Jack Werner, Ph.D.
Rotary District 5750 Governor
Jack L. Werner is a forty-plus-year member of South Oklahoma City Rotary. He has served the club in nearly every capacity Jack and his daughter Lynn are both Paul Harris Fellows. Through Rotary, he works to help those with disabilities. He is currently working to raise funds for a ropes course for disabled children at the RYLA youth camp and is working with SOKC Rotary to sponsor a 5K Run to raise funds for Mobility Worldwide that furnishes mobility devices for disabled people in underdeveloped countries. ShelterBox is also one of Jack’s passions for service through Rotary’s participation. He serves as the district representative for ShelterBox.
Jack Owns A to Z Inspections, a large commercial and residential inspection company in Oklahoma City. He is a forty-plus-year member of the South Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce. A certified accessibility inspector, Jack provides inspections and advice to help achieve compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act He was awarded the OKC Mayor’s Clearing the Path Award for his work toward accessibility. The NAHB named him the national Instructor of the Year for his work teaching classes to help builders and others apply accessibility standards. Through his business career, Jack enjoys opportunities to mentor and help people lead a well-rounded life, always including an invitation to join Rotary!
Jack served with the United States Army, December 1, 1966 – December 1, 1970; Russian linguist, 4th Infantry Division, K Co., 75th Airborne Rangers, two tours in Vietnam.
Jack enjoys sharing his life with his partner, Suzanne, and his four adult children and six grandchildren.
405-406-1790 [email protected]
Speaking Date: Friday, June 28th @ 12:00pm
Byron Jackson
Strengthening the ability of people to work together for community change.
Possibilities helps people gain skills to work for positive change by advancing the values of Trust, Dignity and Service, while understanding and addressing conflict that arises from our differences. We understand that the results of such conflict in our society are isolation, social anxiety, fear and mistrust. The power of connection and diverse relationships is the core of our organization. Our vision is to build synergy through diversity, cooperation and creativity. Connection is critical for us to flourish as humans.
405-525-3131 [email protected] www.possibilitiesinc.org
Speaking Date: Friday, July 12th @ 12:00pm
Pam Timmons
Director of Development – Hough Ear Institute
Pam’s professional career has been in serving nonprofit organizations for over 35 years in administration, finance, marketing and fundraising. She has led record-setting fundraising campaigns, been a part of two major capital campaigns, and successfully managed relationships with major individual and corporate donors over the years.
Pam is the Director of Development for Hough Ear Institute. She works hard to take the nonprofit to sustainability, by engaging the community and building a large base of donors and volunteers to help those in need. Timmons used her experience in fundraising and developed a profitable fundraising strategy focusing on the resources, skills and tactics of the community to build a sustainable model of revenue for the mission.
Pam is community minded, serving in a variety of capacities on committees and as a board member for numerous organizations.
[email protected] 405-639-2873
Speaking Date: Friday, July 26th @ 12:00pm
Kendra Orcutt, OTR, SCEM, CAPS
Home Mods, PC
As a small business owner of Home Mods, PC, since 2002, Kendra is committed to providing her clients with the best possible care. She holds several certifications, including the Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) certification from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) in 2013 and the Specialty Certification in Environmental Modifications (SCEM) from the American Occupational Therapist Association (AOTA) in 2015.
Kendra’s expertise and dedication have earned her recognition in her field. She is a certified CAPS course instructor through NAHB and a popular speaker on home modifications. Kendra also volunteers for AARP, where she conducts Home Fit Guide presentations, and is an Oklahoma AARP Executive Council member.
Apart from her professional accomplishments, Kendra is also an adjunct professor at OUHSC and volunteers for the Norman Area for Autism Oklahoma. She is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Science in the Rehabilitation Sciences Program. With her extensive knowledge and experience, Kendra is a valuable asset to occupational therapy, and her commitment to her clients is unmatched.
405-664-0956 [email protected]
Speaking Date: Friday, August 2nd @ 12:00pm
Lori Basey
No Boundaries International
Lori Basey knows no limits when working with traumatized populations and mobilizing others to respond to devastation.
She is a keynote presenter, delivering presentations to thousands and quoted throughout the globe in publications such as the Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post, Daily News America, Orange County Register, People, Times of Mumbai, Daily Oklahoman, and Sierra Leone Times. Dr. Basey has been broadcasted within the United States and internationally, and had an article published in Advance, a therapeutic magazine.
Since 1991, she has specialized in acute psychiatric care, including trauma-informed therapeutic intervention following the Oklahoma City Murrah Federal Building bombing as well as the 9/11 disaster in NYC and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. She is an expert consultant in trauma associated with war, exploitation, and natural disaster.
In 1997, Dr. Basey and her husband, Dr. Tom Basey, DDS, began responding internationally with their professional expertise. Dr. Lori Basey has traveled to many countries, including Israel, Honduras, Haiti, Belize, Moldova, India, Turkey, and Sierra Leone, in response to manmade and natural disasters.
In 2006, Dr. Basey co-founded No Boundaries International (NBI), a non-profit organization run solely by volunteers in Oklahoma City, OK. As President of NBI, Dr. Basey provides training on trauma-informed care and mobilizes volunteers to help those in the local community, especially those affected by human trafficking.
405-513-5453 [email protected]
Speaking Date: Friday, August 9th @ 12:00pm
Chelsey Simpson
Co-owner Urban Agrarian
An Oklahoman by birth, Chelsey has worked as editor of Oklahoma Living, written for other Edible Communities’ titles around the nation, and held leadership roles in the National Young Farmers Coalition, National Farm to School Network, and Oklahoma Food COOP. Since 2017, Chelsey has been the Director of Outreach and Opportunities at Urban Agrarian, one of OKC’s finest markets for local farmers and ranchers to sell their products. She is a contributing editor and sometimes writer for EdibleOKC.
405-684-7608 [email protected]
Speaking Date: Friday, August 23rd @ 12:00pm
Chad Detwiler
A native of Oklahoma and an active volunteer team leader, Chad got his first experience in mission during his middle school years serving with his church in the Appalachia Mountains of Kentucky repairing homes. Since that time Chad has led over 25 missions internationally and nationally, and as many local missions. With a background in management, Chad gained valuable work experience with a wide range of global and national companies preparing him for his role with ROAD.
Following the devastating tornados in May 2013, Chad had the opportunity to join Oklahoma United Methodist Disaster Response utilizing his skills in mission and management. When that ministry closed in October 2018, Chad and two of his co-workers, Kevin Walker and Hal Wright started a new nonprofit to carry on this work called Recovering Oklahomans After Disaster.
Chad and his wife Shari serve in the mission field together, have two grown daughters, and enjoy hiking and kayaking.
405-698-8610 [email protected]
Speaking Date: Friday, September 6th @ 12:00pm
Amy Bruce
Director, Whiz Kids
Whiz Kids is working to reduce the opportunity gap for students through one-on-one mentorship and literacy support. We help students learn to read, so they can read to learn. For over 25 years, our program has focused on serving the whole child: academically, emotionally, spiritually and physically. Whiz Kids is a faith-based, one-on-one volunteer tutoring and mentoring program that cares for students in kindergarten through 4th grade, by providing a space for them to be known, loved and nurtured, just as they are. Whiz Kids is caring for students who are reading below grade level, navigating inequitable systems and circumstances, and could benefit most from a mentor relationship with a compassionate adult. After one year in our program, Whiz Kids significantly reduce the opportunity gap caused by life’s circumstances and score an average of 32 points higher than their peers on state-administered reading tests.
405-205-4855 [email protected]
Speaking Date: Friday, September 13th @ 12:00pm
Ashley Simpson
Executive Director, Cavett Kids Foundation
Ashley is the Executive Director of the Cavett Kids Foundation, an OKC based non-profit serving Oklahoma’s children and youth battling chronic and life-threatening illnesses. Ashley was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma and now lives in Edmond, OK with her husband Devin and fur-babies, Finn, Andy and Zazu. Ashley completed her Bachelor of Arts degree from Oklahoma State University and earned a dual Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology and Art Therapy at Southwestern College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Ashley is a nationally licensed Art Therapist achieving her ATR (Registered Art Therapist) in 2015. After grad school, Ashley began an internship with the Cavett Kids Foundation providing Art Therapy services to the patients of Oklahoma Children’s Hospital and was hired on as the Director of Diversionary Play for Cavett Kids. In 2018, she was named the Executive Director of the foundation.
A few of her awards include Nonprofit of the Year for three consecutive years
by the OKCYP, voted OKC’s 50 Most Influential Young Professionals, voted
Oklahoma City’s Most Powerful Young Professional in 2022, 2023, and 2024 by
OKC Friday, and featured in the top 100 “Wildly Capable Women” by Hundred
Magazine. When Ashley is not at work, you can most likely find her enjoying
time at Lake Eufaula, traveling, volunteering, watching OSU sports or trying to
convince her husband to get another Golden Retriever.
405-271-2271 [email protected]
Speaking Date: Friday, September 27th @ 12:00pm
Gary Brooks
This spring will be an exciting time for Oklahoma City, Gary Brooks and the team at Cornerstone Development as they bring one of our most significant and iconic landmarks, the First National Center, to life again, 90 years after it first opened.
The First National Center is a mix of a 146-room Marriott Autograph Hotel, 193 apartments, restaurants, 20,000 square feet of retail and meeting rooms. Tellers Café will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner in the Great Hall, the lobby to the hotel, living room for apartment residents and an event destination with its dramatic, hand-restored 50 foot ceiling. Also opening are Stock and Bond Steakhouse, Library of Distilled Spirits in the former bank vault, two private dining rooms – the Mint and the Beacon – and the much-anticipated Guilded Acorn, led by Chefs Andrew Black and Rudy Koury. The hotel will open in March, along with several of the restaurants, and the apartments will see first residents in February.
First National is also an outstanding example of a complex economic development project. Gary Brooks credits the support of the city of Oklahoma City and the Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City as being essential for making the purchase and restoration possible. Several economic development incentives were utilized.
The First National is located in a TIF district, which allows the development team a period of time to utilize property taxes above the pre-renovation level to develop the property. Additionally, the property qualified for a federal Section 108 loan. Every year, the city of Oklahoma City receives Community Development Block Grants to be used to support community development activities. The city borrowed against the CDBG, loaned it to the owners of First National and pledged a portion of it to “backstop” the funds and protect the city from risk. Because the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it qualified for Historic Tax Credits.
First National is expected to add approximately 300 permanent jobs in Oklahoma City with a payroll of more than $11 million a year and is expected to draw new events and more tourism. The undertaking is also about preserving our history and bringing a stunning Art Deco icon back to life to serve our city for another 90 years.
405-850-0399 [email protected]
Speaking Date: Friday, October 4th @ 12:00pm
Kristy Wicker
Director of Education – Wildcare Oklahoma
Kristy works with the public to effectively and compassionately handle wildlife emergencies and human-wildlife interactions in mostly urban environments. She also conducts most of WildCare’s education programs. Originally from Illinois, Kristy earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois, working as a social worker for several years before returning to school to pursue a graduate degree from Texas A&M University where she received her master’s degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences. Kristy is also an independent researcher, consulting on several projects to improve and understand animal well-being. She was the principal investigator and co-author of The Oklahoma Animal Study, a first-of-its-kind comprehensive assessment of statewide animal welfare. She also serves as a citizen member of the City of Norman’s Animal Welfare Oversight Committee.
405-872-9338 [email protected]
Speaking Date: Friday, October 11th @ 12:00pm
Jada Lorenz
Development & Program Assistant – Rebuilding Together Oklahoma City
Since 1992, Rebuilding Together OKC has provided critical repairs to over 3,500 homes, 40 nonprofit facilities, and 8 public buildings in the Oklahoma City metro area with the help of 80,000 volunteers. Our mission is responding to a crisis in our country – that of aging housing stock and the growing number of people who, because of age, disability, or lack of resources, live in dilapidated or inaccessible housing. What began as one workday in April has become a year-round mission to provide free repairs and rehabilitate the homes of low-income seniors in our community.
Home by home and block by block, Rebuilding Together OKC transforms lives through the year-round mobilization of volunteers fueled by a diverse group of local, corporate, and federal partnerships. In most cases, our work is not an extreme makeover but a focus on improvements that have the biggest impact and keep homeowners safe, warm and dry. Services available to eligible homeowners can include: accessibility ramps, grab bars, ADA compliant bathroom remodeling and fixtures, smoke alarms, roofing repairs, heating and air conditioning, plumbing, electrical, and weatherization. By leveraging our relationships with licensed professionals our capacity to provide larger, more holistic repairs has grown exponentially.
405-486-0777 [email protected]
Speaking Date: Friday, October 25th @ 12:00pm
Michael Dillard
President – Century Martial Arts
Michael Dillard is the second-generation CEO of Century Martial Arts. Michael attended the University of Oklahoma graduating from the Price College of Business with double majors in Entrepreneurial Venture Management and Business Accounting degrees. In addition to his position at Century, Michael is a managing partner of Raptor Properties commercial real estate development group run through his family office.
Century is an Oklahoma based company that has become the world largest martial arts distributor since its founding in 1967. Michael has spent his career learning the business from the ground up having worked in every department of the organization before taking on his executive roles. The organization has over 250 employees and exports its Oklahoma made products worldwide.
405-640-3336 [email protected]
Speaking Date: Friday, November 22nd @ 12:00pm