OUtstanding Alumni: Jonathan Horton

Jonathan Horton, '08

When the 2012 Olympic games open this summer in London, a Sooner will be among the world's elite athletes.  Jonathan Horton, Olympic Gymnast, earned his bachelor's degree in 2008 in Business Management from the University of Oklahoma, with hopes of using his Price College education to open his own gym someday.  While at OU, he became one of the most successful and decorated gymnasts in university history.  As a freshman, he took home over 10 event titles and two all-around titles.  As a sophomore, he accomplished more, winning 13 event titles and an astonishing six all-around titles and qualified for his first world team.  In his third season as a Sooner, Jonathan set records at OU, breaking Bart Conner's career marks for career NCAA titles (5) and career All-American honors (15).  He was also the first athlete since Blaine Wilson to win back-to-back American Cup titles.

His senior year was one for the record books as well. He was one of five finalists for the 78th AAU James E. Sullivan Award presented to the nation’s top amateur athlete, but the best was yet to come.  He was the sixth OU gymnast to be named a Nissen-Emery Award winner. OU took home its eighth national title - five of which were in the last seven years. He finished first in the all-around at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team trials, and was named to the 2008 Olympic team.  He was also the 2008 USA Gymnastics Men's Athlete of the Year.

He's now on another US Olympic Team.  The 2012 Summer Olympics are sure to set more records and push more limits.  Jonathan is proud to call the University of Oklahoma his alma mater and is a great representative of our university anywhere he goes.  Here's to Jonathan!  The Sooner Nation will be rooting for you!

OUtstanding Alumni: Debbie Copp

Debbie Copp, '78, '84

Longtime University of Oklahoma Athletics Department employee, Debbie Copp, has been selected for induction into the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Hall of Fame and will join the 2012 class at the Hall of Fame dinner on June 25 in St. Louis, MO at the annual CoSIDA convention.

Debbie received her bachelor's degree in journalism in 1978 and later went on to complete a master's degree in education in 1984 at OU.

Throughout her career, Copp has garnered the attention of her peers for her outstanding work. In 2008, she was named the recipient of the 2008 Bob Kenworthy Community Service Award by CoSIDA. That award came on the heels of her 25-year award, which she earned from CoSIDA in 2001.

Speaking of the hall of fame selection, Copp said “I am absolutely overwhelmed with this honor and would like to thank the current hall of fame members and the friends who were involved in making my nomination and the upcoming induction possible.

“When I received the Bob Kenworthy Award in 2008, I thought that would be the highlight of my professional career. Four years later, I am to be inducted into the hall of fame and that has left me speechless, a place I don’t often visit.”

Former Oklahoma football Academic All-America student-athlete Dewey Selmon - himself a 2010 CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-America Hall of Fame inductee - said of Debbie, “I could go on and on about Debbie’s accomplishments. But what I really want you to know is her heart and compassion.

"I first met Debbie as a member of the football team at the University of Oklahoma," Selmon continued. "She was continually supportive, enthusiastic, and interested in contributing to my success both off and on the field. It has been over 30 years since I donned a Sooner football uniform, but Debbie remains continually supportive, enthusiastic, and interested in contributing to my success. It is amazing to me that when I had a daughter playing basketball for OU, Debbie was there with the same enthusiasm she had when I was playing. I am only one of hundreds of athletes that Debbie has supported throughout her life; she has been a constant advocate for student-athletes. And when Debbie Copp is in your corner, she is in your corner for life!”

Brad Lund, owner of SOLDOUT Strategies noted of Debbie, “Ms. Copp was my direct supervisor during my stint as a student assistant at Oklahoma from 1984 thru 1989. Dozens and dozens of student assistants benefited from her tutelage - none more than I.

"Debbie not only paved the way for my career in professional sports, but she had a sincere desire for me to succeed in my personal life as well," Lund concluded. "I would be hard pressed to find someone that had a more positive influence on my collegiate experience than Debbie.“

She has been active in CoSIDA since the 1970s, serving as the CoSIDA Committee on Committees’ chairperson the past six years. She has also been active on the special awards, publicists for women’s sports, publications awards, and computer committees. She has welcomed women and minorities into the profession and mentored many as an active member of FAME.

Debbie joined the Sooner staff as a student in 1975 during the first year that women’s athletics were a part of the department. She went to full-time status in 1977 and has worked events in 19 of the 21 sports that OU sponsors. She moved into her current position in 1990. As the director of publications for OU athletics, she has worked on numerous award-winning publications, including national award winners for football, post-season, softball, track and field, soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, and wrestling media guides. She also has received writing awards from the organization.

For the last six years, Debbie has coordinated the award nominations for the department. In that time, OU has produced two NCAA Top VIII Award winners; one NCAA Sportsmanship Award winner; four NACDA McLendon Memorial Minority Scholarship winners ($10,000 each); three NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners ($7,500 each); two Wooden Citizenship Cup winners; four Big 12 Sportsmanship Award winners; one Big 12 Athlete of the Year, and one NCAA Inspiration Award winner.

Additionally, two former student-athletes have been inducted in the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame while others have been honored with OU Regents Award for their contributions to the university. Several Sooner athletic staff members also have received national awards as well in that time period.

"None of this would ever have been possible without the many incredible opportunities that I have been given by the University of Oklahoma, my alma mater and only “grown up” world employer I have ever had," Debbie said. "I truly am Sooner born and bred and it is because of that this award has become a reality for me.”

Congratulations on this remarkable honor, Debbie!  We're proud to call you a Sooner!

OUtstanding Alumni: Patrick Jones

Patrick Jones '96

Patrick Jones Joins Greensfelder’s Growing Chicago Office

Patrick has a J.D. from DePaul University College of Law and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Oklahoma. 

The law firm of Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C. is pleased to announce that Patrick M. Jones has joined the firm’s Creditors’ Rights & Bankruptcy Practice Group as an officer in the firm’s growing Chicago office.

The firm’s Chicago office has grown steadily over the last four years with the addition of lawyers and the expansion of service offerings and practice areas to enhance the firm’s Chicago presence and meet growing client needs. The office also relocated to new, larger office space in 2011 to accommodate the expansion.

“We are thrilled to have Patrick join our Chicago office to help us continue to enhance and expand the breadth and scope of our service offerings in the Chicago market,” said Chicago Managing Officer John R.F. Baer. “Patrick is a highly experienced attorney and a leader in the areas of bankruptcy and creditors’ rights and we know he will be an outstanding asset for our clients in this vital practice area.”

  

Patrick said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to join Greensfelder’s expanding Chicago office. I also look forward to working with the growing roster of attorneys in Chicago to provide our clients with the exemplary service that they expect from Greensfelder and to help them achieve their business goals.”

Patrick comes to Greensfelder from the Chicago office of SmithAmundsen LLC, where he was a partner. Previously he was a partner at an AmLaw 100 law firm and also acted as outside bankruptcy counsel for a national insurance company. As lead counsel, he has represented bankruptcy trustees and creditors’ committees cases involving multi-million dollar claims of fraud and breaches of fiduciary duties.

Patrick focuses his practice on corporate restructuring, creditors’ rights, and insolvency-related commercial litigation. He represents debtors, secured lenders, creditors’ committees, and individual creditors. In 2010, Mr. Jones advised a specialty bakery in its successful Chapter 11 reorganization, restructuring its debt and ownership structure, and significantly improving its profitability. He also has represented a commercial real estate developer in successful negotiations with multiple lenders, resulting in the orderly wind down of more than 50 projects in various stages of completion and profitability.

Congratulations on the advancement, Patrick!  We're proud to call you a Sooner!

OUtstanding Alumni: Mary Millben

Mary Millben, '06, as Nina in her most recent stage performance.

A native Oklahoman, Mary received her training at the University of Oklahoma--Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Weitzenhoffer Department of Musical Theater and a minor in political science. Also, while at OU, she served as president of the University of Oklahoma Student Association.

She is currently starring in 'S Wonderful Gershwin Tunes at Westchester Broadway Theatre through March 25th.  A review from Woman Around Town states, "Mary Millben has the unenviable task of singing the Porgy and Bess numbers. She can belt with the best of them, and as Nina, makes New Orleans in 1957 really sizzle. I’d also kill for the spangled dress she wears so well. The audience cheers after every song she sings."

Mary was a Helen Hayes Award nominee, a former White House intern and White House presidential appointee.  She has been a featured soloist at the White House, the Kennedy Center, and stages across the globe. A coloratura soprano, a concert violinist and semi-fluent in Mandarin, Mary has been a featured soloist for events hosted by and/or hosting President Barack Obama & the First Family, President George W. Bush & the First Family, the Honorable Queen Nor, Bill Cosby, Maya Angelou and others.

Last December, Mary was invited by the Office of the First Lady to sing for the White House Holiday Season as a featured soloist. Invited by NAACP Chairwoman Roslyn Brock, Mary was a featured, guest soloist for the 102nd NAACP National Convention in Los Angeles this past summer. In the summer of 2010, Mary starred in Sophisticated Ladies alongside Broadway legend Maurice Hines at the Lincoln Theatre in Washington D.C. In 2009, Mary was a guest soloist for the inauguration of The Honorable Barbara Lee (D-California) at the Congressional Black Caucus Ceremonial Swearing-In at the United States Capitol in Washington D.C., a chorister for the 2009 Obama Lincoln Memorial inaugural concert, and backup singer for the XLIII Super Bowl halftime show with Bruce Springsteen. She sang in the Barbra Streisand tribute at the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors and was a soloist in the 2008 National Symphony Orchestra Pops concert under the direction of the legendary film and Broadway composer Marvin Hamlisch.  Mary was invited by former First Lady Laura Bush as a guest soloist for the 2008 and 2009 White House Holiday Season.

Member of the Actor’s Equity Association and the Screen Actor’s Guild. Mary is represented by the prestigious New York agency Harden-Curtis Associates.

OUtstanding Alumni: Judge Robert E. Bacharach

Judge Robert E. Bacharach, OU Class of 1981

President Obama recently nominated OU alumnus Judge Robert E. Bacharach to the United States Court of Appeals.  

“I am proud to nominate Judge Robert E. Bacharach to serve on the United States Court of Appeals,” said President Obama.  “I am confident Judge Bacharach will serve the American people with integrity and distinction.”

Judge Bacharach has served as a United States Magistrate Judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma since 1999.  He is also a member of the Federal Bar Association, where he has served as a Tenth Circuit Vice President since 2007.

Judge Bacharach was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He received his B.A. in 1981 from the University of Oklahoma, graduating with high honors. He received his J.D. in 1985 from the Washington University School of Law, where he graduated Order of the Coif and served as an editor of the Washington University Law Quarterly.

Following graduation from law school, Judge Bacharach served for two years as a law clerk to the Honorable William J. Holloway, Jr., of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.  In 1987, Judge Bacharach joined the Oklahoma City law firm of Crowe & Dunlevy, P.C. as an associate, later becoming a shareholder in 1994. During his twelve years with the firm, Judge Bacharach focused his practice on commercial litigation, appearing frequently in state and federal courts.

Since becoming a United States Magistrate Judge in 1999, Judge Bacharach has handled nearly 3,000 civil and criminal matters.  He has presided over more than 400 judicial settlement conferences and has issued more than 1,600 reports and recommendations in cases involving habeas petitions, prisoner civil rights suits, social security appeals, and other civil matters. Judge Bacharach has also conducted a variety of pretrial proceedings, including hundreds of detention hearings, issued felony warrants, and presided over hundreds of misdemeanor proceedings. In addition to his judicial duties, Judge Bacharach has chaired several committees for the Western District of Oklahoma, including the Local Civil Rules Committee and the Criminal Justice Act Committee.

So many accomplishments!  Way to go, Judge Bacharach!  BOOMER SOONER!

OUtstanding Alumni: Sky Woodward

Sky Woodward

Sky Woodward, OU Class of 1989, Invited to Join Prestigious Organization for Maryland Women Business Leaders!

Womble Carlyle attorney Sky Woodward has been selected for membership in Network 2000, an invitation-only organization of Maryland business leaders whose mission is to promote the advancement of women to corporate board rooms and executive suites.  Its members include CEOs, judges, executive directors of non-profits, and successful entrepreneurs.  Network 2000’s dedication to women’s professional success includes an annual year-long mentoring program for women at middle management level and an annual philanthropy grants process targeted to making a difference in the lives of women and girls. To draw attention to the value of women in leadership positions, Network 2000 hosts the annual Women of Excellence luncheon, an event that draws 1,000-plus attendees.

Sky Woodward has applied her experience and skills in litigating high-profile environmental complaints against real estate clients to develop a litigation prevention model, which her clients describe as a valuable business asset.  She also represents real estate and financial service industry clients in consumer-based commercial litigation; manufacturing clients in mass tort product liability and toxic tort cases and emerging environmental matters; and other businesses in environmental, toxic tort, and commercial litigation matters. In 2009 and 2011, Woodward co-drafted amicus briefs for the U.S. Supreme Court related to landmark Second Amendment and climate change cases.

Woodward serves as Chair of the 2012 Annual Meeting of DRI, The Voice of the Defense Bar. She also is past president of Maryland Defense Counsel, Inc., the association of Maryland lawyers defending businesses in court.

Congratulations, Sky!  We're proud of your accomplishments and proud to call you a Sooner!

TEDxOU featuring OU's Kyle Harper

TEDxOU Registration, Stuart Lounge, OU Memorial Union

Today, OU is hosting TEDxOU in the Memorial Union.  There are over 350 people in attendance and I can say, with complete certainty, they are all excited to be here.  If you don't believe me, check the TEDxOU Twitter feed!  If you're not familiar with TEDx, don't fret!  Simply put, TEDx is a global series of conferences devoted to "ideas worth spreading."  The program is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level.  These events generally consist of a suite of short, carefully prepared talks, demonstrations and performances on a wide range of subjects to foster learning, inspiration and wonder -- and to provoke conversations that matter.

tedxou.com

Among the TEDxOU speakers is Kyle Harper, another OUtstanding University of Oklahoma alumnus!  He graduated from OU, summa cum laude, in May 2001 with a degree in Letters and then went to Harvard earning a master's degree and doctoral degree in History.  After that, he returned to OU as an assistant professor in the Department of Classics and Letters and was selected by President Boren as the Director of the Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage.  He has published numerous books, articles and chapters as well as book reviews, conference papers and presentations.  He's received many awards and fellowships and his academic service is unmatched.  He also speaks Italian, German, French, Arabic and of course, English.  Kyle is what we call a "big deal" around here!  And if that's not enough, he is a specialist on Roman history.  In fact, he and his wife have graciously agreed to go on the OU Alunni Sightseeing Sooner's "Portrait of Italy" trip in May.  His knowledge of the history will make this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our OU Alumni and friends!  For more information on this, and many other Sightseeing Sooner trips, click here.
 

tedxou.com

As I'm typing this, Kyle is speaking at TEDxOU.  Because of his education and expertise, he is able to provide thorough information on a wide variety of topics.  Before TEDxOU, Kyle told the OU Daily, “TED is an institution that is always on the cutting edge of technology, science and knowledge.  It’s an opportunity for me to represent not just OU, but to represent my department, my discipline.  We have the image of historians as people who sit in libraries and in some sense might seem like an unlikely candidate for a TED talk. The kind of history I do brings 21st century science to the study of the human past.”  Kyle’s doctoral dissertation, “Slavery in the late Roman Empire,” was published as a book in June, and his second book, titled “From Shame to Sin: Christianity and the Making of Western Sexuality,” is already under contract.  I think Billy Kulkin summed it up best with his "That was deep" tweet when Kyle concluded his TEDxOU speech.

Dr. Kyle Harper speaks at TEDxOU in Meacham Auditorium

 You rock, Kyle!  Way to represent OU and "astOUnd!"

OUtstanding Alumni: Megan Winkler

Way to go, Megan, the new Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma's Executive Director!

Megan Winkler

The Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma is pleased to announce Megan Winkler has been named executive director. Winkler will be assisting the organization with a number of tasks including event planning, fund raising, publicity/awareness, advocacy and general office management.

Winkler received her bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications with an emphasis in public relations and a minor in sociology from the University of Oklahoma in 2003. She graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2009 with a master’s degree in business administration.

Megan most recently served as the manager of business development and client services for GableGotwals law firm. She has previous non-profit experience with KISS Institute for Practical Robotics in Norman, Okla.

About the Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma

The Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma (DSACO) was established in January 2000 and is a 501(c)3 organization located in Oklahoma City. The organization’s mission is to raise awareness about Down syndrome in our community and provide resources for support and education to families of children with Down syndrome.