Staff

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.

During her time at Leadership Tulsa, she has greatly expanded the organization’s programs and impact on the community, culminating with the opening of the 7800 square foot Leadership Tulsa Center in Gunboat Park. In 2022, the Leadership Tulsa board gave her the “Herald Givens Heart of LT Award” for her twenty years of service to the organization.

Wendy has an extensive resume serving on local nonprofit boards and has been an adjunct professor at the University of Tulsa teaching nonprofit administration in the arts management program. 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. She has also received the Women in Communications Newsmaker Award, the Tulsa Business Journal’s Woman of Distinction, the Typros Boomtown awards and most recently was named a “Community Gem” by the Junior League of Tulsa.

Marcia Bruno-Todd serves Leadership Tulsa as the Deputy Director. She directs the implementation of Leadership Tulsa programming 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.

She is a graduate of Oklahoma State University, has a Master’s in Public Administration from Arkansas State University and is currently working on a Doctorate in Education from the College of William & Mary.

Marcia supports non-profits with diversity, equity and inclusion strategies and consults on developing authentic community partnerships. She has supported the development of several civic engagement programs across the state and nation. Her commitment to system level change in leadership has evolved into extensive coalition building to create equitable spaces.

She proudly serves as a board member for MetCares Foundation and sits on the the city’s Sales Tax Overview Committee. In 2022, she was named Oklahoma Magazine’s 40 under 40, Journal of Record’s Achievers under 40, and honored with the Tulsa League of Women Voter’s Madame President award. 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.

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 Leadership Center, 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.

Michael is a Tulsa product, graduating from Booker T. Washington High School. He then went on to Pittsburg State University in Kansas where he received his bachelor’s and master’s Degree in Communications.

Michael returned to Tulsa after graduating in the spring of 2014 and started working for Tulsa Job Corps Center. At Job Corps he worked with young adults ages 16 to 24 and as the Career Transitions Manager, he assisted youth with their career placements after completion of the program. He started working for Workforce Tulsa in May of 2018 as the Business Services Manager.

Michael has a passion for helping job seekers acquire long term employment with quality employers and connecting employers with quality employees. Michael joined the KIPP Tulsa staff in 2019 as a physical education instructor and head football coach. In 2020 he became the Dean of Students for KIPP Tulsa High School.

Michael has a deep passion for helping youth to reach their fullest potential – academically, emotionally, physically, and socially. He will continue to serve the youth at KIPP Tulsa through after school sports activities. Michael is excited to to work with and learn from a diverse groups of individuals to help make an positive impact for a better Tulsa.

Christianna Loza grew up in Los Angeles where she graduated with her B.A. in Art and Design from Mount St. Mary’s University – Los Angeles while working as a paralegal. She moved to Tulsa in 2018 for Teach for America and jumped into teaching middle school math for Tulsa Public Schools. During that time she worked in partnership with After Ops, Tulsa Debate League, and Bike Club to create after-school opportunities for students. These partnerships and personal learning opportunities ignited her interest in building a student-led engaging STEAM classroom for students to explore mathematics, problem-solving, and leadership. Informed by her myriad of experiences, Christianna has grown passionate about learning, community, and leadership. For these reasons, she is thrilled to be joining Leadership Tulsa as a Program Manager and to continue leaning into her core values of growth and learning.

Savannah is excited to serve as Leadership Tulsa’s Development Manager. She grew up in Riverside, California, and moved to Tulsa in 2017. Savannah attended Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, and continued pursuing her education at the University of Oklahoma, where she obtained a B.S in Criminal Justice. She is currently working towards her Master’s of Public Administration at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa. Savannah has previously worked in tribal government and nonprofits, focusing on serving the community. She is a part of Duck Creek Ceremonial Grounds and remains connected to her previous work through volunteer services.  Savannah enjoys spending time with her partner Houston and their dogs. Through her work, Savannah has found a passion for serving the community and making a positive impact in Tulsa. She is thrilled to join Leadership Tulsa and learn from such a diverse group of individuals.

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.

Hannah Jarman has served Changemakers over the past four years as a Coach, Coach Mentor, and Program Coordinator for Power of Youth and officially joined the staff in July 2022 as a Program Manager. She moved from the south suburbs of Chicago to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2017 with Teach for America to teach 6th and 7th grade social studies. Utilizing her degree in Global Studies (Conflict Resolution) and Communication from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Hannah became passionate about bringing current events and relevant history into her classroom for discussion. She quickly realized the impact student voice can have on building power in communities. Her motivation derives from the hope and passion she sees in students everyday to change the world as they (and we) know it.  Throughout her five years in the classroom, Hannah has coached debate, Changemakers, and other teachers. She is excited for the next big adventure.