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.

A Tulsa native, Te’a recently joined Leadership Tulsa as its Programs Fellow to pour back into her community. Te’a graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Oklahoma with two Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Sociology/Criminology with a minor in Spanish. Throughout her studies, Te’a frequently studied abroad to enrich her global lens and passion to serve within the international sector. To continue her intercultural education, she plans to pursue a master’s degree abroad in International Relations with an emphasis in human rights and environmental policy. While abroad, she will expand on her existing research analyzing race and climate change within the African diaspora. A member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Te’a has served within national leadership and remains committed to Delta’s mission of public service. A Fulbright Semi-Finalist and a Benjamin A. Gilman Scholar, Te’a attributes her tenacity from the innate grit of Tulsans and she proudly represents and vocalizes her Tulsan roots.

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 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.

Abbey Doyle is a 2022-23 Tulsa Service Year Fellow and Program Manager with Tulsa Changemakers. She is a recent Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Kansas with a degree in Elementary Education and a certificate in Service Learning. As an undergraduate, Abbey received the Senior Leadership Award and Undergraduate Research Award for involvement and research within the School of Education and Human Sciences. In the summer of 2021, Abbey completed an internship with CAP Tulsa, through the George Kaiser Family Foundation’s Summer Impact program. She has served as a court-appointed advocate for children in Lawrence, Kansas through the CASA organization. Abbey plans to expand youth-voice opportunities and build youth empowerment in Tulsa through her role with Tulsa Changemakers.