Tech Center starts process of replacing Goldsmith

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Nov 8, 2002

The board of directors of the Oklahoma Technology Development Corp. has appointed a committee to search for a new president and CEO of the corporation and executive director of the Oklahoma Technology Commercialization Center. a

This position will become vacant when Randy Goldsmith, the organization's founding president and executive director, leaves in December to take a new job in San Antonio.

Rudy Alvarado, chairman of Advancia Corp., is chair of the search committee.

"This organization has, under Randy's leadership, developed a national reputation for excellence," Alvarado said. "It is a high- profile position, and it's important that we find the best candidate who can take the Tech Center to the next level."

The organization is evaluating the use of an executive search firm, Alvarado said.

A formal job announcement with information on qualifications and on where to send resumes will be made soon, Alvarado said. Once initiated, the search committee anticipates no longer than a 90- to 120-day search process.

The private, not-for-profit corporation dedicated to the creation of additional high technology businesses in Oklahoma, operates the tech center under contract with the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology. The center is funded with state appropriations.

Kerr-McGee names treasurer

Elizabeth Wilkinson has joined Kerr-McGee Corp. as vice president and treasurer.

Wilkinson is responsible for Kerr-McGee's banking, cash management, financial services, pension and savings plan investments, and financial analysis and planning. She has nearly 19 years of finance experience, 17 of them with GlobalSantaFe Corp. in Houston, most recently serving as assistant treasurer.

Wilkinson holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and an master's of business administration in finance, both from the University of Florida.

Rex elected to board

John Williams Rex, president of the American Fidelity Assurance Co., has been elected to its board of directors of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Rex currently serves as a board member of the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation and the Education Policy Board of the Oklahoma Business and Education Coalition.

"Through its effort to improve the quality of teachers, the National Board is making a major contribution to the improvement of learning by our nation's children," Rex said.

Why did we vote that way?

The University of Oklahoma and Washington-based Wilson Research Strategies are conducting a study of Oklahoma voters to quantify why they voted the way the did.

The study will measure what mattered to voters when they cast their votes on Tuesday. Whose message worked? Whose did not?

The research findings will be presented at a symposium sponsored by OU Public Opinion Learning Laboratory at 2:30 p.m. Monday in Beaird Lounge of Oklahoma Memorial Union in Norman. The symposium will include a panel discussion with the chairman of both the Oklahoma Republican and Democrat parties and Oklahoma news organizations. Panelists will include Professor Gary Copeland, director of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center; Katie Kimberling, director of the OU Public Opinion Learning Laboratory; Chris Wilson, president of Wilson Research Strategies and media representatives.

Wilson Research Strategies is led by Chris Wilson, who was executive director of the Republican Party of Texas under then-Gov. George W. Bush. He has served the Republican House leadership and worked on three GOP Presidential campaigns.

Concert park planned

Plans are in the works for a 400-acre concert park in Pryor that backers say will attract country music stars and pump millions of dollars into the area economy.

The design calls for 3,500 VIP seats, 3,000 unimproved campsites, a 60-unit shower, a 24-hour convenience store and 15 to 20 vendor hook-ups.

"I can't tell you what this means to this area," said Barbara Hawkins, president of the Pryor Chamber of Commerce. "This is a really big deal."

Investors in the newly formed production company, Pryor Creek Country Music Festivals Inc., said the park could draw 25,000 to 30,000 people to rural Mayes County, providing seasonal employment for around 2,000.

Among the partners in the project are the owners and associates of Chippewa Valley Music Festivals of Cadott, Wis., site of a long- running festival that has drawn artists including Alan Jackson, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw and Brooks & Dunn.

"Almost as soon as we looked at the property in Pryor, we knew it was the best place for us to locate," said Mike Asher, founder of the Wisconsin festival.

The site is three miles north of Pryor, east of Hwy. 69. Construction on a permanent stage is scheduled to begin in December, with the first festival planned for June 12-15, 2003.

"It is our expectation that Pryor Creek's Country Fever will outpace Wisconsin within three to four years," Asher said.

"We have found an area where we can grow our business and, in turn, help to bring millions of tourism dollars each year into Pryor, Mayes County and northeast Oklahoma."