Bill Anoatubby began his service to the Chickasaw Nation in 1975 as health services director and soon advanced to key leadership roles, including director of finance, special assistant to the governor and controller, and the tribe’s first lieutenant governor in 1979. He was elected governor in 1987 and immediately set ambitious goals for economic development and self-sufficiency. Under his leadership, the Chickasaw Nation has grown from approximately 250 employees to more than 15,000, with significant expansion of programs, services, and assets dedicated to improving the quality of life for Chickasaw people.

Governor Anoatubby has also shaped the arts and cultural landscape of Oklahoma through significant investments in museums, cultural centers, language revitalization, and artist support. This vision has helped build a vibrant creative ecosystem statewide and has meaningfully advanced Oklahoma Contemporary’s mission by fostering an environment where arts education, cultural engagement, and creative opportunity can thrive. The Chickasaw Nation’s leadership in arts and culture continues to strengthen communities across Oklahoma and supports the growth of institutions committed to access, creativity, and public service.

Dr. Leslie Simcox Hudson is an Oklahoma City native with degrees in physical therapy, public health, and epidemiology from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. A former faculty member in biostatistics and epidemiology, she now serves on the advisory board of the OU Hudson College of Public Health. With her husband, she established the Hudson Family Endowed Scholarship and Hudson Fellows program, which brings national leaders in public health to OU; the College of Public Health was named in their honor in 2018. She is a trustee of the Kirkpatrick Family Fund, serves on the governance board of the Oklahoma City-County Health Department Foundation, and is active with the Greater Oklahoma Parks & Trails Foundation. A longtime leader at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, she also has an extensive history of service with organizations across education, community health, and the nonprofit sector. She and her husband have two sons, Stuart and Bennett.

Clifford Hudson is the former chairman and chief executive officer of SONIC Corp., where he led the company into national expansion, quintupled its systemwide sales, and strengthened its reputation as a values-driven brand. A respected business leader and author of a memoir entitled Master of None: How a Jack of All Trades Can Still Reach the Top, he is widely recognized for his insights on organizational leadership, adaptability, and corporate responsibility. Cliff is also the co-author of a more recent book entitled Bricks and Clicks: How We Drove Sonic into the Digital Age. In addition to his corporate career, he played rhythm guitar and was the lead male vocalist for The Sonic Tones. Hudson also has devoted decades to civic and philanthropic leadership across Oklahoma and beyond. He has held key roles with the University of Oklahoma Foundation and numerous educational, cultural, and community organizations, and he currently serves as the board president of OKC Rep Theater. He served as co-chair of MAPS for Kids and worked for ten years to stabilize the Oklahoma City Public Schools. His service, together with his wife, Dr. Leslie Hudson, has advanced public health, education, and the arts throughout the state of Oklahoma.

Randy Marks serves as program planner in the Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs for the City of Oklahoma City, a role he has held for the past three years following five years as the city’s public art project manager. In his current position, Randy helps guide cultural strategy and supports the development, implementation, and stewardship of arts initiatives across the city, collaborating closely with artists, community partners, and municipal departments to strengthen Oklahoma City’s cultural landscape.

Randy’s professional background spans sculpture, product design, and sustainable landscape design, giving him a multidisciplinary perspective that informs his approach to public art and civic placemaking. His work reflects a deep commitment to fostering accessible, high-quality cultural experiences for residents and visitors alike. With a career rooted in creativity, design thinking, and public service, Randy continues to play a key role in shaping Oklahoma City’s growing artistic identity and supporting the city’s long-term vision for vibrant, inclusive cultural development.

G. Patrick Riley is a nationally recognized artist and art educator whose career spans more than five decades of teaching and creative practice. Raised in the rural community of Ada, Oklahoma, he studied at East Central State University and the University of Oklahoma, earning both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in art education.

A certified visual arts educator with the State of Oklahoma, Riley has taught students at every grade level and inspired generations of young artists—many of whom have gone on to successful careers in the arts, education, and other professional fields. His artist residencies across the state have encompassed a wide range of disciplines, including drawing, printmaking, painting, pottery, sculpture, leather mask making, and totem design. Riley has also been a longtime collaborator with Oklahoma Contemporary, enriching hundreds of students through workshops, residencies, and community programs.

Best known for his work in mask making and sculpture, Riley has exhibited widely across the United States and created significant public artworks, including a 28-foot stainless steel eagle mask for the Oklahoma Judicial Center. His work has reached national audiences—from exhibitions in New York and Washington, D.C., to a custom leather mask designed for Lady Gaga in 2010.

A former public-school teacher, university professor, and fine arts administrator, Riley received the Oklahoma Arts Council’s Arts in Education Award in 1997. He was also an active member of the Contemporary Arts Foundation of Oklahoma City from 1966 to 1976.

Founded in 1994 by Edward L. Gaylord and his wife, Thelma, the E. L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation supports a broad range of charitable, educational, and cultural initiatives throughout central Oklahoma. Edward Gaylord was known as a principled, generous, and deeply committed civic leader whose philanthropy often occurred quietly but left a lasting mark on the state. Thelma Gaylord was a respected corporate executive, civic volunteer, and arts advocate whose decades of service enriched the cultural and educational life of Oklahoma and earned her the governor’s “State of Excellence” award.

Their legacy continues through the leadership of the Foundation’s trustees: Christy Gaylord Everest, Mary Gaylord McClean, Louise Gaylord Bennett, Tricia L. Everest, and Mary FitzSimons. Guided by their stewardship, the Foundation plays an essential role in advancing Oklahoma Contemporary’s mission by supporting artistic innovation, cultural access, and arts education. The Gaylord Foundation’s commitment to strengthening the state’s cultural landscape helps ensure that organizations like Oklahoma Contemporary can thrive and serve future generations