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Thomas Barnett is Executive Director of Metropolitan Development for the City of Evansville, Indiana. He is the former Planning Director for the City of Paducah, Kentucky where he and his staff were responsible for the creation and implementation of the Paducah Lower Town Neighborhood plan and the Artist Relocation program, which became a national model for local governments using arts and cultural industries as tools for redevelopment and revitalization. Barnett has 18 years experience in community and economic development, downtown and neighborhood redevelopment, current and long range planning, project planning, financing, & major project implementation, & property acquisition.

Ken Busby is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa. He serves as a consultant in the areas of fundraising, grant writing, strategic planning, and board development for nonprofits across the state. A 2008 Governor's Arts Award winner for Community Service, Busby serves as chair of Tulsa International Mayfest, president of the Tulsa Symphony, and is a board member of the Oklahoma Museums Association. In 2010, Busby was elected to the Arts Education Council of Americans for the Arts.

Rich Fisher is the general manager of Public Radio Tulsa and the host of KWGS's flagship public affairs program, StudioTulsa. As host of the daily interview program, "StudioTulsa" he has conducted nearly four thousand long-form interviews with local, national, and international figures in the arts and humanities. Fisher has been honored with a Governor's Arts Award for Media and a Harwelden Award from the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa, and was named one of the "99 Great Things About Oklahoma" in 2000 by Oklahoma Today magazine. Fisher is currently the principal trombone of the Signature Symphony at TCC, and is a free-lance musician whose work ranges from the pit of touring Broadway musicals, to the salsa band, Grupo Salsabor.

Julia Kirt has served as the Executive Director for the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition since 1999 where she works with more than 4,500 artists statewide for professional development, funding, exhibitions and publications. She has planned and led more than two dozen workshops for artists, spoken to hundreds of students, and coordinated public educational events around the state. She instigated the Momentum exhibition highlighting young artists, Art 365 that offers the largest artist awards in the region, and the online OVAC Gallery featuring more than 400 artists. 

With a focus on organizational planning, Kirt has facilitated retreats for Community Youth Outreach, the Plaza District, and Quayle United Methodist Church. She completed a Master of Arts in Art History at the University of Oklahoma in 2006 and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN.

State Representative Jeannie McDaniel is a longtime Tulsan who has worked to better her city for more than three decades. She served as director of the Citizens Crime Commission from 1986 to 1991, coordinating programs like Crime Stoppers with the Tulsa Police Department. From 1991 to 2001 McDaniel served as Coordinator of the Mayor's Office for Neighborhoods, working to safe, healthy and vibrant neighborhoods. Rep. McDaniel has been active on the boards of Habitat for Humanity and the YMCA of Greater Tulsa for many years and supports many non-profits in her efforts to build strong community ties. As State Representative for Tulsa's midtown area, Rep. McDaniel serves on several House Committees including the Common Education and Public Health committees, and the Education Appropriations & Budget and Human Services appropriations & Budget subcommittees.

Sam Sims, APR, has more than 13 years of public relations and marketing experience in a broad range of industries, including the arts, where he has realized successes in communication planning, development, media relations and crisis situations. He is the Chairman for Public Relations Society of America's Southwest District and a past president of the Oklahoma City chapter of PRSA. Sims was named one of the "Achievers Under 40" by Journal Record magazine in 2007, one of the "Forty Under 40" by OKCBusiness in 2005. Sims serves on the board of directors for the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park, and Harn Homestead. He is also a marketing committee member for the Arts Council of Oklahoma City and for the United Way of Central Oklahoma.

Alyson Stanfield has helped thousands of artists around the world promote their art more effectively. Through her website, Art Biz Coach (artbizcoach.com) Stanfield teaches career-building classes for artists, and her blog, Art Biz Blog (artbizblog.com) consistently ranks at the top of art blogs on Alltop. Stanfield is the author of I'd Rather Be in the Studio! The Artist's No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion and The Relatively Pain-Free Artist Statement, and has presented workshops and keynote addresses in 23 states. Stanfield currently resides in Colorado, but is a native of Oklahoma City.

Kym Koch Thompson is chairperson of the Oklahoma Arts Council, board member of the Mid America Arts Alliance and the Capitol Preservation Commission, board member and Marketing Committee chair of the Arts Council of Oklahoma City and board Secretary of the Science Museum Oklahoma. Kym is principal of Koch Communications, LLC, a social media and public relations consulting firm with clients in Oklahoma and Texas. She is a native of Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Holly Wall is News Editor at This Land Press, Oklahoma's first new media company. This Land's mission is to chronicle life in Oklahoma through courageous, compelling stories and to tell those stories in the most suitable medium, be it print, video or audio. Holly writes daily commentary on local, state and national coverage of news in Oklahoma for This Land's website, as well as long-form narrative articles for its print publication. Prior to joining This Land, Holly spent five years writing about visual art, theater, dance and music for Urban Tulsa Weekly. Holly is also a regular contributor to OVAC's bi-monthly statewide art magazine Art Focus Oklahoma and Tulsa-based parenting publication Tulsa Kids. She has earned first- and second-place prizes from the Society of Professional Journalists for her writing and reporting and was voted Favorite News Reporter for the Tulsa Press Club's inaugural Newsies Awards earlier this year.

Questions?
For more information contact our Director of Cultural Development and Public Policy, Kim McCoy at (405) 521-2013 or kim.mccoy@arts.ok.gov.