Joe Kelley, Chairman of the Board
KRMG Radio

Joe's broadcast career began quite by accident in 1982. In his high school journalism class, a phone rang. On the other end of the phone was a local radio station program director seeking free help. As he was standing closest to the phone as it rang, Joe picked up the phone and answered in the affirmative when asked if he wanted to 'be on the radio.'

Joe has been recognized many times over for his successes as an on-air radio personality and community leader. He has received awards from Radio and Records Magazine, Radio Ink Magazine, the Dallas Press Club, and Las Vegas Women in Communications. In the year prior to crossing the threshold of his fortieth year (2007), Joe was named to the "Top 40 Under 40" achievers in Tulsa People Magazine, The Journal Record Newspaper and the Tulsa Business Journal

On the personal side, Joe has been married to the woman of his dreams, Nicole, since 1996. Nicole and Joe adopted an 11-year-old son from the state of Texas in 2001 - he's now a US Marine. Nicole gave birth to their beautiful daughter, Sierra, in 2003. The world famous Kelley twins, Hudson and Brooks, made their grand debut in 2006. Along with their dogs and ducks, the Kelley family happily resides in south Jenks. Joe has made a huge difference representing the Oklahoma Chapter!

Farooq has been with REES for more than 15 years. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects and the International Interior Design Association. He is also a volunteer for the Cub Scouts where this year, he led the popcorn fundraiser effort.

He is also a volunteer with Norman Youth Soccer and the Truman Watchdogs in Norman Public Schools. As a volunteer with Junior Achievement of Greater Oklahoma City, he will be mentoring and teaching students financial literacy in the classroom. He also participated in Habitat for Humanity, the Oklahoma Children's Health Foundation and OKC Beautiful's Annual Litterblitz. Farooq supports Allied Arts through the purchase of the City Card and contributes to United Way annually. Farooq has already become a huge asset to our board of director team as he headed up the renovation of  the Oklahoma City Make-A-Wish office.

Michael Bass, Treasurer
Verizon Business

Michael is an Associate General Counsel for Verizon Business in Tulsa, Oklahoma providing legal support and business analysis to the group responsible for wholesale sales and services. He has been involved with the telecommunications wholesale industry for more than 18 years.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Louisiana State University and received his Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law. He has been involved with the telecommunications wholesale industry for over 18 years. Prior to joining Verizon in 1997 he was a shareholder with the Hall, Estill law firm in Tulsa.

Michael has been involved with Make-A-Wish Foundation of Oklahoma and a predecessor organization for over 20 years and served for 6 years on the National Board of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America. He has also served on various local, nonprofit and private school boards. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and four children, Catherine, Sarah, Anne and Patrick, watching sporting events and reading nonfiction. Michael is an asset to our wonderful Foundation!

Diane is currently the Creative Services Manager at Fair Isaac, Inc. and has been with the company for 10 years. She oversees job assignments, scheduling and completion of projects for all accounts, as well as the account director of First United Bank, Saint Francis Health Systems and ConAgra Foods.

Diane was first a Wish Granter for the Make-A-Wish Foundation over 6 years ago. She is still a volunteer but is also currently a board member. She is now an executive committee member of the board.

Diane brings the fund raising ideas and advertising background to the Foundation. In 2001, Diane and a friend created a silent auction to help raise money for MAW. They raised over $5,000. Since then, Diane has started the Wish Upon A Par, annual golf tournament. In 2008, they had their 3rd Annual event and raised more than $40k. Diane brings such talent and dedication to the Make-A-Wish Foundation!

Shilpa Abbitt
Devon Energy

Tina Cunningham

Jon Epstein
Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson, P.C.

Jon has served on a team of litigators in successfully obtaining declaratory and injunctive relief protecting the Constitutional and statutory rights of major mainstream video distributors from unlawful interference by government officials with their distribution of a controversial Academy Award winning movie. Professional accomplishments include: Individual AV-rated attorney through Martindale-Hubbell, selected, Best Lawyers in America, First Amendment Law and recognized as Oklahoma Super Lawyer, First Amendment/Media, 2006/2007.

Jon is co-author of “Recent Developments in Media Law and Defamation Torts” for the Winter 2001 issue of Torts & Insurance Law Journal, co-author of "Recent Developments in Media, Privacy, and Defamation Law" for the Winter 2003 issue of Torts Trial and Insurance Practice Law Journal, co-Author of "Recent Developments in Media, Privacy and Defamation Law," ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Law Journal (Vol. 41/Issue 2-Winter 2006), speaker of "The Importance of the First Amendment and the Reporter's Privilege," Oklahoma Scholastic Media/Oklahoma Interscholastic Press Association Fall Media Conference, 2007.

Jon is currently a shareholder with Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson, P.C. He graduated in 1985 from the University of Texas, B.A., in Psychology and in1988 from the University of Oklahoma, J.D. Professional involvements include: The American Bar Association, Oklahoma Bar Association, Oklahoma County Bar Association, Media Law Resource Center Media Law Letter Committee, Approved securities arbitrator for the New York Stock Exchange and Certified Mediator. We are grateful for Jon's service to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Oklahoma!

Ann Hargis
The First Lady of Oklahoma State University

Ann graduated from the University of Texas and was a systems engineer for IBM. She met her husband, Burns, President of Oklahoma State University, on June 8, 1968, and they married exactly one year later. Ann said he's kept his word. She remembers the first meeting well. We met around the swimming pool outside an apartment complex in Houston, she said. He was between semesters and his parents had just moved to Houston. He came to the apartment complex because he knew of other OSU grads there.

The Hargises raised daughter, Kate (Haas, now 31) and son, Matt (who will be 34 next week). They also love to spend time with their grandchildren Peighton (6 years old), Preston (4) and Oliver (1). Ann said Burns is a man with boundless energy, and as far as being a husband, father and grandfather, he celebrates all of the above.

We celebrate Ann and her service to our amazing organization.

Judge Holmes received his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Georgetown Immigration Law Journal.  He received a B.A. degree from Wake Forest University, graduating cum laude.  Judge Holmes also earned a Master in Public Administration degree from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.  At Harvard, Judge Holmes was a John B. Pickett Fellow in Criminal Justice Policy and Management.

Judge Holmes has been a committed volunteer and leader in community affairs.  In addition to the Board of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Judge Holmes currently serves as a Director or Trustee on the Boards of several nonprofits, including the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.  Judge Holmes is a member of the Downtown Rotary Club of Oklahoma City.  He also is a graduate of Leadership Oklahoma City (Class XX), and Leadership Oklahoma (Class XVIII).  We are so excited Judge Holmes is part of our team!

David Litzinger
Lexus of Tulsa

Lauren Nelson
Miss America 2007 and Community Volunteer

Lauren is a beauty queen from Lawton, Oklahoma who holds the Miss America 2007 title. Nelson is the second consecutive Miss America and sixth in the history of Miss America to hail from this state. Lauren was Miss Teen Oklahoma 2004, and in this role, she performed at the 2005 Miss America Pageant. En route to Miss America, she won the Miss Oklahoma State Fair local title and then competed in the Miss Oklahoma pageant for the first time on June 11, 2006, and was crowned Miss Oklahoma 2006, for which she received a $16,000 scholarship. At age nineteen, she was the youngest contestant to become Miss Oklahoma.

Lauren went on to represent Oklahoma in the Miss America 2007 pageant broadcast on CMT from the Theatre for the Performing Arts on January 29, 2007. She won a preliminary swimsuit award on Thursday night, becoming her state's first Swimsuit preliminary award since 1955. At the conclusion of the live telecast, Nelson was crowned the 82nd Miss America. She succeeds Jennifer Berry, of Jenks, Oklahoma, in the first occurrence of consecutive winners from the same state since 1959-1960.

A graduate of MacArthur High School, Nelson is a student at the University of Central Oklahoma. She is a member of Centenary United Methodist Church in Lawton, Oklahoma. Her goal is to become a Broadway performer. Her Miss America talent was a vocal performance, and her platform issue is "Be NetSmart – Protecting Kids Online". She receives a $50,000 scholarship award along with the title. We are privileged to have Lauren as a partner of the Foundation!