Profile [ CONTINUED FROM PG. 13 ] to serve her community through the art of facilitation. Beth was charged with facilitating the committee that would write the mission statement for the Oklahoma City National Memorial to honor those who were impacted on April 19, 1995. Facilitating the work of the mission statement is the most fulfilling position Beth said she has had the opportunity to be a part of. She said she believes that the Oklahoma City National Memorial continues to live by the mission statement that she helped develop in 1996: We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity. LEADERSHIP OKLAHOMA CITY JLOC Sustainer and Past President Karen
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Luke, served as the first Executive Director of Leadership Oklahoma City (LOKC), and was a role model to Beth. When Karen Luke stepped down from her position with LOKC, Beth said she was grateful for the opportunity to accept the role. Through her service to JLOC, she said she found her career and role in our community of which she is most proud. She said she believes that her background as an educator, along with the trainings that she received as a member of the JLOC, and the dedication she had to community service with the League, prepared her for this position. At the end of 2018, Beth will retire from her role as Executive Director of Leadership Oklahoma City, but the mark that she has left on the organization will have a lasting impact. Leadership OKC began with its Signature Program in 1981 when two members of JLOC decided to follow the example of other major cities and begin a community
leadership program. They completed a site visit of Philadelphia’s program and then launched the first class in 1982. During its first five years, LOKC was managed by volunteers and was a true community initiative. During Beth’s tenure with LOKC, the Signature Program continued to grow, and the programming that was developed during this time that has truly expanded the scope of LOKC’s mission. Two high school programs have been developed, YLX which focuses on developing the leadership skills of teenagers and Youth in Action, which is the Youth Council of OKC and in partnership with the City of OKC. Also developed 19 years ago was the very popular and successful young adult program, LOYAL. Originally intended to be a condensed version of Signature Program for young community leaders who were unlikely to participate in the full program, LOYAL focuses on skills-based leadership.