicated his career to educational equity and entrepreneurialism. Before joining Tulsa Remote, he served as Senior Executive Director for Reading Partners Tulsa. During his three and a half years at Reading Partners, the organization worked with over 5,000 Tulsa area students, annually engaging over 1,500 community volunteers each program year. He launched his career with Teach For America-Oklahoma when it opened in Tulsa in 2009, and quickly rose through the organization as it expanded across the state. In his various roles, Justin raised more than $7.5 million for Teach For America and secured funding from the State of Oklahoma. Justin also managed operations for the Teach For America Oklahoma City Institute, which trained more than 260 teachers, staffed over 100 people, and provided free summer school to more than 2,000 students. He was a founding board member for Collegiate Hall College Prep Charter School in Tulsa.

Justin earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Business Administration from the University of Tulsa. Justin and his wife Megan have two children, Landon and Payton, and run two fitness studios in Tulsa - Pure Barre South Tulsa and Row House South Tulsa.

Ray Hoyt is president of Tulsa Regional Tourism where he is responsible for leading the long-term strategies and advocacy for Tourism development, destination placemaking, sales, development and programming efforts of VisitTulsa, the Tulsa Sports Commission and the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts & Culture divisions at the Tulsa Regional Chamber.

Upon joining the Tulsa Regional Chamber in September of 2010 as the executive director of the Tulsa Sports Commission where he was responsible for the day-to-day leadership, growth and development of the sports commission’s relevance and advancement in the local, regional and national sports market. Shortly thereafter, Ray matriculated to senior leadership responsibilities at the Tulsa Regional Chamber when he became senior vice president of VisitTulsa and the Tulsa Sports Commission. During Ray’s tenure in this expanded role, Ray along with the Board leadership led Tourism Campaigns designed to first develop gap funding in the first of three with the most recent campaign titled “Momentum” to serve as an event closing and incentive fund from 2019-2023 with over $8 million dollars of private investment. These funds for the years of 2012-2023 will have generated over $16 million dollars of private investment to be utilized for investment in tourism and enhancing the quality of life for Tulsan’s through the economic impact of tourism for the Tulsa region and economy.

He is currently leading the reorganization of Regional Tourism with a focus on a Matrix structure that will focus on the three strategic areas, “Promoting, Selling and Experiencing” Tulsa as a destination. In conjunction with this organizational transformation a focus on the rebranding strategy known as, “Tulsa Inspires,” a regional marketing and branding strategy designed to positively promote Tulsa as a premier destination and placemaking for visitors, investment and talent attraction.

Ray is actively working on the implementation of Tulsa’s first tourism-based improvement district, and is convening and collaborating with community stakeholders on multiple vision projects like the USA BMX National HQ, Cox Business Center renovation, and destination development strategies for the future.

Prior to his arrival in Tulsa, Ray served as the director of national games for the National Senior Games Association, an organization he had been associated with since serving as its inaugural executive director of the Tucson Sports Commission from 1994 through 1997. The Walt Disney Company, a world-renowned convention, sports and tourism leader, recognized Ray’s success in Tucson and invited him to join Disney’s Wide World of Sports team in 1997 leading the event management team, executing more than 200 events annually. Ray’s impact resulted in more profitable events defined by higher per-athlete spending and increased room nights sold per event.

Ray graduated from Illinois State University with a BS degree in Parks and Recreation Administration and is an active member of the National Association of Sports Commissions and Destination Marketing Association International.

Away from the office, Ray enjoys golf, cycling on the road or his Peleton, and spending time with his family. Ray lives with his wife Tricia Milford-Hoyt and their two children, Riley and Regan who are competitive swimmers. Ray’s oldest daughter Alyssa resides in Tucson, Arizona with her two-year-old daughter Teagan.

Arthur Jackson joined the Tulsa Regional Chamber in February of 2021 as the senior vice president of economic development. Arthur leads the Chamber’s economic development efforts through Tulsa’s Future, the Chamber-led public-private regional economic development partnership, in addition to workforce and talent strategies.

Prior to joining the Tulsa Regional Chamber, Arthur served as senior director of economic development for five years for the Austin Chamber of Commerce, where he worked with companies looking to relocate, supported business retention and expansion efforts, and marketed Austin to potential companies. Over his career, he’s had experience in economic development, small business development and sales.

Arthur received his bachelor’s degree in business administration in marketing and an executive MBA from Prairie View A&M University. He was also named a 2021 Economic Development 40 Under 40 Award recipient by Development Counsellors International (DCI) and Jorgenson Consulting.

Brian Kurtz is the Executive Director of the Tulsa Downtown Coordinating Council – an advisory board comprised of property owners and businesses to provide management, planning, and marketing support of Downtown Tulsa.

Prior to his appointment, Brian served as the Director of Economic Development for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, a non-profit organization working with the public and private sectors to make Downtown Pittsburgh a vibrant place for businesses, workers, residents, and visitors. His previous experience includes the implementation of the PDP’s economic development initiatives such as business retention and attraction, placemaking public realm activation, developer coordination, research programs, and membership and constituent service. He also worked for a county-wide economic development agency in Buffalo, New York, assisting with urban revitalization projects and managing business attraction efforts with a focus on foreign-market expansion.

Brian received a Bachelor of Arts from Gannon University and a Master of Urban Planning from the University at Buffalo. He is an active member of the Urban Land Institute and the International Downtown Association where participated in the inaugural class of the Emerging Leaders Fellowship Program.

Thomas Devon Laney is the President & Chief Executive Officer of 36 Degrees North, Co., an award-winning, not-for-profit entrepreneurial support organization focused on providing the workspace, resources and community needed to build growing companies and drive economic impact. 36 Degrees North (36°N) is located in downtown Tulsa, OK and operates in partnership with the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, Tulsa Tech, the Frank W. Murphy Family Foundation, and the Tulsa Regional Chamber of
Commerce.

Before joining 36°N in 2019, Devon co-founded and served as CEO (and COO) of Innovation Depot in Birmingham, AL for over 14 years, leading the organization to consecutive record-setting years of economic impact and entrepreneurial growth. Prior to joining Innovation Depot, Devon was based out of Atlanta, GA and worked with Accenture LLP on numerous strategic projects at various Fortune 500 companies. Additionally, Devon is an entrepreneur with experience in the technology and B2B space.

Devon was selected as one of The Birmingham Business Journal’s “Top 40 Under 40” in 2009, and has also been recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International. An accomplished speaker, Devon has lectured at conferences in both the U.S. and internationally on entrepreneurial ecosystem development as well as business incubation and innovation. He recently served as Board Chair of the International Business Innovation Association and currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Global Accelerator Network (GAN) Hubs. In the Tulsa community, Devon serves on the Board of i2E and Cortado Ventures.

Devon holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business, both from The University of Alabama. He also completed studies at the International Business School in the Netherlands and the Young American Leaders program of Harvard University. He currently lives in the Midtown area of Tulsa with his two dogs and enjoys biking, traveling and taking in live music every chance he gets.

Dr. Laura Latta is a dedicated educator with experience in Pre K through postsecondary instructional leadership, cross-sector community development, and education research design and analytics. Dr. Latta is the Founding Executive Director of the Tulsa Higher Education (THE) Consortium, a multi-institutional collaborative that includes seven Tulsa-area colleges and universities. THE Consortium's focus is on supporting the transfer student experience, increasing equitable access to and outcomes in higher education, creating space for institutional collaboration, and building pathways to the workforce.

Darla Liggins is the Founding Managing Director of Campus Tulsa where she leads the strategy to attract, cultivate, and retain college students by connecting them with internships and building their social capital to launch their careers in the Tulsa region. Darla brings over a decade of experience and a proven track record of success launching innovative education programs in both the nonprofit and business sectors. She has a knack for fostering community and organizational relationships, and developing adult leaders in communities across the country.

Most recently, Darla served as the Senior Director of Strategy and Operations at ImpactTulsa. As a member of the senior leadership team she spearheaded and supported human relations, work culture, racial equity, finance, and operations initiatives. Prior to ImpactTulsa, Darla served as an executive director with Enriched Schools, an education company and community talent hub in ten cities nationwide. Darla launched the Washington D.C. region of Enriched Schools in 2015 and grew the program to serve and support over 30 schools with talented and engaging substitute teachers. As a result of her strategic leadership, the D.C. region was able to amass over $4 million in revenue annually. While managing the Washington, DC site, Darla was promoted to support Enriched School’s growth nationwide by leading and supporting regional leaders in launching new regions in Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Dallas, Nashville and Atlanta. Moreover, Darla led a national strategy to build an alumni program to support students in college and career at college-access organization Peer Forward formerly known as College Summit. In this capacity, she supported 11 regions across 10 states with engaging over 50,000 alumni through the development of regional advisory boards, a national alumni council and online communities. Darla approaches all of her work with the heart of a great teacher. Her career started off as a Teach For America teacher in New Orleans and Washington, DC where she taught third, fourth and fifth grade English and social studies.

When Darla's not working, she's actively volunteering in her community. She is a member of the Junior League of Tulsa, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc and Metropolitan Baptist Church. Darla is passionate about building thriving young professional networks. You can find her volunteering with the TYPros Foundation, Reading Partners, Blueprint 918. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland and a master’s of education with a focus in education policy and leadership from American University. She lives in North Tulsa with her husband and enjoys bike riding, traveling and discovering new restaurants.

Justin McLaughlin serves in the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Tulsa Regional Chamber. He has previously served as Senior Vice President of Economic Development with the Tulsa Regional Chamber, Foundation President & VP of Government Affairs with St. John Health System, as well as roles with the Boeing Company, and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.

Justin is a native Oklahoman and holds a bachelor of business administration in finance from the University of Central Oklahoma. Following formal education, he graduated from the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute and the U.S. Chamber Institute for Organizational Management at the University of Arizona. Justin holds a designation as a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) from the International Economic Development Council and a Certified Chamber Executive (CCE) from the American Chamber of Commerce Executives.

Justin is a member of the International Economic Development Council and the American Chamber of Commerce Executives. He serves on the I2E (Innovation to Enterprise) Board, Advisory Board for the Salvation Army of Tulsa and International Economic Development Council’s Education & Certification Committee.

Justin and his wife have three children. In his spare time, he enjoys travel with family, hiking, golf, fly fishing and cycling.

Michael S. Neal, CCE, CCD, HLM, IOM, is in his 15th year as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Tulsa Regional Chamber, which serves 20 counties in northeast Oklahoma. The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives named the then Tulsa Metro Chamber as the Nation’s Best Chamber for a record three consecutive years of eligibility, being named the National Chamber of the Year in 2010, 2008 and 2005. In 2018, the Chamber was again a finalist for the award, and in 2020 was named the nation’s best chamber for a record fourth time.

In 2018, the Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce Executives (OCCE) inducted Neal into their Hall of Fame in recognition of his 30 years of service to the chamber industry. Tulsa People named Neal the 2011 Tulsan of the Year for his limitless energy, can-do optimism and tireless efforts toward making Tulsa a better place. Southern Business and Development in 2011 recognized him as one of the Top 10 Economic Developers in the South. In 2010 he was named the Chamber Executive of the Year by OCCE. The Louisiana Chamber of Commerce Executives named him their Chamber Executive of the Year in 1998 and 2000.

Prior to coming to Tulsa, Neal spent four years as president and CEO of the Nashville, TN, Area Chamber of Commerce, and 12 years as president and CEO of his hometown, Monroe, LA, Chamber of Commerce. Previously he served as District Office Manager for U.S. Congressman Jerry Huckaby and as Trust Officer for Central Bank (now Chase) in Monroe, LA.

The Tulsa Regional Chamber is the only Chamber in America to earn four accreditations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s highest recognition, five-star accreditation; the International Economic Development Council’s prestigious Accredited Economic Development Organization distinction; Destination International’s Destination Marketing Accreditation; and an Accredited Film Commission by the Association of Film Commissioners International.

In 2019, the Chamber achieved the third of five increasingly rigorous levels within the Oklahoma Quality Foundation (OQF) framework, which is based on Malcolm Baldrige criteria. The Chamber previously achieved level one within the OQF framework in 2013, and level two in 2015. In 2015, the Chamber also received the American Society of Association Executives’ Summit Award.

Neal leads the Chamber’s full-time professional staff of 50 in the areas of regional economic development, convention and visitor development, government affairs, education, workforce development, small business, sports, young professionals, downtown and river development,

political action and membership services, while managing a $15.5 million budget. Through more than 2,150 member organizations, the Chamber represents more than 178,000 regional employees. Neal led the creation of the Tulsa Regional Chamber Coalition and their OneVoice Regional State and Federal Legislative Agendas, which celebrated their 10th anniversaries in 2017.

Neal is heavily involved with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He serves on its Foundation Board of Directors, its Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100, and its Transportation Infrastructure & Logistics Committee. Neal is also the current chairman of their Accrediting Board of Directors.

Neal currently serves on the boards of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), the Western Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (WACE), and the State Chamber of Oklahoma.

Neal chaired the Oklahoma Governor’s Economic Development Marketing Team in 2015. He was appointed to the Commission on the Future of Higher Education in Oklahoma in 2017.

Former Tulsa Mayor Dewey F. Bartlett, Jr. and the Tulsa City Council appointed Neal to the Arkansas River Infrastructure Task Force, charged with formalizing plans for river development involved with Vision 2025 Renewal and Vision Tulsa. Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum appointed Neal to the Vision Tulsa Advisory Group and, in 2020, to the Mayor’s Economic Recovery Advisory Committee.

Neal is a 1980 accounting graduate from the University of Louisiana Monroe, where he played baseball.

Rue Ramsey is the Vice President of Workforce and Talent Strategies in the Economic Development division at the Tulsa Regional Chamber. In this role, she works with regional stakeholders to provide collaborative solutions for workforce development across industry sectors. Her main areas of focus are to connect classrooms to business and industry for experiential learning, to remove barriers and obstacles for post-secondary education attainment and to grow, attract and retain skilled talent needed for continued economic growth for the Tulsa Region.

Rue brings a wealth of experience and successful leadership from the corporate, education and non-profit arenas. She has spent her career facilitating discussions, creating initiatives, and developing programs to better align talent strategies across industry sectors. She is known to be an insightful and innovative thought leader. Prior to joining the Chamber, she was Education Director at Junior Achievement and College and Career Readiness Coordinator for Tulsa Public Schools. Rue is also a certified business and marketing teacher and taught area high school students entrepreneurship, marketing and international business.

Rue is a native of the Tulsa region. She attended Oklahoma State University where she majored in management and human relations, earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and was a cheerleader. She serves on the executive board of Campus Tulsa and was selected for the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executive’s Economic Recovery fellowship.

In her spare time, you can find Rue with her husband Sterling, cheering on their 4 children in their sports and activities. She runs and bike rides on the trails throughout the greater Tulsa area and is always looking for a great book to read.

Jeff has always had a passion for community service and the outdoors. He became an Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor member in the Order of the Arrow. And after graduating from Jenks and then Baylor, Jeff returned to Tulsa honing his business, marketing and sales skills in the outdoor industry he loved. Jeff started with Lowrance Electronics in Tulsa and then with Johnson Outdoors in Wisconsin.

Returning to Tulsa in 1996, Jeff became the President of Outdoor Innovations/Terminator Titanium Lures, which he and his investors sold in 2006.

Jeff joined the TCF team in 2008 and since that time has helped guide the strategic vision for the foundation, as well as overseeing its operation.

In addition to his role as COO, Jeff serves on the George Kaiser Family Foundation’s leadership, overseeing the Vibrant and Inclusive Tulsa team that focuses on the foundation’s civic enhancement, placemaking, economic development, talent recruitment & retention, beautification and arts investments. He also is the Executive Director and Trustee for Tulsa’s Gathering Place, LLC; overseeing design and construction of the 100-acre, $465 million riverfront park. Among many national honors, the park was recently named USA Today’s top city park in 2020, one of Time Magazine’s 100 Greatest Places in the world and awarded Urban Land Institute’s Global Excellence award, the first for a park.

Jeff loves Tulsa. Not only is it his day job to work on projects to make his hometown a more thriving city, but he is also a dedicated community volunteer serving in such capacities as the chair of the Airport Improvement Trust; vice-chair of the Tulsa Metro Chamber Executive Board of Directors; Catholic Charities Board of Governors; Executive Board member of Boys Scouts of America Indian Nations Council; and Board of Directors and member of Young Presidents Organization. Jeff has also served as past chairs of Tulsa’s Future regional economic development program and the VisitTulsa Regional Tourism Executive Board of Directors as well as being a graduate of Leadership Tulsa Class 28. And recently was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame.

Jeff and his wife Susie have two sons, Will and Luke, who enjoy the outdoors with their dad. Jeff is also a NASCAR fan and enjoys relaxing with family and friends at Grand Lake.

Ben Stewart serves as the Executive Director of the Tulsa Remote program. He is also a Senior Program Officer at the George Kaiser Family Foundation, overseeing the Vibrant and Inclusive Tulsa and Talent initiatives. Prior to joining GKFF in 2010, Stewart worked in venture capital for the Oklahoma Life Sciences Fund, lived abroad in Argentina, and worked with social entrepreneurship groups Ashoka and Endeavor. A Tulsa native, he is a 2007 graduate from the Honors College at the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in international business, entrepreneurship and Spanish.

Kathy Taylor is the interim dean of the Collins College of Business. An accomplished leader, business executive and corporate attorney, Taylor has a record of transformational change and leadership in both the public and private sectors. She is also a tireless advocate for education and entrepreneurship, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion.

In addition to Taylor’s service as Oklahoma’s Secretary of Commerce and Mayor of Tulsa, she has served on several corporate boards, including Sonic Corp., Bank of Oklahoma, National Car Rental and Dollar Car Rental, as well as on various boards for professional and nonprofit organizations. Taylor is currently active on the boards of the Tulsa Public Facilities Authority; 36oN, a basecamp for entrepreneurs; StitchCrew, a business accelerator; the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation; and VEST, a network for expanding the pipeline of women in positions of influence.

Taylor earned a BA and a JD from the University of Oklahoma. She was the inaugural recipient of the Order of the Owl, the highest honor bestowed by the OU College of Law. Taylor was a resident fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School Institute of Politics and holds honorary doctoral degrees from The University of Tulsa and Old Dominion University.

As chief executive officer of Tulsa Economic Development Corporation, Rose Washington is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing strategies that support the organization's role as a catalyst leader in local economic growth. TEDC enlightens people, enables small businesses, and helps develop communities in partnership with a variety of stakeholders. The organization uses public and private resources to encourage business start-up and expansion through its Creative Capital brand. TEDC reaches over 500 entrepreneurs and small businesses each year through workshops, development services and loans ranging from $500 to $10 million. Inclusive economic development is paramount in TEDC’s mission.

Under Washington’s leadership, TEDC has become a highly regarded partner in many economic development initiatives. With broad experience creating strategic alliances in diverse communities, Washington is known to be resourceful, creative and solutions-oriented. Five special projects have given TEDC expanded capacity for measurable, sustainable impact: construction of a new 17,654 sq. ft. grocery store in a food desert; construction and operation of a 17,000 sq. ft. retail center in north Tulsa; intent to develop 30 acres of industrial land in an under-developed area of Tulsa County; acquisition of a building in downtown Tulsa providing space for business incubation; and active involvement in Tulsa’s COVID-19 resilience and recovery efforts deploying $60 million in aid to small businesses and non-profits.

Prior to arriving in Oklahoma, Rose enjoyed a successful career in community and government relations with the University of Southern California, as well as, several years in banking and higher education in Mississippi. She holds a BBA in Finance and an MBA from Mississippi State University and Mississippi College, respectively. Rose’s crowning achievement is as mom to Mariah Rentie, BS/MHR graduate of the University of Oklahoma, and Morris Rentie III, a senior at Union High School.