OKC TOWN HALL
Tuesdays 10a-12p, 2/18 – 4/15
February 18 (Two speakers)
Topic 1: Asset and Mineral Management
Learn how “land men” bridge the gap between mineral ownership and the oil and gas Industry and how a land management professional should be engaged for estate planning purposes. Hear from a third-generation Land Management and Legal Professional about her and her colleagues’ extensive experience in managing minerals in many basins across the United States and how they help clients manage their mineral assets and plan for the future generations.
Speaker: Destenie McMillan
As a third-generation Land Management and Legal Professional, Destenie boasts a rich career history spanning various facets of the oil and gas industry. From consulting on contract law cases and drafting Division Order Title Opinions to managing start-up companies and advising private equity firms on mergers and acquisitions, she brings a wealth of experience to the table. Hailing from Oklahoma City and shaped by family roots in the industry, she honed her expertise through hands-on experience and formal education at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Inspired by her grandfather's legacy, she launched her consulting company in 2009, driven by a passion for entrepreneurship and a commitment to excellence.
Widely recognized as a leading authority in oil and gas title matters and E&P organizational structures, Destenie's influence extends across North American plays, including Colorado, Wyoming, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana and Utah. Her contributions to the industry have been celebrated with accolades such as the Top Women in Energy Award in 2017. Actively engaged in her community, she serves on committees for organizations like the Colorado Oil and Gas Association and the Women's Energy Network, embodying values of integrity, innovation, and growth in all her endeavors.
Topic 2: Estate Planning: Wills & Trusts
Speaker: Jandra Cox, J.D.
Jandra Cox received her bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University and her law degree from the University of Oklahoma. At OU, she received the American Jurisprudence Award in Legal Research & Writing, was named Champion in the College of Law’s Freshman Moot Court Competition, and served as a research and writing instructor for first-year law students. While in law school, she worked for the law firm of Norman & Edem in Oklahoma City and the District Attorney for Payne and Logan Counties. She also studied law at Oxford University in England.
Jandra began practicing law in Tulsa, originally concentrating in the area of insurance defense. In 1999, she founded Premier Legal, PLC, a law firm dedicated to legal research and writing and estate planning, with two offices in Tulsa and a satellite office in Sand Springs. In 2011, she became a partner in one of the premier plaintiffs’ law firms in Oklahoma and moved to Oklahoma City to represent mineral owners in litigation, helping obtain several of the largest class action settlements and jury verdicts in Oklahoma history. She was recently published in the Oklahoma Bar Journal, discussing how generative artificial intelligence is impacting the practice of law. She is an adjunct instructor for Southeastern OSU college students, teaching both undergraduate and graduate-level law classes.
February 25
Topic: All About Alice
Alice Robertson was an American educator, social worker, Native Americans' rights activist, government official, businesswoman, and politician who became the second woman to serve in the United States Congress, and the first from the state of Oklahoma. Despite all these accomplishments Alice Robertson fought against women's suffrage.
Speaker: Kathy Dickson
Kathy Dickson retired in 2023 after 44 years of experience with the Oklahoma Historical Society working as an office manager, curator, registrar, exhibit director, director of the museums division, and director of the Museums and Historic Sites Division with oversight of twenty-one museums, military sites, and historic homes across the state. Ms. Dickson holds a bachelor’s degree from Central State University with majors in history and English and a master’s from the University of Oklahoma.
Dickson served as a president of the statewide Oklahoma Museums Association (OMA), as well as president of the Mountain-Plains Museums Association (MPMA). She received OMA’s highest accolade, the Award for Outstanding Service to the Museum Profession and also MPMA’s Hugo Rodeck Award for outstanding service to the field. She currently sits on the board of the Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums as immediate past president.
March 4
Topic: The Silver Tsunami’s Impact on Senior Care
Have you heard of the Silver Tsunami? This demographic shift is causing there to be a higher proportion of older adults in the population than in previous generations. This tsunami affects many sectors, including healthcare. Society will need to adapt to meet the needs of a growing older population, and our speaker will discuss how his company is solving issues.
Speaker: Kevin Richardson
Kevin Richardson, MA, CDP, is the owner and CEO of Seniors Helping Seniors. He founded Seniors Helping Seniors in-home care services to enable seniors to maintain an independent lifestyle in their own homes for as long as possible. Kevin has more than 20 years of experience in executive leadership and community development, bringing together caring individuals and organizations to provide hope for those in need.
Before launching Seniors Helping Seniors, Kevin served as Director of Corporate Partnerships for Feed the Children. Kevin also served as Vice President for University Development for Southwestern Christian University, Vice President for Advancement at University of the Southwest, Director of Alumni Relations at Central Bible College and was the Director of Campus Ministry for Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship at the Pennsylvania State University and Oklahoma State University.
Kevin holds a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies from Central Bible College and a Master of Arts in theological studies from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. He is a Certified Homecare Administrator and a Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP). Additionally, he has taken a leadership role in a number of local service organizations serving as an assistant district governor for Rotary District 5750, past president of the West Oklahoma City Rotary Club, a worship leader at Acts 2 United Methodist Church, and as the unit chaplain for Troop 226 of the Boy Scouts of America.
Kevin and his wife Jennifer have been married for 27 years and have three children: Emma, Eli and Josiah.
March 11
Topic: TBD
Speaker: TBD
March 18
SPRING BREAK
No OLLI gatherings this week
March 25
Topic: Second Chances, Lasting Impact: CFSI’s Role in Workforce Transformation
The Center for Social Innovation is a workforce development program that provides post-secondary education and training for Oklahomans who have recently exited the situation of incarceration, homelessness, foster care, or domestic violence, or are in long-term recovery from substance abuse addiction or mental health disorders. CFSI provides a pathway to employment and is a long-term intensive program where students will have the opportunity to gain invaluable skills, work experience through internships, and the ability to earn college credit hours along with supplemental credentials.
Speaker: Ariel Moore, Senior Director of Center for Social Innovations, OSU-OKC
April 1
Topic: Baseball History
From the author of baseball history book, Pinnacle on the Mound: Cy Young Award Winners Talk Baseball, hear what Cy Young Award winners (ranging from the 1960s to today) have to say. Each year, the award is given to the best pitcher in Major League Baseball each year. The players shared their experiences, obstacles, and keys to success. There isn't one recipe to follow for success, but some common threads emerge from the ten pitchers' experiences about the importance of adapting, using a network of resources to improve, and being resilient when facing setbacks and failures.
Speaker: Doug Wedge
Doug Wedge is a writer and attorney. He is the author of three baseball history books: Pinnacle on the Mound: Cy Young Award Winners Talk Baseball (Rowman & Littlefield, 2022), The Cy Young Catcher with Charlie O’Brien (Texas A&M University Press, 2015) and Baseball in Alabama: Tales of Hardball in the Heart of Dixie (The History Press, 2018). He is an Oklahoma native who lives in Norman.
April 8
Topic: TBD
Speaker:TBD
April 15
Topic: But, I Read it on the Internet! News Literacy Today
We live with a lot of noise in the air today. Many entities and organizations compete daily for our attention—our eyes on their products translates into advertising dollars. Or, sometimes it translates into building a cause. News literacy is the ability to determine the credibility of news and other information and to recognize the standards of fact-based journalism to know what to trust, which to share and which to act on. Hear directly from Oklahoma’s-own seasoned news journalist, KOSU’s Executive Director Rachel Hubbard.
Speaker: Rachel Hubbard, Executive Director, KOSU Oklahoma’s Public Radio
Rachel Hubbard is a news veteran of more than 20 years and serves as KOSU's executive director. In 2024, she was elected to the National Public Radio Board of Directors. She began her radio career while still in high school, reading obituary and hospital reports as a part-time announcer and board operator at KTJS in Hobart, Oklahoma. Hubbard continued her radio career in 1999, joining KOSU as a student reporter. Following graduation from Oklahoma State University in 2003, Hubbard served as the station’s state capitol reporter and news director. She was promoted to associate director in 2007, managing the day-to-day programming and news operations of KOSU.
Hubbard spearheaded KOSU’s innovative collaboration with The Spy in 2012, giving a platform for local music and music otherwise not represented on the radio dial. She brought StoryCorps to Oklahoma City in 2018, allowing Oklahomans to share, record, and preserve their stories. She serves on the board of directors for the Association of Independents in Radio (AIR) and mentors young journalists through NPR’s Next Generation Radio Project.
During her tenure at KOSU, Hubbard has won national awards for her news coverage from the Public Media Journalists Association, the Scripps Howard Foundation and Society for Professional Journalists. She has also received numerous state and regional journalism awards and has been named to Oklahoma Gazette’s Forty Under 40 and Oklahoma Magazine’s 40 under 40.
Hubbard holds a Master’s of Entrepreneurship and a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Communications from Oklahoma State University.