Stew on That Geocash Contest 60

Iwant to start this out by offering my sincerest apologies to the generations before me. We haven’t been kind to you, we have been thoughtless in our actions and words, and for that I am truly sorry. To get to the point, I saw a video of a very young tart, I mean hussy, I mean girl, trying on “vintage clothes from the early 2000s” EXCUSE ME YOUNG LADY?! Vintage and 2000s are two words that don’t belong in the same sentence. The early 2000’s were like 5 years ago, okay? (Stop…I know that isn’t true, please let me have this one.) And the kicker was she was trying on styles of clothes that I STILL WEAR and was calling them “classic vintage styles.” I have never been so offended in my entire life. Why did she have to personally attack me like that? I now know what it feels like for people who were born before me to see trends and styles come back and it’s painful to watch and for that reason alone I’ll never be wearing bell bottoms again even though I love them so much. Seriously though why is growing older so weird? Mentally you feel like a youthful, strapping, vibrant kid but physically your back hurts all the time and you don’t know why and you’re really invested in your front yard grass. Not too long ago I was eating cheese fries at Cornerstone at 3am on most Friday nights without a care in the world and now I take a fiber supplement at 8:30pm and am in bed by 9 and am genuinely really, genuinely happy about it. That one song in the movie Shrek wasn’t lying when it said “the years start coming and they don’t stop coming.”

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS!

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Continued from page 48 How have you contributed to your current business or organization’s growth, innovation, or profitability?

My work with Evans Children’s Academy at the Poncan Theatre started with a single show and has grown to be a full-time commitment. My first show in 2013 had a cast of about 25 kids and was shown to an audience under 200 people. Recently, our production of Oklahoma! saw over 100 kids audition, with a cast of 50 and over 1000 people in the audience. In the last 3 years, Evans has grown to include multiple corporate sponsors and has sparked a renewed interest in musical theatre and the accompanying arts, specifically music and dance. Voice and dance teachers are now in high demand as local kids want to compete for lead roles. This, in turn, has led to productions being very high quality. Evans went from a niche program to a pillar of the Poncan Theatre’s success. A single show per year, grew to 4 shows per year, and now we present 7 shows per year including shows designed for young performers. Without the income generated through the Evans Children’s Academy, it is likely the Poncan Theatre would not have weathered the pandemic in its current healthy (relatively) condition.

How does your business contribute to the community?

Evans Children’s Academy has become a pillar of the community in many ways. It is a place for kids from 7-18 to learn and grow together, to find out what they love, to meet new people, and to become well-rounded members of society. The quality of kids that participate in Evans is exceptional. It has been my mantra that the experience of the actor is the most important aspect of any show. More important than the final product and this has fostered some of the kindest, genuine kids to serve as role models for others who may not have that best home environment. Scholarships are available so that no one is turned away. The local economy is getting a boost in the form of the tickets and concessions to the Poncan Theatre, the staff that is hired to produce the shows, and the area voice and dance teachers that are now seeing a boom in enrollment as kids seek to further their education in that area. Other theatrical productions and entities are benefiting from the training the kids are getting in these shows. Please list any community, civic, or charitable organizations that you belong to, currently and in the past. Please include your position (member, board director, treasurer, etc.) and any specific impact you’ve had on the organization

Poncan Theatre Board of Directors, member, treasurer. As treasurer, I took over right as the pandemic hit full swing. I am happy to say we have emerged in better financial shape than when the pandemic started, despite having less events. Choral Arts Society of Northern Oklahoma, artistic director. I led CASONO for many years until my obligations at Evans became too much and I turned over my duties to Brandon Haynes. While artistic director, I led a push to involve more community and more inclusive music culminating in a joint concert with PoHi Chorale, NOC band and choir of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. Oklahoma Association of Community Theatres Board of Directors, member Ponca City Federated Music Club, festival committee. I started taking my voice and brass students to the PCFMC festival and it quickly expanded from less than 30 students to over 100 student entries.

Please list any area trade or professional organizations you are involved with, your position, and any impacts you’ve made on the organization.

Oklahoma Music Educators Association, college committee Oklahoma Association of Schools of Music, treasurer Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia International Tuba Euphonium Association Buglers Across America NOC Faculty Association, president.

Please list any honors, awards, or achievements you’ve received either in the workplace, your educational career, or otherwise.

Faculty Excellence Award on four occasions Distinguished Faculty at NOC Bands of America Regional Championship Outstanding Music Major.

Is there a “fun fact” about yourself you’d like to include?

I am a short-nosed dog breed enthusiast! I share a home with a pug and an English Bulldog.

See 5 UNDER 40 Continued on page 52

How have you contributed to your current business or organization’s growth, innovation, or profitability?

Pioneer Technology Center • Created a Day Conference called Next Gen, partnering with Ponca City Young Employees. We asked several Local “Heroes” to be speakers and break out session guides. The goal of this conference was to provide the opportunity to learn from and ask questions of those people who are very involved in our community and have made a difference for the good. We hoped this will inspire those who attended to become involved in Kay County. Each Spring and Fall since I was hired at Pioneer Technology Center I have been able to provide the Leadership Conference called Leadercast via Simulcast. Leadercast is the world’s largest one-day leadership event. The day is filled with 8 speakers. Some of the speakers have been Andy Stanley, Michael Hyatt, Tyler Perry, Nick Saban and many more well-known names. The conference is held live in Atlanta Georgia. With the partnership of local sponsors, I have been able to purchase the rights to air Leadercast via simulcast here in Ponca City for our residents. I have become a Certified John Maxwell Trainer. I had to complete online training and then go to Miami Florida to finish and receive my certificate. This provided another training option for our businesses in the area. I also became a certified Crucial Conversations Trainer. This adds another training we can offer to our clients that is very beneficial. I have started a Toastmasters Club for our community. We did not previously have a Toastmasters club in our area for those people who want to develop their public speaking skills. This has been a fun and rewarding project to work on and offer to the people who have been attending the monthly meetings. The Ponca City Real Estate Co. I have already reached $1.9 Million in Sales for 2021. Marland’s Place (Board Member) Governance Committee Chair – I was in charge of helping re-write the Policy and Procedures manual for Marland’s Place employees. We made changes with their leave which will better support the employees and the organization. United Way (Allocations Committee) Being on the Allocations Committee I reviewed the applications for funds of agencies in our area. An interview was scheduled where I was able to ask questions along with other committee members to the Agencies and then decided how the available funds of United Way should be allocated to the agencies to assist in their operations. OSU Extension Office, Applied for and received Healthy Living Grant to purchase and plant a vegetable garden and fruit trees at Marland Children’s Home. The garden was used by the Children’s home to provide healthy fresh fruit and vegetables to their residence. Garden included 10 fruit trees planted in 2015 and 2016 with The Garden planted in summers of 2015-2017. • I worked with the Marland Children’s Home Staff to plan what to plant. The staff worked with the kids in helping with this decision. Kids in Care of MCH helped plant the garden in the spring and summer. I was able to teach them about gardening. They were responsible for watering, weeding and picking the produce. • I grew the Master Gardener Program Membership by 50%. Each Master Gardener was required to have 20 hours of community service per year. To obtain these hours we had an educational booth at the Kay County Free Fair for school aged kids each year. Worked at the Herb Festival, redid the three flowerbeds in front of the YMCA (now the RecPlex). Provided potted flowers in front of Golden Villa for their new opening.

How does your business contribute to the community?

Pioneer Technology Center • Encourages Employees to hold positions on nonprofit boards. • Offers free resources to in district clientele such as business planning, consulting, brainstorming, etc. • Host a United Way Campaign to raise money for the Local United Way. • Provides free meeting space for Non-profits. • Provides a place for our clientele to take classes to further their education to increase salaries and provide more opportunities. Ponca City Real Estate Co. • Makes donations to Marland’s Place to assist with the cost needs of foster care. • Offers a real estate service to help those in need of selling or buying. We are a very honest and hardworking team. Our real estate office works in the best interest of our buyers and sellers.

What community service are you involved in?

Toastmasters Kay County Club President March 2021 - Present • Marland’s Place Board Vice President July 2020 – Present • Marland’s Place Governance Committee Chair July 2020 – Present • United Way Allocations Committee Member Jan 2020 – Present • Ponca City Leadership Chair June

See 5 UNDER 40 Continued on page 55