Board of Directors

Jeff Berrong, Chair.  A resident of Weatherford, Berrong is a third-generation owner in his family’s independent insurance agency, Ed Berrong Insurance Agency, Inc., which has been in business since 1948 and now has locations in Weatherford and Edmond.  He received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Oklahoma in 2004.  Before returning home to western Oklahoma in 2006, Jeff served as a field representative for former Oklahoma Congressman Dan Boren. He is very involved in his community where he has served on the board of directors of the Great Plains Family YMCA, the Weatherford Rotary Club, the Weatherford Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Weatherford Industrial Trust.  Jeff has enjoyed a lifelong interest in public policy, government, and politics and was a candidate for the Oklahoma State Senate District 38 seat in 2018.

Caroline Guerra Wolf, Vice Chair. A resident of Tulsa, Guerra Wolf is an Assistant Professor of Legal Writing at the University of Tulsa College of Law 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, she worked for the Tulsa City Council as a council aide and as a Spanish dual language immersion kindergarten teacher through Teach for America. 

Beverly K. Carmichael, Secretary. Carmichael is a former C-suite executive having served as the top HR executive at several organizations including Southwest Airlines, Ticketmaster, and Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. She is also an attorney and was the top labor lawyer at heavily unionized Southwest Airlines for many years. Beverly recently retired and moved home to Tulsa. She served on the Board of Directors at Leaf Group (NYSE: LEAF) until its acquisition by Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC). She also has served on the boards of several non-profit professional organizations, including the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF). Beverly attended public school in Tulsa and earned Bachelor of Business Administration and Juris Doctorate degrees from the University of Oklahoma, where she has also served as an Adjunct Professor at the Price College of Business.

Rebecca Thompson, Treasurer. A resident of the Tulsa area, Thompson has served as the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of AAON, Inc. since May 2021.  Previously, she served as the company’s Chief Accounting Officer since December 2012 and as CAO and Treasurer since November 2017. She started her career with Andersen in June 2001 and continued on with Grant Thornton through December 2012.  Ms. Thompson graduated from the University of Tulsa with a B.S.B.A. in Accounting and a Master of Information Systems and Accounting. She is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Susan Bynum is an attorney with Frederic Dorwart, Lawyers PLCC where she focuses much of her practice on business and corporate law compliance, federal political law compliance, and employment law. Prior to her current role with Frederic Dorwart, her work experience focused on government relations at the federal level. She consulted for clients in the aerospace, health care, and financial services industries. She graduated with honors from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 2017 and was a 2000 graduate of the University of Oklahoma where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism-Public Relations and many accolades including Top Ten Senior and the Bronze Letzseizer Award.

Ashley Harris Philippsen serves as ImpactTulsa’s Senior Director of Community Engagement and Advocacy where she partners with teams to drive policy, systems-change, and programs that create sustainable outcomes for students in the Greater Tulsa area. She is a systems, culture, and equity coach with more than a decade of experience in education, leadership development, civic engagement, and school and curriculum design. Her previous professional experience includes  Executive Director at Met Cares, Managing Director of Teacher Leadership Development at Teach For America, Founding Dean of Students at YES Prep Public Schools, and Deputy Chief of Community Development and Policy at the City of Tulsa. She graduated with honors from the University of Oklahoma.

Kelsey Karper is an Oklahoma City-based curator, artist, and project manager, and she was a co-founded for the Factory Obscura art collaborative in Oklahoma City. As a curator, Karper focuses on projects that build community and create new opportunities for artists. She previously served as Associate Director of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition, and she works as an independent project manager, helping organizations with research and planning. 

Rodger T. Kerr has served as the President and CEO of the Altus Chamber of Commerce since 2018. Before joining the chamber, he served nearly 27 years with the Southwest Technology Center, including more than six years as its Chief Operating Officer. He graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics, and he also earned a Master of Business Administration from Baker College and a Master of Education from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. 

Roger Knak has served as the CEO of Fairview Regional Medical Center for 16 years. Knak started his medical career after working as a professional firefighter paramedic and then rose through the profession to hospital management. He was named the Rural Health Leader of the Year in 2017 by the Rural Health Association of Oklahoma. Before joining Fairview Regional Medical Center, he served as CEO of Russell Regional Hospital in Russell, Kansas, where he previously served as its Director of Emergency Services and Chief Operating Officer. He earned an Associate Degree in Nursing from the University of the State of New York and a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management and a Master of Business Administration, both from Friends University. 

Erika Lucas. A resident of Oklahoma City, Lucas is the co-Founder of StitchCrew and VEST. Prior to launching StitchCrew, Erika worked at a private equity firm with investments in the U.S. and Europe. She also served as Global Director at the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.  Born and raised in Mexico, Erica’s extensive community involvement includes service on the Boards for Arvest Bank, the Oklahoma City-County Health Department, Potts Family Foundation, Diversion Hub, and 36 Degrees North.