MISSION To identify, develop and connect diverse leaders who impact the community through service.
For more than 40 years, Leadership Tulsa has been providing community leadership development programs. We were founded in 1973 as a joint project of the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce and the Junior League of Tulsa to help build the leadership capacities of Tulsa area professionals.
Our Leadership Tulsa Programs annually involve up to 200 adults representing a diverse cross-section of the community who learn about the infrastructure, needs and resources of Tulsa and how to get involved to effect positive change. Classes are chosen through a competitive selection process and participate in training and educational experiences focused on building leadership skills and understanding the community.
Through Leadership Tulsa individuals have the opportunity to:
- Feel connected to the community in which they live
- Make connections with others they might not have otherwise ever met
- Understand the complexities of public policy issues facing our community
- Make an impact in a direct way
- Develop and be recognized for their innate leadership talents
Once they have completed a program, individuals are offered the opportunity to stay connected through membership. We offer members multiple programs to expand their networks and gain continuing community education.
Long past their time in one of our programs, our members also stay involved in the community. As part of a recent membership survey we learned that our membership serve on more than 200 boards and volunteer hundreds of hours a year.
Leadership Tulsa is governed by 30 board members and has hundreds of dues paying members committed to ensuring the future health and prosperity of the Tulsa community. We invite you to get involved in this dynamic and community-changing group by applying for one of our many specific leadership development programs.
Staff
Wendy Thomas, Executive Director
Wendy Thomas joined Leadership Tulsa as its Executive Director in January 2002 and was formerly the Executive Director of the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa. She is a graduate of the University of Tulsa and has a Master’s Degree in Arts Administration from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Wendy has served as president of the boards of the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa, the national Association of Leadership Programs, Living Arts and Kendall Whittier Main Street. Wendy has previously served on the boards of Clarehouse, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Mayfest, The Tulsa Foundation for Architecture and TulsaNow and has also been an adjunct professor at the University of Tulsa. She is a frequent consultant to area non-profits for board development and strategic planning and lectures frequently about Generations in the Workplace. In June 2017 she was awarded by the Association of Leadership Programs as “Preceptor,” the highest honor in her field. Previously she received the 2014 Women in Communications Newsmaker Award and was honored in 2011 with the Tulsa Business Journal’s Woman of Distinction and the Typros Boomtown awards.
Marcia Bruno-Todd, Director of Programs & Community Impact
Marcia Bruno-Todd is the Director of Programs & Community Impact for Leadership Tulsa. She supports the direction and implementation of Leadership Tulsa programming and workshops to connect leaders with impactful service opportunities that contribute to a thriving community for all. Her experience spans across K-12 and the university setting including Tulsa Public Schools, Teach for America and Oklahoma State University. Marcia supports non-profits with diversity, equity and inclusion strategies and consults on developing authentic community partnerships. She proudly serves as a board member for YWCA Tulsa, MetCares Foundation and the city’s Sales Tax Overview Committee. Featured in Forbes Women for her work in bridge-building across sectors, she invests her talents in the leadership development of the diverse communities of Tulsa. She is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and has a Master’s in Public Administration from Arkansas State University. Marcia dedicates her time to connecting people with the resources and networks to build a thriving Tulsa for all.
Kendall Trotter, Administrative Director
Kendall joined the Leadership Tulsa team in April 2016. Born and raised in Tulsa, Kendall graduated from the University of Tulsa with a Bachelor of Arts in Arts Management. Kendall previously worked at Holland Hall for five years as the assistant to the director of the Walter Arts Center and for the office of Institutional Advancement. After a brief stint in the for-profit sector, she returned to Holland Hall to coordinate its 10-year independent school accreditation. When she’s not managing the LT office, Kendall enjoys singing and performing in local theatre productions. She is the resident stage manager for Tulsa Repertory Musicals, where she also serves on the board.
Michelle Lara, Program Manager
Michelle Lara joined the Leadership Tulsa team in February 2021 as a Program Manager. She supports Tulsa-area leaders with innovative and intentional programming and workshops to further community impact. Michelle was born in “El Valle” of South Texas but grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is a proud graduate of Central High School. She is currently working on her bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership at Southern Nazarene University. Michelle has focused her career on youth-driven leadership and the development of young professionals in high-impact careers. She has experience in the education sector, National AmeriCorps service, and Non-Profit organizations. She spends her community service time serving on the Global Gardens board, connecting the Latinx community with networks and resources. Additionally, Michelle is passionate about supporting locally-owned businesses and exploring local treasures.
Faith Nichols, Program Fellow
Faith is a believer in the power of leadership development. She is serving as the 2021-2022 Tulsa Service Year Fellow and will use her programming experiences to help create, evaluate, and facilitate processes to improve impact and efficiency at LT. She was named a 2021 Oklahoma NextGen Under 30 recipient for nonprofits for her service as a student advocate at The University of Tulsa. A recent graduate of TU, Faith developed a passion for creating inclusive and equitable spaces. She served as the 2020-2021 TU Student Association president and as the founding president of the Asian American Student Association. As a Tulsa native, Faith is deeply connected to her community and is looking forward to diving deeper into the world of local nonprofits.
Ed Sharrer, Marketing Director
Ed Sharrer joined the Leadership Tulsa team in December 2019 as the Project Manager responsible for bringing the Leadership Center online. He most recently served as executive director of Kendall Whittier Main Street, a nonprofit aimed at restoring the Kendall-Whittier area as a thriving, walkable commercial district, and as the manager of the City of Tulsa’s Destination District program. Ed’s background also includes serving as a city planner, staffing the Tulsa Preservation Commission, and running his own freelance creative and web design firm. Ed has been a Tulsan since he was 4 years old. He graduated from The University of Tulsa with a Bachelor’s in Marketing and the University of Oklahoma with a Master’s in Urban Design.
Andrew Spector, Tulsa Changemakers
Andrew Spector is Co-Founder and Program Director of Tulsa Changemakers, a youth leadership program that empowers young people to make meaningful change in their communities. He joined the Leadership Tulsa team as Program Manager in 2017 after completing two years of service with Teach For America, where he was a 6th grade teacher for Tulsa Public Schools. Andrew is originally from Bedford, Massachusetts and is a graduate of the Honors College at College of Charleston. At his graduation, Andrew received the college’s highest honor, the Bishop Robert Smith Award, for his demonstrated leadership and academic excellence. Andrew serves as Board Member for the Hillel of Northeastern Oklahoma and Jewish Federation of Tulsa, tutors with Reading Partners, and is a member of Interfaith Youth Core’s Alumni Speakers and Trainers Bureau. In 2018, Andrew was honored with ionOklahoma’s NextGen Under 30 Award.
Jake Lerner, Tulsa Changemakers
Jake Lerner is a co-founder of Tulsa Changemakers, a youth leadership development and action program that empowers young people to make meaningful change in their schools and communities. Jake is originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. In collaboration with the Wharton Social Impact Initiative, Jake co-created and facilitated social innovation and leadership identity workshops for high school students as well as undergraduates. He has also worked as a content advisor for Global Youth Empowerment’s entrepreneurship boot camp in Dubai. Jake is a 2015 Teach For America Greater Tulsa Alumnus. In his free time, Jake plays basketball, writes poetry, and co-runs an interfaith dialogue event for adults called Radical Amazement.
Lydia Jeong, Tulsa Changemakers Program Fellow
Lydia Jeong is a 2021-22 TSY Fellow serving as Program Manager of Tulsa Changemakers. She is a proud Korean-American, and a recent graduate of The University of Tulsa with a dual degree in Arts Management and Music. Her values of racial equity, arts advocacy, and equitable outcomes for youth have been largely molded by her work with ImpactTulsa and Tulsa Ballet, as well as her multicultural identity. Lydia has served in many roles: a K-5 teacher of classical music, founder of Delta Gamma – Tulsa chapter’s first DEI taskforce, graphic designer for community inclusion project, “We Are All Connected,” and a certified facilitator in Results Based Facilitation. In her role with Changemakers, she is ecstatic to support and mobilize Tulsa youth to become catalysts for measurable impact in their communities now and in the future.
Board of Directors
Officers
President – Vince Trinidad, Tulsa County Parks Department
President-Elect – Amanda Blair, Expo Square/Tulsa State Fair
Past-President – Omare Jimmerson, City of Tulsa Parks Department
Co-Vice President, Curriculum – Ashley Philippsen, Impact Tulsa
Co-Vice President, Curriculum – Bruce Sorrell, Chamber Music Tulsa
Vice President, Membership – Adam Paluka, EMSA
Vice President, Programs – Cynthia Jasso, George Kaiser Family Foundation
Vice President, Development – Lori Long, Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma
Secretary – Jody Vivion, Flintco
Treasurer – Charlotte Henry, Stanfield + O’Dell
Members
David Ballard, Public Service Company of Oklahoma
Shella Bowlin, Cherokee Nation Businesses
Rocky Bright, Tulsa Tech
Robyn Devore, BKD, LLP
Tiffany Egdorf, Lindsey House
Heather Gowin, Cancer Treatment Centers of America
Mike Henneke, John Zink Company
Ashley Jackson, Jackson Technical
Tony Lenox, bauhaus
Jessica Lozano-Alvarez, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma
Charity Marcus, Avenu PR
Veronica Martinez, Tulsa Tech
Brady Nguyen, Capital Insurance Partners
Tim Rogers, Barrow & Grimm, P.C.
Stephen Rundell, ONEOK, Inc.
Whitney Stauffer, Selser Schaefer Architects
Obum Ukabam, Holberton School
Matthias Wicks, Tulsa Public Schools
Jeff Wilkie, HoganTaylor, LLC