An experienced nonprofit leader whose impact has resonated across diverse initiatives, Lauren Sivak (she/her) is the former Managing Director of 2nd Story, one of Chicago’s oldest storytelling collectives. While at 2nd Story, Lauren grew the organization’s budget from $90K to $630K, expanded the staff and board, piloted new programming, and successfully navigated 2nd Story’s first audit. Prior to moving to Tulsa in 2022, Lauren advocated for LGBTQIA2S+ rights on the Chicago Commission on Human Relations Advisory Council and drove education initiatives as the Vice President of Education at the North River Commission, the Local School Council Community Representative at Albany Park Multicultural Academy, and the founding Chair of the Friends of Roosevelt High School. Currently, she is a board member with The Admiral at the Lake, The Kedzie Center, and Under the Canopy, and volunteers monthly with the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. Lauren earned a Bachelor’s in English Education and Theatre from Purdue University and a Master’s in Nonprofit Administration from North Park University.

Steve Beck joined Oklahoma State University as the State 4-H Program Leader in March of 2020. Before joining OSU, he was the state 4-H program leader for New Mexico State University for four years, and a state 4-H specialist and a county 4-H educator for the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service for 20 years. He considers himself blessed to work with 4-H and enjoys the opportunity to watch youth learn life skills while developing lifelong friendships.

Emily Collins serves as the Community School Coordinator at Jenks East Elementary, a school serving over 1400 students. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's degree in Teaching, Learning & Leadership with a focus on Special Education from Oklahoma State University. In her role, Emily supports both academic and wrap-around support and services for our diverse community. These programs reach families from infancy well into adulthood, and truly help to meet the needs of those we serve. Emily’s background as an educator and a social worker has been an asset in serving our community. She is a public servant and has developed many valuable relationships with those doing good in our community and has leveraged those relationships to produce real change in the lives of students and families. Emily is married to Chris and delights in her 6 year old son, Finn.

Jackie DuPont is the Executive Director of the Coretz Family Foundation in Tulsa, OK where she oversees the Foundation’s philanthropic efforts and develops and implements strategic initiatives that benefit people and organizations in Tulsa. She has previously held leadership roles focusing on improving educational outcomes and increasing access for high-quality out-of-school time learning for youth across the city as the Executive Director of The Opportunity Project and as Head Principal in Union Public Schools. She holds a Masters degree in Education Administration and Curriculum Supervision from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education from Oklahoma State University. She is married to her husband Michael and has three girls, Claire (10), Kate (7) and Leah (3). In her free time, Jackie likes to run, do yoga and experience Tulsa's awesome food scene.

Dr. April Grace’s role at OPSRC draws upon her vast experience in Oklahoma education, her field of choice since 1989. Her leadership is a guiding force within our organization. Diverse experiences have contributed to her ability to serve OPSRC and our member organizations. Dr. Grace’s 35-year public education career makes her a natural fit to lead OPSRC. She has served as a classroom teacher, site-level administrator, an assistant superintendent of human resources, and, ultimately, district superintendent. Dr. Grace’s expertise and out-of-the-box thinking have been recognized at both the state and national levels, most notably when Dr. Grace was named the 2021 Oklahoma Association of School Administrators Oklahoma Superintendent of the Year. Dr. Grace has also been involved in leading, serving, consulting and policy development. She has designed university education curriculum for both masters and doctoral programs and has served as a training specialist and leadership consultant at the Marzano Evaluation Center. She has served in leadership roles in numerous education organizations, including a term as president of the Oklahoma Association of School Administrators, only the second woman in the organization’s history. Dr. Grace earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Oklahoma before graduating with her doctoral degree via the University of Phoenix.

Morgan Jones, a registered architect, knows first-hand about the importance of supportive role models and access to opportunities when it comes to being successful in STEM. That's ultimately what led her to found the STEAM Engine. She credits her pursuit of a challenging profession to the supportive voices of her parents, teachers, and other adult volunteers as well as the numerous opportunities she had to explore her interests, including 7th grade Math camp, 9th grade Forensics camp, and 11th grade Architecture camp, to name a few. Her love of Oklahoma runs deeps. She has lived in 6 different Oklahoma towns including Norman, Ardmore, Edmond, Stillwater, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa, and has spent extended amounts of time in Granite/Altus, Marlow, Wynnewood, and Tahlequah. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Oklahoma State University and a Master of Business Administration from Oklahoma Christian University. When not running programs, meeting people in the community, or working on the next strategic idea, she likes to spend time with her husband Marcus, sons Miller and Mason, and extended family at the family farm or the lake.

Stacy McDaniel is the Executive Director and co-founder of Cleats for Kids, which she and her husband Mark started in the fall of 2011. Stacy is a life-long resident of Oklahoma. Prior to founding C4K, she was a general counsel for Reserve National Insurance Company and an attorney with McKinney Stringer & Webster. She received a B.S. in Finance from Oklahoma State University and a J.D. from the University of Oklahoma. When she’s not running C4K, Stacy loves spending time with her three children who are all three active in sports.

Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence and Community Engagement at Oklahoma State University's College of Education and Human Sciences Administration.

Liz Taylor's personal mission is to help youth reach their full potential, and to become responsible adults and citizens. She was a 4-H member for 10 years and a 4-H volunteer for 15 years. She has three children who were all very successful in the 4-H program, and after being so involved in the 4-H program on the local, county, state and national levels, she realized that she could really make a difference in the lives of youth by helping them find success in their fields of interest. Liz loves helping young people find what they are passionate about, and then encouraging them to grow.

Melissa has been a proud member of the Norman community since 2010. A passionate non-profit professional, Melissa currently serves as the Executive Director at the Center for Children & Families (CCFI). Melissa has been a fellow with New Leaders Council of Oklahoma, a development program for progressive leaders. Melissa and her husband, Matt, enjoy camping at Oklahoma State Parks, walking their dog on Norman’s many trails, and listening to live music.

Executive Director of Family, Community, and Youth Empowerment at Tulsa Public Schools. Marla has more than 20 years of progressively responsible experience leading nonprofit and higher education development teams. She has have led organizations through start-up, survival, turnaround, and growth modes. Marla spent five years as a chief executive officer within the nonprofit sector, 11 years as an executive director, and five years as regional director and director of corporate and foundation relations in three organizations. Her understanding of both distribution channels encompasses major fundraising, community advocacy and involvement, strategic planning, process improvement, financial management, leadership, and government. As multidimensional as life can be, Marla's leadership extends beyond the workplace. She is a member of Antioch Baptist Church, where she serves as the pastor. She also serves as a board of trustee member and audit chair of Phillips Theological Seminary, Links, Inc. and a Delta Sigma Theta Sorority member. Marla holds a master of human relations degree with an emphasis in organizational development from the University of Oklahoma and a bachelor of science degree in psychology from Langston University. She and her husband (Lee) are products of Tulsa Public Schools. They are the parents of five daughters, two grandsons, and one granddaughter.

Vice President of STEM Ecosystems at Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance

Regional Cohort Director of Public Policy and Initiatives serving Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana Alliance of YMCAs

Courtney Yunt serves as Executive Director of the Oklahoma Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs.

Laura Broyles, Director of the Office of Standards for Prevention and System Improvement at Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs