Business & People Notes
Tina Parkhill, owner of Parkhill’s Liquors & Wine South, has been elected to the board of directors of the Oklahoma State University Alumni Association, and Thomas Goekler, partner in charge at Eide Bailly, , has been elected to the leadership council of the Oklahoma State University Alumni Association.
Parkhill graduated from Oklahoma State University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 1993. During her time at , she served as Panhellenic delegate for Kappa Delta and both president and external vice president of the Panhellenic Council.
In addition to serving with the Alumni Association, Parkhill holds active roles with Leadership Tulsa, Family & Children’s Services, the American Red Cross, Jenks Public Schools Foundation, Crosstown Learning Center, the Arthritis Foundation, New Hope Oklahoma, the Bixby Outreach Center and the Salvation Army.
Goekeler graduated from in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He will represent Tulsa on the Leadership Council.
“Three members of my immediate family have earned degrees from and the fourth will be attending in the fall of 2016. Orange runs deep in our family!” Goekler says.
In addition to serving with the Alumni Association, Goekler has served on multiple community and charitable boards since graduation and was a participant in Leadership Tulsa.
The Oklahoma Dental Association () has awarded Dr. C. Rieger Wood, with the Thomas Jefferson “Citizenship Award” and Dr. Michael Howl with the Dan E. Brannin Professionalism Award. The awards were given during the 2016 President’s Dinner on April 16 in Oklahoma City.
The Thomas Jefferson “Citizenship Award” is given to the dentist who has put forth outstanding contributions to community service. Wood has chaired the Oklahoma Mission of Mercy twice since it began in 2010. The Oklahoma Mission of Mercy is a two-day dental clinic that provides free dental services to the public and has served 12,175 patients, totaling more than $8 million in donated dental care.
The Dan E. Brannin Professionalism Award is presented annually to a dentist who has made significant contributions to the advancement of the principles and practice of ethics and professionalism in dentistry. Howl currently serves as a board member on the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry and as an examiner on the Western Regional Examination Board. He volunteers his time to local and international dental clinics such as D-, Neighbor for Neighbor Dental Clinic and the Rio Negro Foundation Dental Clinic in Barcelos, Brazil.
The Tulsa Community College Foundation has named Rachel D. Hutchings as director of development. The Foundation supports the mission and vision of the college by developing community relationships and financial support for student development and scholarships as well as critical capital and equipment needs. The Foundation was founded in 1970.
Prior to joining , Hutchings was the corporate and government affairs manager for American Airlines covering Oklahoma.
“Hutchings ties to run deep. She is a graduate with a unique perspective of higher education for the student as well as the corporate and business community,” Lauren Brookey, vice president of external affairs and Foundation president, says.
Hutchings has a master’s in organizational dynamics from the University of Oklahoma, a bachelor’s in business management from University of Phoenix and an associate degree in business management from Tulsa Community College.
AmericanChecked Inc. Background Screening Solutions announces that Kelli D. Weaver has been promoted to the position of vice president of business development according to company President and Julie Hakman. Weaver has worked as director of tribal services for more than five years, managing screening and licensing programs for tribal enterprises.
Before joining AmericanChecked, Weaver served as the communications manager for Benefits, ; was the owner and forensic interviewer for Allied Resolutions, ; and served as the deputy juvenile officer of Jasper County in Joplin, Missouri.
Tulsa-based law firm Hall Estill announces that Michael Keester has been elected to the firm’s executive committee.
Keester joined the firm in 1993 and has served for many years on the firm’s Board of Directors. He has been practicing litigation in Tulsa for over 30 years and has an AV rating through Martindale-Hubbell. In addition, he has been selected a Best Lawyer in America in Litigation-Construction, Litigation-Municipal and Commercial Litigation and has been recognized as an Oklahoma Super Lawyer in Civil Litigation Defense. Further, he was named the Tulsa Lawyer of the Year in Construction Law by Best Lawyers in 2012 and also in 2015.
Schnake Turnbo Frank, a strategic communications and management consulting firm with offices in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, announced it has promoted David Wagner to partner and chief financial officer and Bill Handy to executive vice president of strategic services.
Wagner has been with since 2010 and most recently served as Tulsa region president and chief administration officer for the firm. In his new role, Wagner will be responsible for the overall financial operations of the firm in addition to his work with client services and business development.
Wagner previously worked at Oral Roberts University where he held several positions, including vice president of university relations and development. Earlier in his career, he lived in Wisconsin and worked many years in the education field.
Handy was promoted from senior vice president to executive vice president and will maintain company-wide responsibility for scoping and managing complex strategic communications initiatives.
Handy joined in 2011 when the firm merged with his digital communications agency, h3 Strategic Communications, which Handy co-founded with Shelli Holland-Handy. Handy also previously served as a visiting assistant professor at Oklahoma State University for six years and was the co-owner of Dog Dish, an upscale pet boutique.
Vinson Synan Ph.D. has been selected as interim dean of the College of Theology and Ministry at Oral Roberts University. He will fill the void left by longtime Dean, Dr. Thomson Mathew, who is on a one-year sabbatical and plans to return to the classroom. Synan officially begins his service Aug. 1.
As a long-time member of the community, Synan served as the director of ORU’s Holy Spirit Research Center from 1990 to 1994. His most recent tenure was served as the dean of the Regent University School of Divinity.
“We are grateful that Dr. Synan, with such distinction, has taken this challenge to stand in the gap. I know he is passionate about sending students to the uttermost bounds of the earth. We are glad to have such a globally-renowned scholar on our team,” says Oral Roberts University President William M. Wilson.
Updated 06-27-2016
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