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The Board of Regents for Â鶹´«Ã½ elected Tulsa attorney Larry D. Leonard as chairman for the 2015-2016 academic year. The Â鶹´«Ã½ Foundation elected ONE Gas President and CEO Pierce Norton as chairman of the Â鶹´«Ã½ Foundation Board for 2015.

Leonard has served on the Â鶹´«Ã½ Board of Regents since 2002 after being appointed by Gov. Frank Keating and reappointed by Gov. Brad Henry in 2009. He is the senior partner in the Tulsa firm of Leonard & Rineer, P.C. and has practiced law in Tulsa since 1974. He is a member of the Tulsa County Bar Association, Oklahoma and Kansas Bar Associations, and the American Bar Association.

The Board of Regents also elected Paul H. Cornell to serve as Vice Chairman and Robin F. Ballenger to serve as Secretary for 2015-2016. Cornell is President of Citizen's Bancshares and Director of Citizens State Bank. Ballenger is the chairman of Flint Resources Company, LLC, and president of the Flint Family Foundation.

Norton leads the Â鶹´«Ã½ Foundation along with Vice Chair Joan Parkhurst, Parkhurst Investments and Secretary Treasurer Alana Hughes, Chief Operating Officer of the Charles & Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. The Â鶹´«Ã½ Foundation Board held a strategic planning retreat this summer. Under Norton’s leadership, the Â鶹´«Ã½ Foundation Trustees set goals and created priorities for the organization in alignment and support of Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s recently completed five-year strategic plan.

The Â鶹´«Ã½ Foundation provides support to Â鶹´«Ã½ and the College’s mission by developing community relationships and financial support for student development and scholarships as well as critical capital and equipment needs. The Foundation Board was briefed on the highly successful Believe in Â鶹´«Ã½ annual giving campaign that involves Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s business partners, alumni, loyal donors, and Â鶹´«Ã½ faculty and staff. The 2015 Believe in Â鶹´«Ã½ campaign raised more than $176,000.