Business and People Notes November 2020

Jasmine Willis-Wallace, Ed.D, has joined OU-Tulsa as director of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Dr. Willis-Wallace has a background in diversity, equity and inclusion work in higher education administration and student affairs. She has presented and has done research on the topic of diversity and inclusion within higher education. She comes to OU most recently from Tulsa Public Schools where she served as a Program Operations Manager and has also served in student affairs positions and as an educator.
“I am very happy to welcome Dr. Willis-Wallace to the OU-Tulsa campus,” said Dr. John H. Schumann, OU-Tulsa president. “Diversity, equity and inclusion work is vitally important and influences every aspect of our campus environment.”
“It is important that the ideals of diversity, equity and inclusion for all run throughout every effort we make at the University of Oklahoma,” said Dr. Belinda Higgs-Hyppolite, OU vice president of diversity and inclusion. “And having champions for this important work on each campus is vital.”
Dr. Willis-Wallace holds a Doctor of Education with a focus on higher education administration and a Master of Science degree in college student development and counseling from Northeastern University in Boston, Mass., and a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
For more information about OU-Tulsa, visit www.ou.edu/tulsa.
Architect Jason Haslam has joined the Reed Architecture and Interiors staff to oversee all projects with Tulsa contractor Master’s Plan Church Design and Construction.
Last year, Reed Architecture entered a partnership with Master’s Plan to help growing church congregations in multiple states meet their expansion and renovation needs. This business remained strong in 2020 despite the COVID outbreak, spurring Reed’s hiring of Haslam as its Master’s Plan project manager.
“Jason brings a strong skillset in visualization and lots of experience in dealing with permitting municipalities and managing multiple projects,” said Reed Architecture principal David Reed. “His passion for churches and attention to detail, along with his management skills, are a great fit as he leads up our Master’s Plan projects.”
Haslam earned his architectural degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1994. His career path led him into modeling and 3D visualization.
Haslam marks the third new hire for Reed Architecture in what has proven to be a monumental year for the firm. It started 2020 celebrating its 10th year as Sparks Reed Architecture and Interiors. In March, the firm purchased a 5,000-square-foot downtown Sapulpa building for its new home. David Reed oversaw its renovation, which his firm entered in May. Co-founder Gary Sparks retired during that effort, spurring Reed Architecture to adopt its current name.
To learn more about Reed Architecture, visit www.reed-architects.com.
Law firm Conner & Winters LLP has announced Mary P. Huckabee as the firm’s newest partner. Huckabee is a highly skilled transactional lawyer who handles zoning and land use, real estate, and banking and business acquisition deals in industries including construction, oil and gas, healthcare, and nonprofits.
 “I am so proud of the land use and zoning practice I have developed at Conner & Winters. Every day, I help my clients navigate around the many hurdles in real estate development. Whether it’s a new business bringing jobs to downtown Tulsa, a nonprofit building affordable housing for seniors, or a restaurant welcoming customers to their patio, my greatest reward is to see their success reflected in the landscape of our community.”
Recently, Huckabee received the Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch award that honors lawyers who have been in private practice for less than 10 years, and who have exhibited outstanding professional excellence. Her other achievements include being named as an Achiever Under 40 in 2018 by The Journal Record, serving as the editor-in-chief of the American Indian Law Review, and completing a federal judicial clerkship for Chief Judge James H. Payne with the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
“Mary’s list of accolades is just one of many reasons the firm named her to partnership. We’ve witnessed over the past decade how dedicated she is to improving the Tulsa and Oklahoma communities through her practice, the firm committees she serves on, and the community organizations she belongs to. We are so proud of her,” said Scott Hathaway, president of Conner & Winters.
Huckabee joined Conner & Winters in 2010 as a summer associate and then began her practice with the firm in 2012 after passing the bar exam. She currently serves on the firm’s small marketing, business development and recruitment committees, and is involved with the firm’s Connecting Women initiative.
Additionally, she maintains an active membership with the American Bar Association, Oklahoma Bar Association and Tulsa County Bar Association.
In her spare time, Huckabee serves on the OU Law Young Alumni Board and as a board member of the Tulsa Debate League. She also enjoys fixing up her 1924 Craftsman Bungalow and working in the garden.
Huckabee earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2012 and her Bachelor of Arts in 2008 from Columbia University where she studied environmental science.
Explorer Pipeline, a common carrier pipeline company headquartered in Tulsa, announced that its board of directors has appointed Mark Hurley as president and chief executive officer. 
Hurley formerly served as CEO for Blueknight Energy Partners, LP, located in Tulsa, for a period of seven and a half years. Prior to Blueknight, he spent three years at Enterprise Products Partners in Houston, Texas where he led the newly formed Crude Oil and Offshore business segment.
Hurley started his career with Shell Oil Company in 1981 as a process engineer at the Norco Manufacturing Complex located outside of New Orleans. He spent 29 years at Shell gaining experience in refining, lubricants, chemicals and midstream. His last role at Shell was president of Shell Pipeline Company. In this capacity, he sat on the Explorer Pipeline board of directors for approximately two years.
Originally from Maryland, he received his BS in chemical engineering from North Carolina State University.
On Sept. 1, Tom Jensen, retired after serving as president and chief executive officer for the past five years. Jensen joined Explorer in 1977 and worked in all areas of pipeline operations. He had served as president and chief executive officer since 2015.
Explorer Pipeline has more than 200 employees. It transports refined petroleum products through an 1,830-mile pipeline system extending from Port Arthur, Texas to the upper Midwest and serving major markets, including Houston, Dallas, Tulsa, St. Louis and Chicago. The southern system currently has a capacity of 660,000 barrels per day and the northern system currently has a capacity of 450,000 barrels per day. For more information, visit expl.com.