OKPOLICY.ORG
The Oklahoma Policy Institute elected new board officers during its June 12 board meeting.
Incoming board officers will be serving a two-year term for the following offices:
- Chair: Dr. Joseph Siano of Norman, who serves as associate executive director of the Oklahoma State School Board Association.
- Vice Chair: Erika Lucas of Oklahoma City, who is the founder and CEO of StitchCrew, a consultancy and project management firm supporting technology startups and venture capital firms.
- Secretary: Jeff Berrong of Weatherford, who is a third generation owner in his family’s independent insurance agency, Ed Berrong Insurance Agency, Inc.
- Treasurer: Chuck Garrett of Tulsa, treasurer, who serves as the CEO of Cherokee Nations Businesses, the tribally owned holding company of the Cherokee Nation.
- Immediate Past Chair: Don Millican of Tulsa, who serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Kaiser Francis Oil Company.
“Without a doubt these are challenging times for both Oklahoma and the nation, but I am excited for the opportunity to lead OK Policy’s board to address the myriad issues facing our state,” Siano said. “OK Policy will continue its work to provide data-driven, non-partisan analysis for Oklahoma lawmakers and administrators to make informed decisions while navigating the difficult path ahead. We will continue to stand in the gap to ensure Oklahomans are not left behind by state policies, especially low-income Oklahomans or those from marginalized communities who otherwise might lack the voice to be heard or the tools to effect positive change in their communities.”
During the meeting, the board recognized the service of Millican as the outgoing chair. He was one of the founding board members for OK Policy and has served on the board for more than a decade including the past two as chair. A major OK Policy milestone during Millican’s tenure as chair included installing Ahniwake Rose as the organization’s new executive director in September 2019 following the retirement of longtime Executive Director David Blatt.
“To my mind, OK Policy serves a unique role by serving as Oklahoma’s irrefutable conscience in the fight to ensure that our state is more equitable and prosperous for all residents,” Millican said. “It’s been an honor to be a part of OK Policy’s work, which has helped keep countless Oklahomans from being left behind due to bad policy decisions.”
The board also welcomed new member Caroline Guerra Wolf of Tulsa. Guerra Wolf is an attorney with Conner & Winters, LLP, and a recent judicial law clerk for Chief Judge John E. Dowdell of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. She is a 2014 alumna of OK Policy’s Oklahoma Summer Policy Institute, which she attended as a law student at the University of Tulsa. Before law school, Caroline worked for the Tulsa City Council as a council aide and as a Spanish dual language immersion kindergarten teacher through Teach for America.
OK Policy is an independent non-profit that seeks to advance equitable and fiscally responsible policies that expand opportunity for all Oklahomans through nonpartisan research, analysis, and advocacy. Other board members include Kara Berst of Ada, Ann-Clore Duncan of Edmond, Dr. John Feaver of Chickasha, Ken Ferguson of Altus, Dr. Holbrook Lawson of Tulsa, Dr. John Schumann of Tulsa, and Andrew Tevington of Oklahoma City.
For more information, visit okpolicy.org.
