Author: GTD Group (Page 22 of 23)

Dr. Nathan Mellor
Air Date August 21, 2011

Dr. Nathan B. Mellor is the president of Strata Leadership, LLC, a leadership development and management company located in Edmond, Oklahoma. Strata Leadership, LLC provides practical leadership resources for corporations, schools and churches.

In addition to regular speaking engagements and training programs for Strata, Dr. Mellor’s primary areas of focus include the development of Character First!, a leadership model used by organizations and individuals throughout America and in 34 countries and management services for the Salt & Light Fellowship.

Dr. Mellor has a passion for leadership development, education and ministry.
He has provided training services for clients including: The California State University System, Chico County Courts, the Department of Energy, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers, Lexis-Nexus, Nationwide Insurance and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.

Mellor holds the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Master of Science in Education (MSE) degrees from Harding University, located in Searcy, Arkansas. He earned the Master of Dispute Resolution (MDR) degree from the Pepperdine University School of Law – Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution and the Doctor of Education (EDD) in Organizational Leadership degree from Pepperdine University located in Malibu, California.

He has completed continuing education courses through the Harvard School of Law Program on Negotiation and was named a Summer Fellow at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody Professional Institute for Higher Education Management in 2008.

Prior to his work with Strata Leadership, LLC, Mellor was a consultant with C. Richard Barnes and Associates, LLC and Strategic Resolutions Group, LLC. He has worked as an administrator for Pepperdine University (Assistant Director of the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution) and Harding University (Assistant Director of the Institute for Church and Family) and was a Pulpit Minister in Chattanooga, Tennessee for five years.

He currently is the Vice President for Community Engagement at Oklahoma Christian University (OC) and Assistant Professor of Leadership. While at OC, Dr. Mellor led programs such as the Four Star Debate program with General Tommy Franks and Peace Through Business Rwanda which have been highlighted on CNN Inside Africa, FOX News and numerous other news outlets. Prior to his work at OC, Dr. Mellor taught as an adjunct at the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine School of Law and at Baker College.

Nathan has consulted, trained and lectured throughout America and abroad. In pursuit of educational, humanitarian and religious interests he has studied/taught in: Australia, Belize, England, Guyana, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Russia and Rwanda.

Nathan and his wife Christie have two daughters, Annalise and Arden.

Jerry Simmons
Exec. Director, National Association of Royalty Owners
Air Date August 14, 2011

Jerry R. Simmons is currently the Executive Director of the National Association of Royalty Owners (NARO) headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Before joining NARO in January of 2006 he spent the previous seven years as President of EnergyTech Group, Inc. in Bartlesville, Oklahoma providing technical support services to the U.S.
Department of Energy’s Strategic Center for Natural Gas and Oil. Jerry was previously employed with TRW/BDM as Principal Environmental Engineer/Regulatory and Policy Analyst. He also served as Associate Executive Director of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.

Mr. Simmons served as Chairman of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Health Safety and Environment Technical Committee in 1993 and on the SPE Reprint Series Committee from 2003-2006. He is author of two SPE technical papers and numerous studies on state oil and gas environmental regulatory (RUFH).

Jerry holds a degree in Geology from the University of Oklahoma and has worked as an exploration and production geologist for Hamilton Brothers Oil Company, O.I.L. Energy, Texas Oil and Gas and BHP Americas.

U.S. Rep. James Lankford
Air Date September 11, 2011

James Lankford was first elected to the United States Congress on November 2, 2010. Before his election, James directed the Falls Creek Youth Camp from 1996 to 2009.  He also coordinated mission trips and community service trips in Belize, Malawi, England, Wales, and Germany, as well as many areas of Oklahoma.  James serves on the Budget, Transportation & Infrastructure, and Oversight & Government Reform committees, where he is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform.

While serving in Congress, James continues to work diligently studying each issue facing Congress and its impact on families in Oklahoma. He has earned the respect of his colleagues on budget issues.  James has also emerged as a leader in fighting government regulations that are suffocating business today. From EPA regulations on the energy industry to the negative impact of regulations on banks and financial institutions, Congressman Lankford is fighting for prosperity in Oklahoma and our nation. He is dedicated to freeing up business to grow and add jobs to our sagging economy.

James has been married to his wife Cindy for 19 years. Together, they have two daughters: Hannah (14) and Jordan (11).  He enjoys spending time with his family, sport shooting, and reading.

Bob Tippee
Editor, Oil & Gas Journal
Air Date July 31, 2011

Bob Tippee has been Editor of the Oil & Gas Journal, a weekly trade magazine, since January 1999. He has written on all aspects of the international petroleum industry, with special interest in economics, energy policy, seismic technology, and the Middle East. His editorials for the magazine have won awards from the American Business Press, New York Society of Business Press Editors, and Association of Petroleum Writers. He was Editor-in-Chief of the 1997-2001 editions of the annual International Petroleum Encyclopedia, an affiliate publication of Oil & Gas Journal.

Tippee is author of a book, Where’s the Shortage? A Nontechnical Guide to Petroleum Economics, and coauthor of The Natural Gas Industry: Evolution, Structure, and Economics, Second Edition. He also is coauthor and project editor of Gas and Power in the Developing World: A Systematic Look at Countries and Their Investment Needs.

Tippee joined the staff of Oil & Gas Journal in Tulsa in October 1977. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, he holds a degree in Journalism from the University of Tulsa and served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force for four years. Tippee and his wife and two daughters moved to Houston in 1990.

K.C. Clifford
Air Date July 24, 2011

K.C. Clifford is a three-time Woody Guthrie Award-winning folk singer-songwriter from Oklahoma City known for her powerful voice, stage presence and courageous lyrical style. Orchid, her fourth independently produced album, is scheduled for release on March 2.

Music has always been a guiding force in K.C.’s life, and her talent and love of performing on stage revealed itself at an early age. She was two when she first sang in public and composed her first song at age seven. Early musical influences included artists such as Paul Simon, Carole King, The Beach Boys and the popular bluegrass band Mountain Smoke, founded by her father in the late 1960s.

A life-long battle with weight loss and depression began with her first diet when she was eight, following a family crisis. K.C. was bulimic, and lived with the disease for 12 years before being diagnosed and hospitalized during her junior year at Indiana University, where she was training for a career in opera.

After a lengthy recovery, she refocused her life, transferred to Belmont University in Nashville – a school she says she found serendipitously – and completed a degree in vocal performance. She found her voice in folk music during this time, and wrote and released her first full-length album: Times Like These (2000) to critical acclaim.

As K.C.’s career continued to bloom with the release of her second album, Teeth-marks on my Tongue (2004), health threatening food issues resurfaced, this time in the form of overeating. By 2007 she had become morbidly obese, tipping the scales at 278 lbs. With the help of friends and family, she began a fight for her life.

Her story was the focus of a special segment on the NBC reality television show “The Biggest Loser” in March 2009. During the previous year she had lost more than 100 pounds, on her own, and wrote a powerful song about hunger for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma called “Raise Your Voice.” The experience has led to a series of performances at food banks across the country.

Overcoming personal demons has fueled a prolific 10-year career marked by a long list of awards and achievements, and a devoted fan base she treats more like extended family. K.C.’s family of fans financed Orchid by donating to her internet-based “Be My Record Label” campaign.

Those who have experienced one of K.C.’s live shows know this is where she shines brightest. Laying bare every bit of strength and insecurity, she sings the songs of her life with grace and ease – and a disarming smile – bringing audiences to laughter and tears often enough she has considered making handkerchiefs a permanent fixture at concerts.

“It is hard not to imagine every female singer currently promoted by Nashville begging to record them, but these are the kind of songs that are best brought forward by the person who wrote them. …this songwriter’s lyrical approach is direct and personal, and her melodies are instantly memorable, never falling into pattern or formula. It certainly doesn’t hurt that she has an extraordinary voice, but the songs themselves steal the show.” – George Lang, The Oklahoman.

Kurt Abraham
Vice President, Texas Alliance of Energy Producers
Air Date July 17, 2011

Kurt Abraham joined the Texas Alliance staff in July 2007 as Director of Professional Development.

Previously, he was Managing/International Editor for World Oil magazine at Gulf Publishing Co. (Houston), where he was responsible for daily oversight of editorial content. During more than 22 years at World Oil, he also headed the magazine’s statistical and forecasting efforts. His compilation of oil and gas reserve figures for countries around the world was re-published annually by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Abraham earned a B.A. in journalism and business administration from Texas A&M University in 1980. His journalistic background is extensive, having worked in all four major media—magazines, newspapers, radio and television. He has traveled extensively to most of the world’s major oil-producing regions, and also serves as an expert commentator on E&P geopolitics to several TV and radio stations in the U.S. and Canada.

He is a Past President (2006) and Regent of the Houston-based National Oil Equipment Manufacturers and Delegates Society (NOMADS) and is a member of the Supply & Demand Committee of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, and of the British-American Business Council.

Gray Frederickson
Air Date July 10, 2011

Academy Award-winning producer Gray Frederickson received an OSCAR for producing THE GODFATHER PART II and was nominated for an Academy Award for producing APOCALYPSE NOW. He also won an Emmy in 2007 for producing the documentary, DREAM NO LITTLE DREAM, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ROBERT S. KERR.

Frederickson has the honor of having three of his films listed on The American Film Institute’s top 100 films.

In 2000 he started a technical film and video program at the Oklahoma City Community College where he serves as An Artist in Residence; however, he also continues to produce movies. Recent movies produced by Frederickson have been CLOUD 9 starring Burt Reynolds, THE HUNT, a sci-fi horror film, SURVEILLANCE, a thriller starring Armand Assante, SOUL’S MIDNIGHT, a vampire tale, and FINGERPRINTS, a supernatural thriller which was based on a well known urban legend. Gray also produced the drama, IVORY, in 2008, about life in a music conservatory, starring Martin Landau. His most recent films are JUST CRAZY ENOUGH, a comedy starring SNL alum, Chris Kattan; and a documentary about Natural Gas called THE GRAND ENERGY TRANSITION.

Frederickson has also produced MY FIVE WIVES starring Rodney Dangerfield and Andrew Dice Clay and SOUTH OF HEAVEN, WEST OF HELL starring Dwight Yoakam, Vince Vaughn, Billy Bob Thornton, and Bridget Fonda. Frederickson was Executive Producer of HEAVEN’S PRISONERS, starring Alec Baldwin, which was released by New Line Cinema in May 1996.

A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Frederickson later attended the University of Lausanne, in Switzerland before moving to Rome, Italy. There he served as Production Manager and Producer on a variety of Italian films such as THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY starring Clint Eastwood, and CANDY, starring Marlon Brando and Richard Burton. Frederickson then moved to Hollywood where he was Associate Producer on LITTLE FAUSS AND BIG HALSY starring Robert Redford, and Twentieth Century Fox’s MAKING IT. He was also the Executive Producer of the Paramount Film HIT, directed by Sidney Furie.

Frederickson began a 20-year association with Francis Ford Coppola as the Associate Producer on the Academy Award-winning THE GODFATHER. He also produced ONE FROM THE HEART and THE OUTSIDERS while a part of Coppola’s famed Zoetrope Studios. He was Co-Producer on the Academy Award-nominated THE GODFATHER PART III. He also was Executive Producer of UHF starring Weird Al Yankovic, and was Executive Producer of LADYBUGS for Paramount, starring Rodney Dangerfield.

Frederickson has been Vice President in Charge of Feature Film Production at
Warner Brothers/Lorimar. He also wrote the original story for the Twentieth Century Fox film BAD GIRLS, directed by Jonathan Kaplan and starring Andie MacDowell, Drew Barrymore, and Madeline Stowe. For television, Frederickson has produced the ABC television pilot THUNDER GUYS; Mickey Spillane’s THE RETURN OF MIKE HAMMER, and the Columbia Television Series HOUSTON KNIGHTS. He also developed and Executive Produced STAYING AFLOAT, starring Larry Hagman, for Tri-Star Television and NBC.

Frederickson also has a part ownership in, and is Executive Vice President of, Cinema Management Group, an International Film Sales Organization based in Los Angeles.

Frederickson is an Executive Producer with Austin based, luzworks. He is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, The Academy of Television Art and Sciences, The Directors Guild of America, and the Screen Actors Guild.

Mary Eisenhower
President and Chief Executive Officer
Air Date July 3, 2011

Mary Jean Eisenhower, President and CEO of People to People International (PTPI), was born in Washington, D.C. during her grandfather, Dwight Eisenhower’s, first term as U.S. President. Her PTPI experiences have included everything from meeting first families to diverse cultural, educational and humanitarian exchanges at home and abroad. In 1999, she established PTPI’s International Friendship Fund, inspired by a visit to an orphanage in Morocco. The fund is a way to assist PTPI in global humanitarian efforts. Mary received an Honorary Doctorate in Letter of Humane from Schiller International University. She also was awarded the Knight of Peace Award from the International University in Assisi, Italy.