Mark & Dedra Phillips: Tulsa?s Young Professional Parents
Mark & Dedra Phillips: Tulsa?s Young Professional Parents
By AMBER NEVILLE
Contributing Writer
Courtesy the Phillips family
This month’s article is in celebration and recognition of those who are both ros members and parents. Mark and Dedra Phillips are two of a number of Tulsa’s Young Professionals who are also mothers and fathers. Mark and his wife Dedra stay busy attending as many ros events as possible, while balancing their family-life and work-life. Mark is the co-crew leader of the Special Events Crew and Dedra is an active member of the crew also.
In today’s ever-demanding world, where a two-income family is predominant, making time to network, volunteer and be active outside of the home for parents is an amazing feat. Mark and Dedra’s story is not all that unique of other younger families, but one that was worth exploring and sharing.
They began their relationship as two individuals interested in making a difference in their community through ros. It was 2006 at the ros monthly networking social, “Pub Club” at Bonefish Grill when Mark and Dedra met. Both attended as Special Events crewmembers, both single at the time and wanting to see what the ros membership could offer for networking.
Mark is a Tulsa native and graduate of Nathan Hale High School. Dedra is a native of Oklahoma City and graduate of Heritage Hall. Both are Oklahoma State University graduates, Mark with a degree in Marketing and Dedra in Hotel and Restaurant Management. They had an immediate bond, helping people.
Mark’s roots brought him back to Tulsa to take an accounts management position in sales and marketing for Tulstar Products, Inc., a global sourcing and distribution company, trading in chemicals and oils.
Mark was asked to become the co-crew leader for the Special Events crew in the fall of 2007. Honored and worthy, Mark accepted and is currently in his second term as co-chair alongside crew leader Dustin Thames, a realtor for Pollard & Associates. Mark adds, “ros is an amazing organization that has given me many opportunities to make a difference and meet other like-minded individuals that care about our city.”
Ultimately the passion for following what is going on in and around Tulsa is another bond Dedra and Mark share, not only as ros but also undoubtedly as parents. Mark says, “Everybody’s busy, for Dedra and I, it’s important for us to have an active voice in our community. Our community is our children’s future community.” Dedra adds, “We’re fortunate to have family close by to help out and when the kids are spending time with family, that’s when Mark and I try to attend as many (ros) events as possible together. Sometimes Mark goes, sometimes I go. It’s a constant balancing act.”
In Dedra’s downtime, she unequivocally puts her children and their events first. “In the fall, my daughter will be cheering and my son will be playing football for Jenks so we’re really excited about that!” Dedra’s attraction to Tulsa was for a position in personnel services, wanting to hone in on the human resources side of business using her education. Dedra later found a position with the Cherokee Casino where she is currently the Human Resources Manager. She enjoys working to contribute to the welfare of Oklahoma’s Native American population, as she is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation. Dedra is also a member of the local Society for Human Resources Management chapter and the Tulsa Area Human Resources Association.
Mark and Dedra look forward to some more family-friendly events this summer sponsored by ros, such as the “Next/Now Art Around Town” event and “Off the Clock Tulsa Drillers” game. You can also catch the Phillips” checking out open houses on the weekends and this summer at Utica Square’s “Summer’s 5th Night.”
For more information about ros Special Events, visit the ros Web site, TYPROS and search under the “Happenings” tab.
Editor’s Note: Tulsa-area leadership has been working hard over the past few years to keep young professional talent in the region. One organization that has been very effective in keeping young talent local is Tulsa’s Young Professionals, known by its acronym “ros.” This is the fifth of the Newspapers monthly series spotlighting young Tulsa leadership. Greater Tulsa is fortunate to have young talent contributing to its betterment.
About ros
The Tulsa Young Professionals, or “ros” is a group of diverse young professionals, whose typical ages range from 21-40, working together to showcase Tulsa as an excellent place to live, work and play. The mission of ros is to retain and attract young talent, while focusing on fostering Tulsa’s next generation of leadership. Membership is free. ros provides its members with opportunities to get in front of and build relationships with local community and business leaders. For more information or to become a member, visit TYPROS.
Updated 05-19-2009
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