The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum announced that Justice Steven W. Taylor has been elected Chairman of the Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation Board. Taylor will serve a two year term.

He succeeds Mike Turpen who successfully led the Board for the past two years. Turpen will remain on the Foundation’s Executive Committee.

In 2004, Justice Taylor presided over the state trial of the co-conspirator of the Oklahoma City bombing case. The trial was held in McAlester, Oklahoma. Taylor, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, retired from the bench in December, 2016.

“The Memorial Foundation is fortunate to have in its new board chairman, officers and trustees, persons with strong ties to the important mission of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. As we share the lessons learned with the next generation, their firsthand knowledge and multidimensional perspectives will be an enormous asset to the Museum and the Foundation,” said Kari Watkins, Executive Director, Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.

Education, memorialization and showing this community’s response to adversity after the Oklahoma City bombing are important objectives for Justice Taylor and the Board. “Unfortunately, we continue to have domestic and international terrorism at our doorstep every day. What happened here continues to be relevant. We have an obligation to young people to teach them lessons of what happened in this city,” said Justice Taylor. “The 168 people who were killed … their lives really mean something. They are teaching something every day – and it has meaning.”

THE 2018 MEMORIAL FOUNDATION OFFICERS

  • Chairman – Justice Steven W. Taylor
  • Vice Chair – Bob Ross
  • Treasurer – John Kennedy
  • Secretary – Ann-Clore Duncan

The Foundation’s Executive Committee also includes Dave Hager, Polly Nichols, Sam Presti, Susan Winchester and Mike Turpen.

INCOMING MEMBERS

  • Michelle Brooks – Sister was killed in the Oklahoma City bombing, CFO, Newmark Grubb Levy Strange Beffort
  • Chris Fleming – Partner, Midtown Renaissance
  • Senator David Holt
  • Kathy Oden-Hall – Chief Marketing Officer, Paycom
  • Sara Sweet – Father was killed in the Oklahoma City bombing
  • Terri Talley – Oklahoma City bombing Survivor, Business Development Officer, Allegiance Credit Union