Category: Guests (Page 9 of 11)

Scott Booker
CEO of ACM at the University of Central Oklahoma
Manager of Flaming Lips
Air Date January 8, 2012

Scott Booker began his career in the music industry as a clerk at Sound Warehouse in Midwest City before moving on to manage the Rainbow Records chain in Oklahoma City while simultaneously attending Central State University, now known as the University of Central Oklahoma. Shortly after graduating from UCO with a degree in education, he met local band the Flaming Lips and in 1990 began as their manager. He created Hellfire Enterprises, Ltd, an artist management company and continues to work with the three-time Grammy Award winning Flaming Lips today. Scott has also worked with Academy Award nominee Elliott Smith and other acts like Wheat and Mercury Prize nominees British Sea Power. In 2003 Scott co-founded World’s Fair Label Group – a service company that runs independent record labels and artist-owned labels for artists to self-release their own music. Recently he sold his ownership in World’s Fair to focus on launching and growing the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Nancy Huff
President of Teach the Children
Air Date January 1, 2012

Nancy Huff is former teacher in public and private schools for thirteen years. She has a B. S. in Mathematics and a Masters degree in English as a Second Language. She is also the Founder and President of Teach the Children International (TCI), a nonprofit organization that reaches out to children at risk in the United States and abroad.

Through TCI Nancy has coordinated shipments of over 30 sea-containers of humanitarian aid in the form of medical supplies, school supplies, childrens gifts and food for refugees. TCI has sponsored refugee programs for the Kosovar in Macedonia and Albania, the Sudanese in Egypt and Sudan, and the Sahrawi in Algeria.

She is the co-author of Praying for Teens, Children, and Young Adults in the 10/40 Window. She has also written, Scriptural Prayers for Schools; Leaving Magnolia; The Painted Camel; Teaching Children to Minister and was a contributor for the book Ministry to Children with HIV/AIDS.

She has also written articles for numerous magazines including: “Charisma”; “World Christian”; “Viva Reaching Children”; “National Drama Service”; “World Pulse”; “Evangelizing Today’s Child”; “Leader in the Church School Today”; “Hope for Children in Crises”; and “Christian Reader Magazine.”

Nancy has extensive contacts in Washington, DC where she volunteers for the Presidential Prayer Breakfast and brings in prayer groups to pray for the United States.

Nancy and her husband, Keith, have been married for 36 years. They have two adult children.

Michael Ming
Oklahoma Secretary of Energy under Governor of Oklahoma Mary Fallin
Air Date December 18, 2012

C. Michael Ming currently serves as the Oklahoma Secretary of Energy, appointed by Governor Mary Fallin in January, 2011. He formerly served as the President of the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America, RPSEA, and as an independent natural gas producer as a Managing Member and principal of K. Stewart Energy Group and K. Stewart Petroleum Corp. He holds a BS degree with distinction in Petroleum Engineering and an MS degree in Engineering Management, both from Stanford University, and is a Registered Professional Engineer in Oklahoma. Mr. Ming is an emeritus member and past Chairman of the Petroleum Investments Committee at Stanford University.

He is actively involved in the University’s energy programs and co-sponsored the MAP/Ming Visiting Professorship on Energy and the Environment. He currently serves on advisory boards for the Stanford School of Earth Sciences, the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas, and MAP. He formerly served on the MIT Future of Natural Gas Study, the Oklahoma Clean Energy Independence Commission, as an adjunct professor in Energy Management at the University of Oklahoma, and as an oil & gas strategic planning advisor to the Department of Energy.

Jim Jones
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico.
Air Date December 11, 2011

James R. Jones served as the US Ambassador to Mexico from 1993-1997. He had been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the American Stock Exchange since 1989. Presently, he is the Chief Executive Officer of Manatt/Jones Global Strategies in Washington.

He began his career in 1961 as a legislative assistant to Congressman Ed Edmondson (D-Okla.). Ambassador Jones was a Deputy Special Assistant and Appointments Secretary to President Johnson (1965-1969). He practiced law and worked as a business development consultant in Tulsa (1969-1973). Mr. Jones was a member of Congress from Oklahoma (1973-1987). He was Chairman of the House Budget Committee (1981-1985); the Ways and Means Social Security subcommittee (1985-1987); and the US-Japan trade task force (1977-1980). Mr. Jones also served as a member of the Ways and Means Committee (1975-1987), and Deputy Majority Whip (1975-1977).

He was a partner in the Washington law firm of Dickstein, Shapiro & Morin (1987-1989). Ambassador Jones also was Chairman of the American Business Conference and a Director of several organizations, including the American Red Cross, Regional Plan Association, Overseas Development Council, Maxwell School at Syracuse University, the New American Schools Development Corporation, Committee for a Responsible Budget, US-Japan Leadership Council, the Japan Society, Committee for Economic Development, the American Council for Capital Formation, Bryce Harlow Foundation and Albert Northeast.

Ambassador Jones is Chairman of Meridian International Center and National Chairman of the World Affairs Councils of America, and he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He received his Bachelorýs degree from the University of Oklahoma and a law degree from Georgetown. Ambassador Jones was an Army captain from 1964-1966. He has written articles on trade and economic issues in The New York Times, The Washington Post and other publications.

Jim Halsey
Artist Manager and Agent
Air Date December 4, 2011

Jim Halsey’s career spans over 60 active years as artist manager, agent and impresario, discovering and/or guiding the careers of such illustrious personalities as Roy Clark, The Oak Ridge Boys, Waylon Jennings, Reba McEntire, Minnie Pearl, Clint Black, Tammy Wynette, Mel Tillis, Merle Haggard, Dwight Yoakum, The Judds, Lee Greenwood, Hank Thompson and many others. This year, he celebrates 36 years as the personal manager for The Oak Ridge Boys who continue to sellout and perform 160 dates a year.

Jim Halsey’s eclectic tastes have also enabled him to represent such diverse artists as Woody Herman and his Thundering Herd, James Brown, Roy Orbison, Rick Nelson, The Righteous Brothers, Leon Russell, The Glenn Miller Orchestra and others.

Jim Halsey has organized and presented country music performances all over the world, in many places, for the first time. His 1976 tour, presenting Roy Clark and The Oak Ridge Boys in the Soviet Union won praise both culturally and in diplomatic circles. Roy Clark’s successful return tour of the USSR in 1988 was the subject of an award-winning television documentary. The efforts of Jim Halsey have expanded the horizons of country music into Europe and Asia, while maintaining one of the most highly skilled and motivated booking and management companies in the world. The booking agency division of The Jim Halsey Company, Inc., was sold to the William Morris Agency in 1990 where he remained a consultant for several years.

Jim Halsey’s focus the past few years has been directed toward education. From 1995-1999 Halsey created and served as director of the award-winning Music and Entertainment Business Program at Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Additionally, Halsey is a Visiting Professor at HED Music College in Yehud, Israel. He is currently focused on The Halsey Learning Center of Music & Entertainment Business, a online internet school.

Halsey lectures and teaches extensively at colleges and universities around the world. Halsey’s expertise encompasses more than just successful talent management and booking. His business acumen and experience include broadcasting (he has owned several radio stations), owning and running a record label, banking (he has served on the Board of Directors of three banks), ranching, real estate operations, and investments. He is also a successful music publisher. Halsey’s forte’ is sales and marketing.

His popular seminar series, “How To Make It In The Music Business” is filled with much needed information on the music business/song marketplace. Explained are the important functions of managers, agents, record companies, press and PR, producers, specialized music/entertainment attorneys, music publishers, promoters, performing rights organizations, copyright protection, and other components that make up the “star team.” Halsey reveals the best way for the new, hopeful artists to be discovered.

An avid interest in the arts is shared by Jim and his wife, Minisa Crumbo. Together, they have created an extensive collection of American Indian Art. Crumbo is recognized as one of the leading American Indian Artists. She has exhibited her works worldwide.

Halsey has served on the following Boards of Directors: The Country Music Association (CMA), The Academy of Country Music (ACM), National Academy of Arts and Sciences (Austin Chapter), Mercantile Bank and Trust, Tulsa, Citizens National Bank, Independence, KS, Farmers & Merchants Bank, Mound City, KS, Tulsa Philharmonic, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Philbrook Art Museum, Thomas Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, the U.S. Committee for UNICEF, MEIEA (Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Assoc.) and the Gilcrease Museum of Art.

He is listed in the “Who’s Who in the World,” “Who’s Who in America,” “Who’s Who in the Entertainment Business,” “Who’s Who in the Southwest,” “Who’s Who in Business and Finance,” and the “International Directory of Distinguished Leadership.”

Jim Halsey was elected in 1984 as President of FIDOF (International Federation of Festival Organizations). Upon completion of eight years of the presidency, he was elected President of Honour. This UNESCO organization has a membership of 360 major music festivals in 187 countries. Mr. Halsey brought a vision of global peace and harmony within the scope of the international festival arena.

JIM HALSEY
Awards, Achievements, & Citations
1999 – Medal of Honor – Cherokee Honor Society. Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
1998 – Governor’s Award in Arts & Education – Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
1997 – Lifetime Achievement Award – International Entertainment Buyers Association (IEBA). Nashville, Tennessee
1992 – Degree – Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa, Baker University. Baldwin City, Kansas
1990 – Merged booking agency division with the William Morris Agency
1989 Medallion – Committee for Artists – Deutsche Democratic Republic
1989 Medallion – Festival of Bregenz – Bregenz, Austria
1989 Citation – Kumamoto Prefectural Government; Japan Mokihiro Hosokawa, Governor
1988 Distinguished Service Award – International Theatrical Agents Association
1987 Billboard Magazine “Salutes” The Jim Halsey Company with a special 52 page supplement
1987 The Frederic Chopin Medal presented by PAGART (The Polish Artists Bureau) for his continuous efforts toward p
1986 Governor’s Medal of Merit from the Kansas Commission for the 125th Anniversary
1986 Commendation for Outstanding Leadership in Promoting World Peace and Harmony Through the Medium of Visual and Performing Arts from the Mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley
1985 Founding President’s Award from the Country Music Association
1984 International Federation of Festival Organizations (FIDOF) Diploma as promoter of the Neewollah Festival for Promoting Peace and Friendship through Music and Art
1982 Distinguished Leadership Award given by Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas
1982 The Hubert Long Award at the Wembley International Festival in London, England
1982 Named one of Esquire Magazine’s Country Music Heavy 100
1982 The FIDOF Oscar, presented in Cannes, France during the world wide MIDEM convention by the International Federation of Festival Organizations (FIDOF), Augusto Alguero, Spain, President
1982 Recipient of citation at the Golden Orpheus Festival in Sunny Beach, Bulgaria
1981-85 Member, Kansas Film Commission
1980 Recipient of International Ambassador of Country Music Award for SESAC
1980 Recipient of Outstanding Artistic Achievement in Booking Award from Cashbox Magazine
1980 Recipient of Distinguished Kansan Award from Topeka Capitol – Journal editorial board
1978 Recipient of the Cashbox Magazine “Manager of The Year” Award
1978 Recipient of the International Ambassador of Country Music Award for SESAC
1977 Recipient of the Jim Reeves Memorial Award by the Academy of Country Music
1958 Co-Founded the New Neewollah Festival. Independence, Kansas (to become Kansas’ largest annual festival)
1957 Recipient of the Distinguished Service Award by the Junior Chamber of Commerce. Independence, Kansas

Jim Halsey is co-creator of the Billboard Magazine Song Contest which is entering it’s 19th year, and is co-sponsored by Sonicbids, Disc Makers, Epiphone, Digidesign, Elixir Strings, TAXI, Indie Band Manager and BluBlocker Sunglasses. This annual contest awards cash and merchandise for the best new amateur songs in several categories of music: Pop, Rock, Country, Gospel, Latin, World, Jazz, and R&B/Rap.

In May of 1992, Halsey was honored by Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas, with the degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa.In June 1997 Jim Halsey received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the International Entertainment Buyers Association (IEBA).

In May of 1999 The Cherokee Honor Society presented Jim Halsey with their prestigious “Medal of Honor” during ceremonies at the Cherokee National Capitol in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. In 2000, he was inducted into The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and received the “Kansas Impresario Award” from the Kansas Federation of Music Clubs in 2005.

Halsey currently serves on the Boards of Directors for: The National Music Council, International Federation of Festival Organizations (FIDOF/UNESCO), Tulsa Ballet Theater, the Business Circle For Arts Education in Oklahoma, Advisory Council MENC (Music Educators National Conference), Oklahoma Music Hall Of Fame, Advisory Board Oklahoma Jazz Hall Of Fame and the Advisory Board National Institute of Entertainment & Media Law (Southwest University School of Law) in Los Angeles, California.

Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating presented Impresario Jim Halsey with The Governor’s Arts Award for Arts and Education for his Music and Entertainment Business Program at Oklahoma City University. Betty Price, Executive Director of The Oklahoma Arts Council assisted in the presentation.

Randy Eminger
Vice President for the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity
Air Date November 27, 2011

Randy is vice president for the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization, dedicated to promoting advanced coal-based electricity for the future. Randy joined the CEED (ACCCE) staff in 1995, and is responsible for coordinating ACCCE’s efforts in the diverse 11-state south region. Among his position’s responsibilities, Randy oversees studies, develops coalitions and negotiates positions to ensure that clean coal technology continues to play a key role in meeting America’s growing demand for electricity.

In addition to his duties as south region VP, he also serves as vice chairman of the board of the Clean Coal Technology Foundation of Texas; serves on the utility advisory board for the Southern States Energy Board and the policy advisory board of the energy council; and is a board member of the International Society of Energy Advocates.

Prior to ACCCE, Randy coordinated state affairs for the Southwestern Public Service Company, an investor-owned electric utility that serves parts of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing. And, he acquired professional training in leadership and organizational management from MIT and Darden.

Dr. Bradley Thompson
Executive Director, BB&T Research Professor, Huron Consulting Scholar at Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism
Air Date November 20, 2011

C. Bradley Thompson is the BB&T Research Professor at Clemson University and the Executive Director of the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism. He has also been a visiting fellow at Princeton and Harvard universities and at the University of London.

Professor Thompson is the author of the prize-winning book John Adams and the Spirit of Liberty. He has also edited The Revolutionary Writings of John Adams, Antislavery Political Writings, 1833-1860: A Reader and was an associate editor of the four-volume Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment. His current book project is on “The Ideological Origins of American Constitutionalism.”

Dr. Thompson is also an occasional writer for The Times Literary Supplement of London. He has lectured around the country on education reform and the American Revolution, and his op-ed essays have appeared in scores of newspapers around the country and abroad. Dr. Thompson’s lectures on the political thought of John Adams have twice appeared on C-SPAN television.

Ron Hart
Humorist, CNN Commentator, and National Columnist
Air Date November 13, 2011

Ron Hart grew up in Tennessee and began writing a column for his hometown paper in 2002. He attended The University of Memphis and the Institute for Political and Economic Systems at Georgetown University. Ron graduated Magna Cum Laude and was elected student government president. Upon getting his MBA, he went to work for Goldman Sachs. He was appointed to the Tennessee Board of Regents by then Governor Lamar Alexander and is now an investor.

Ron’s book There’s No Such Thing As A Pretty Good Alligator Wrestler was awarded the 2011 Benjamin Franklin Award for Humor/Satire, presented in New York City by the Independent Book Publishers Association. He appears on CNN and has been quoted in numerous publications including the Wall Street Journal. Ron and his wife Jackie have three college aged children, the oldest of whom is currently in medical school at the University of Tennessee.

Ron’s columns reflect a rare combination of Southern libertarian views and humor and have been described as “Lewis Grizzard meets P.J. O’Rourke with a dash of Will Roger’s horse sense”. His columns are carried by 40 newspapers with a total weekly circulation of approximately 1 million readers. Ron can be reached at: ron@ronaldhart.com or RJH1010@gmail.com.

Dr. William Ruger
Research Fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at Cato Institute
Air Date November 6, 2011

William Ruger, research fellow in foreign policy studies, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Texas State University. Ruger is an expert on international relations, U.S. foreign policy, and civil-military relations. He is a veteran of the Afghanistan War.

Ruger is the co-author of Freedom in the 50 States and the book review editor for Armed Forces and Society. Before joining Texas State, Ruger was a Fellow at Liberty Fund and also taught at Wesleyan University and Brigham Young University. He earned his Ph.D. in Politics from Brandeis University and an A.B. from the College of William and Mary.