John Harper

Chair

Tulsa, OK

Meet John. Following a successful 40-year career in electric utilities, John retired as Vice President of External Affairs for Public service Company of Oklahoma in July 2018, where he was responsible for the company’s governmental and environmental affairs, community relations, corporate communications and economic development. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Public Administration from Evangel University and received his Master’s in Business Administration from Oral Roberts University.

Years of Service to REI Oklahoma: 12

Giving Back. John currently serves on the board of directors for the Oklahoma Academy for State Goals, the Tulsa Salvation Army Advisory Board and the Oral Roberts University Golden Eagle Athletic Club. He is an elder of Tulsa First Presbyterian Church.

He is a volunteer with the Tulsa Boys and Girls Club and serves as Chair of their annual golf tournament. He also serves as on the Tulsa Salvation Army Board. They have several programs, one being the “Tulsa Center for Hope” serving over three hundred individuals experiencing homelessness each night. He also is a host home for international delegates visiting Tulsa under the auspices of Tulsa Global Alliance (TGA). TGA’s mission is to foster programs for Tulsans to share their lives and goodwill with the world—to build a global community of citizen diplomats.

Jeff Greenlee

Vice-Chair

Altus, OK

Meet Jeff. President of NBC Oklahoma – Altus, Jeff has worked in the banking industry since 1982. After earning an Agricultural Economics Degree from Oklahoma State University in 1984, he graduated with distinction in leadership from the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University. He is the past chair of the American Bankers Association Agricultural and Rural Bankers committee. He was instrumental in developing an alliance between the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation and the American Bankers Association to help rural bankers better serve their agricultural customers with farm mortgage products.

Jeff also serves as a board member on the REI Development Corp and the REI Capital Access Fund, Inc.

Years of Service to REI Oklahoma: 8

Giving Back. Jeff is very active in his local community and currently serves as a board member for the Towers Apartments in downtown Altus. The 44-unit HUD project provides affordable housing to low-income senior citizens and handicapped residents of Jackson County based on need. He also serves as President of the Altus Public School Foundation which provides scholarships to teachers serving K-12 students that fund special projects including supplies and technology needs. He is an active member of the Altus Area Kiwanis, Altus Area Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee, treasurer of the Oklahoma Arts Institute foundation and a board member of The Oklahoma Academy. Through his employment at NBC Oklahoma, Jeff is a supporter of many youth activities in the community.

Chris Meyers

Past Chair

Oklahoma City, OK

Meet Chris. He is the Executive Vice President of the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives (OAEC). Chris is responsible for providing a number of services to the state’s electrical cooperatives, including state legislative lobbying and advertising/marketing for the organization. Chris is a graduate of Kansas State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in electrical engineering and also received his MBA from the University of Oklahoma. Chris serves on The Oklahoma Academy, a statewide nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization founded by Governor Henry Bellman in 1967 to bring public attention to policy issues, provide objective, thorough research and act as a catalyst for positive change.

Chris also serves as a member of the REI Capital Access Fund, Inc. board.

Years of Service to REI Oklahoma: 13

Giving Back. Through his affiliation with OAEC, he is involved with several youth programs including the Youth Tour and Youth Power Energy Camp. The Oklahoma Electric Cooperative Washington Youth Tour is an annual, weeklong, all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, that is open to select high school students whose homes are served by electric cooperatives. The Youth Tour is sponsored by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives and 25 of Oklahoma’s electric distribution cooperatives. Youth Power Energy Camp is designed to help cooperative youth develop leadership skills, have summertime fun and learn about one of rural America’s most important industries – rural electrification. 4-H and FFA are also sponsored by OAEC and the co-op volunteers comprise one of the largest volunteer groups at the Special Olympic Games each year.

Brian Alford

Secretary

Oklahoma City, OK

Meet Brian. He is retired from OGE Energy Corp. where he was responsible for the company’s community affairs, economic development and marketing-related functions. Prior to assuming his role with OGE, Brian was Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs at Enable Midstream Partners, a natural gas and crude oil midstream company, formed by OGE Energy Corp. and CenterPoint Energy in 2013. During his tenure at Enable, Brian was responsible standing up the company’s communications, government relations and community affairs functions as well as leading communications through the company’s initial public offering in 2014. Under his leadership, the Enable communications team was named a 2016 finalist for PR Week’s top internal communications team of the year.

Brian also serves as a board member of the REI Capital Access Fund, Inc.

Years of Service to REI Oklahoma: 5 

Giving Back. Brian serves as chair of the Metropolitan Library Commission of Oklahoma County, which provides governance and oversight for one of the largest library systems in the U.S. He also serves as chair of the Arts Council of Oklahoma City, which provides a variety of arts programming including the annual Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts, which annually draws upwards of 500,000 visitors. In addition, he serves as vice chair of the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame where he is also a selection committee member of the Jim Thorpe Award, which each year honors college football’s top defensive back. Most recently, Brian was asked to join the board of the Last Frontier Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

Fern A. Green Bowling, Ed. D

Stillwater, OK

Meet Fern. She is the former Director of Programs and Policy for the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE), a consortium of state and local agencies, corporations, and national organizations committed to providing national leadership for equity in education and workforce development. She worked with the NAPE CEO, staff and the member state representatives to implement the NAPE program of work that included the review and analysis of federal legislation, professional development activities and technical assistance to state and local education agencies utilizing the best practices models for serving special populations students. Her formal education includes an Ed. D. degree in Career & Technical Education/Administration, Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees in business from Oklahoma State University.

Fern retired from the Oklahoma Department of Career & Technology Education in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In that capacity, she administered state grants utilizing federal funds that serve the under-represented populations in career and technology education programs. She is currently serving as a consultant. Her entire career has been spent improving the achievement of students and special populations.

Years of Service to REI Oklahoma: 38

Giving Back. Fern serves on the Career and Technical Education Equity Council whose purpose is to promote and support career and technical education and to support equitable and full participation of all students and employees in technical education. They provide advocacy for equity issues within the larger career and technical education community. She also serves on the Stillwater Literacy Council. The council serves all who need their services, especially the Hispanic population.

Kyle Hughbanks

Alva, OK

Meet Kyle. He is a community leader, farmer and retired from a career spanning over thirty-years in the banking industry. Kyle most recently served as President of BancCentral of Alva, BancCentral Financial Services Corp. and Myers Bancshares, Inc. Prior to his position as President, he served for seven years as the Executive Vice President and Farm Representative for Central National Bank. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in agricultural economics from Oklahoma State University and is a 1995 graduate of the Colorado School of Banking.

Kyle also serves as a board member on the REI Development Corp.

Years of Service to REI Oklahoma: 15

Giving Back. Kyle is past chairman and a current member of the Bill Johnson Correctional Center Advisory Committee. They are charged with the task of working to integrate inmates into the community once they have been released. The facility has developed functional integration strategies for both single and married men being released from prison. He has served as a youth leader in his church and he has been involved with a number of outreach programs, including serving as a board member for Northwest Family Services (NWS). Their mission is to facilitate positive family functioning and to advocate overall self-sufficiency and self-responsibility by making programs available to all individuals within their service area in northwest Oklahoma. Kyle also serves on the Gold Bug Foundation, which awards scholarships to needy students from the local high school.

Clayton Lodes

Ardmore, OK

Meet Clayton. He is CEO of First National Bank and Trust Company (1NB) of Ardmore and serves on its Board of Directors. Clayton is a graduate of East Central Oklahoma State University. He passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant examination in 1983 and practiced public accounting until 2002 when he joined the First National Bank and Trust Company of Ardmore. After joining 1NB, Clayton continued his education at the National Commercial Lending School at SMU and Graduate School of Banking in Boulder, Colorado.

Years of Service to REI Oklahoma: 1

Giving Back. Clayton has been active in many civic and professional organizations and currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Bankers Bank, Government Relations Committee of the Oklahoma Bankers Association and Advisory Board of Ardmore Behavioral Health Collaborative. Clayton and his wife, Bebe, are CASA volunteers and active members of the First United Methodist Church in Ardmore.

Gary Sherrer

Stillwater, OK

Meet Gary. Gary is retired and a former member of the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (DASNR) leadership team at Oklahoma State University. As the Assistant Vice President for External Affairs, Gary worked with the Oklahoma Legislature on funding issues for DASNR and the Agriculture Extension offices across the state. The Cooperative Extension Services has a presence in all 77 counties. and works to develop science based educational programs to help Oklahomans solve issues and concerns, promote leadership and manage resources wisely. Gary also worked closely with the other farm groups in Oklahoma and assisted the Dean of Agriculture in working with the Dean’s Advisory Committee.

Gary served four terms in the Oklahoma House of Representatives where he chaired the House Agriculture Committee and was a member of the leadership team. He served on Governor David Walters Cabinet as Oklahoma’s First Secretary of Agriculture and Commissioner. He served on the Cabinets of both Governor Frank Keating and Mary Fallin as their Secretary of the Environment and assisted Governor-Elect Brad Henry as a member of his transition team.

In 2004, Gary was a co-founder of First Trinity Life, an Oklahoma based insurance company that has stockholders in all 77 counties. The company has since grown to be a more than $625 million enterprise and has expanded into 30 other states, helping to keep the entrepreneurial spirit alive and thriving in Oklahoma.

He also serves as a board member of the REI Development Corp.

Years of Service to REI Oklahoma: 17

Giving Back. Gary has dedicated many years of service to the state of Oklahoma as a legislator and a member of three governor’s cabinets. Through his close work with the Cooperative Extension Offices in the state and his work with each Agricultural Farm Group, Gary has helped positively impact Oklahoma Communities by providing many opportunities for agricultural enterprises.

Clayton Taylor

Oklahoma City, OK

Meet Clayton. He serves as principal in the Oklahoma Lobby Group, a full-service lobbying and consulting firm specializing in Oklahoma business issues. Their service capabilities include business management and communications consulting, direct lobbying of state and federal legislative and regulatory agencies, community relations, marketing and the management of political action committees and campaigns. Their in-depth experience ranges from local to statewide to federal, and includes extensive international business and political management, as well.

Years of Service to REI Oklahoma: 24

Giving Back. Clayton has always been heavily involved in community activities in Oklahoma ranging from his early start as Oklahoma 4-H Club State President and continuing as a founder of Leadership Oklahoma – serving as President in 1991. Other leadership positions have included President of Oklahoma City Rotary Club #29 (largest Rotary Club in the world), Foundation Chair for Oklahoma City Rotary Club #29, Alumni President of Leadership Oklahoma City, President Rural Enterprises of Oklahoma, Administrative Board Chairman of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Board of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Board of Malaria Partners International, Board of World Neighbors, founding chairman of Oklahoma Leadership Congress, Metropolitan Oklahoma City Library Commissioner, one of six founders and Past-President of Leadership Oklahoma, Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Executive Board, Board of Ballet Oklahoma, Oklahoma 4-H Foundation and the Community Advisory Board of the Junior League.

He and his wife are co-founders of the OKC Sober School, which helps Oklahoma City-area teenagers recover from drug and alcohol addictions, while allowing them to finish their high school educations. Rather than returning to the public school system, the school’s teenagers learn through web-based classes and participate in daily counseling sessions and drug-free activities.

Through his affiliation with Rotary Club, Clayton has been a leader on international projects in Panama, Guatemala, Latvia, Zambia, Uganda and Peru. Most recently, Clayton chaired the origination efforts of a $1.2M Rotary Global Grant for combatting Malaria in Uganda. He was recognized by Rotary International for his work to expand international projects and efforts around the world.

Martin VanMeter

Durant, OK

Meet Martin. He is a licensed real estate broker and owner of Van Meter Realty. Martin has served as a member of the Oklahoma Real Estate Commission since 1998. He is a native of Calera, Oklahoma, and earned his Associate’s Degree from Murray State College, along with a Bachelor’s Degree in agriculture education from Oklahoma State University. Martin earned his Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager designation from the National Association of Realtors.

He also serves as a board member for REI Development Corp.

Years of Service to REI Oklahoma: 19

Giving Back. He has served as President of the Durant Chamber of Commerce, the Durant Kiwanis Club and the Texoma Board of Realtors. He has been recognized by each of these organizations for his outstanding service and has received numerous awards in recognition of his dedication to service. Martin has served on several committees for the Oklahoma Association of Realtors and was honored to receive the “Oklahoma Realtor of the Year” award for the Oklahoma Association in 2009. He served on the Murray State College Board of Regents for eight years and is currently serving on the Board of Trustees for Murray College Foundation, a community college in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. By virtue of serving on this board, he assists in awarding scholarships to low-income students. He is also very active with the Bryan County Junior Livestock Show and the Durant Kiwanis, who are dedicated to serving the children of the community. Durant Kiwanis Club is currently involved in civic activities including Elementary School Track Meet, Meals on Wheels, Families Feeding Families, Kiwanis Easter Egg Hunt and the adoption of the Schuler Kiwanis Park.