Dr. Laura Garrett has Doctorate of Education in Family Studies and Child Development from Oklahoma State University with a Graduate Certificate in Gerontology. She holds a Master of Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelors in Consumer Affairs with a Secondary Major in Gerontology from Kansas State University. She currently serves as the Director of Resident Life at Epworth Villa Retirement Community.
She has taught at the college level in the areas of psychology, sociology and human development for over 25 years and will began serving as an adjunct instructor in the fall for the Sociology Department at the University of Central Oklahoma. Dr. Garrett’s sister Elizabeth was the first female president of Cornell University at the time of her death. Dr. Garrett currently serves on the boards of the Putnam City Foundation and the Payne Education Center. She has two children, her daughter Sarah is a senior agriculture major at Cornell University and her son Rob will be a senior at Kingfisher High School.
In his role as CEO/President of the Brooks Group, Steven Brooks brings over 16 years of experience gained working in both the corporate and non-profit worlds, utilizing a wide variety of practical industry experience in the work that he performs for The Brooks Group. Before founding The Brooks Group, Mr. Brooks was the Associate Director & Legal Counsel for the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), where he worked with the organization’s national and regional officers on a variety of matters and issues, including contract negotiations and operational issues of the organization. Before his time at ACDA, Mr. Brooks worked both as a Business Analyst and Corporate Attorney for Kaneb Services (now Furmanite Corporation) where he was involved in a wide variety of projects, primarily in the areas of corporate development, mergers, and acquisitions. During his tenure at Kaneb/Furmanite, Mr. Brooks was deeply involved in corporate acquisitions, research, industry analysis, and internal growth initiatives, including the acquisitions of companies such as Ellsworth Associates, Double Eagle Communications and Cabling, and Nybor. Mr. Brooks worked directly with members of the Kaneb/Furmanite Board of Directors and with the presidents and officers of the company’s operating divisions on a variety of internal development initiatives including strategic business plan development, strategic alliance initiatives, and numerous other internal and external development projects.
Mr. Brooks’ extensive industry experience is coupled with a broad education grounded in the areas of business and law. Mr. Brooks received both a Bachelor of Business Administration and Juris Doctor from The University of Oklahoma, and an International Master of Business Administration from The University of South Carolina. Mr. Brooks is also a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA).
Mr. Brooks is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar Association, the Oklahoma County Bar Association, The Rotary Club of Oklahoma City, the Board of Advisors of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, and Leadership Oklahoma City.