ALUMN i NOTES

’73

George W. Moore, Ph.D., (BSEd ’73, MEd ’83) recently was promoted to full professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Sam Houston State University, in Huntsville, Texas. He has been on the faculty at Sam Houston since fall 2006 and currently teaches in the doctoral and master’s degree programs in Educational Leadership. He also serves as the coordinator and adviser in the Instructional Leadership program at the university.

’92 Craig Freeman (BA ’91, MA ’92) now is Oklahoma City’s city manager. Freeman began his career with the City of Oklahoma City shortly after graduating from Central, earning several promotions along the way and later becoming the city’s finance director in 2011.

’93

Jared Giddens, J.D., (BS ’78) recently was named as chairperson of Conner and Winters, an Oklahoma-based law firm with locations in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Arkansas, Dallas, Houston and Washington, D.C. In addition to his duties as chairman, Giddens will continue his work as a business litigator and transactional attorney, specializing in the banking, energy, construction and transportation industries.

‘78

Krista Lusey (BS ’93) was appointed as a director to the Edmond Board of Realtors’ Board of Directors. After serving for 10 years as a special education teacher for Oklahoma City Public Schools, Lusey earned her real estate license in 2004 and has continued to serve the Edmond community as a realtor.

’96

Kevin Ponce (BBA ’96) received the 2019 Foodservice Achievement Management Excellence Golden Director of the Year Award. Ponce is the director of School Nutrition Services for Oklahoma City Public Schools and has dedicated 20 years of service to school nutrition in the Oklahoma City metro.

’80

Patricia Potts (MBA ’80) is one of this year’s Leadership Oklahoma Lifetime Achievement Award recipients. The award recognizes individuals who have used their leadership abilities to improve the quality of life for Oklahoma’s citizens and its future generations. Potts founded the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, serving as president and CEO for more than 20 years. She also founded the Oklahoma Women’s Coalition and co-founded the Community Resource Development Foundation and the Potts Family Foundation. Previously, Potts has been named “Woman of the Year” by Journal Record and inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame.

’02

Steve Hanes (BS ’02) now is the director of publications, branding and marketing at the Lynn Health Science Institute, a provider of clinical trials research and health services. Hanes graduated from Central’s graphic design program and was a member of Clock Tower, its student-run design firm.

’03

Tina Evans (BA ’03) recently became the director of communications for Novo Ministries, a nonprofit organization focused on helping inner-city youth. Evans previously served as director of communications and education for the Oklahoma Dental Association.

’04

’97

Kevin Ely (BA ’97) recently was promoted to creative director for creative content at Life.Church, where he has worked in a creative capacity for more than 16 years. Ely also is a features programmer for deadCENTER Film Festival and was honored by deadCENTER Film for his decade of service during its 2019 Glitter Ball.

Carlos Evans (BBA ’04) earned notoriety in The Edmond Sun after his company, Tall Oak Midstream, donated $5,000 to Sunbeam Family Services, a nonprofit aimed at breaking the cycle of generational poverty for Oklahomans. Evans is chief commercial officer for Tall Oak Midstream, which he co-founded in 2014, after working for Chesapeake Energy for 10 years. He has served as a member of the UCO Foundation Board of Trustees since 2017.

’05

Lewis T. LeNaire (BA ’01, MA ’05) was appointed as a shareholder of GableGotwals, an Oklahoma-based law firm. LeNaire has been with the firm since 2011 and specializes in business litigation with a focus on the energy industry.

’01

Summer Blades (BS ’05) was promoted to vice president of internal auditing at Quail Creek Bank. She previously served as assistant vice president for internal auditing. As a Certified Internal Auditor and a Certified Internal Controls Auditor, Blades has built more than 18 years of audit experience following her graduation from UCO.

’05

Tabbi Burwell (BA ’05) represented the City of Oklahoma City at the International Media Marketplace (IMM) in New York City, as part of her new position as senior manager for destination communications for the Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau – also known as Visit OKC. IMM is a travel convention, and while there, Burwell met face-to-face with more than 20 travel writers, promoting what Oklahoma City has to offer as a travel destination. as the bureau’s director of public relations and community outreach.