3-14-23
Mark Thomas, EVP – Oklahoma Press Association: Sunshine Week & Freedom of Information
Mark Thomas is the Executive Vice-President of the Oklahoma Press Association, the trade association of Oklahoma’s 173 newspapers and online news organizations. He has been the Oklahoma Press director for 27 years but has worked for press associations since 1983.
In addition to Oklahoma Press Association, Thomas also is director of Oklahoma Press Service, the Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation, and the Oklahoma Press Legal Services Plan.
He has served on the board of the National Newspaper Association, is past president of the National Newspaper Association Managers, the Oklahoma Society of Association Executives, Freedom of Information Oklahoma, and a member of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
Mark worked as a staff member at Oklahoma Press in 1984-85 when the original open records act was enacted and has worked on many of the changes to the Act since that time. He is the registered lobbyist for the Oklahoma Press Association but also reports to several state and national journalism groups regarding open meetings and records law proposals and changes occurring in Oklahoma.
District 5750 Governor Deena Fisher
Deena K. Fisher currently serves as president of the Oklahoma Historical Society. Fisher is a dean/professor emeritus at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. She holds a doctorate in higher education administration from Oklahoma State University, and two masters’ in social science education and school counseling from Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
In 2006, she graduated from the Institute for Management and Leadership in Higher Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Fisher is an active member of the National Association of Branch Campus Administrators and serves as a mentor, coach, and guest lecturer.
She coauthored Woodward (Past and Present) (Arcadia Publishing, 2021) and an Oklahoma history textbook, Oklahoma: Land of Contrasts (Clairmont Press, 2006), writing all the teacher’s materials.
Among her many recognitions, she was inducted into the Journal Record’s Woman of the Year Circle of Excellence (2012) and received the Light of Rotary District Award in 2014–15. Currently, she serves as District Governor Nominee and will be District Governor in 2022–23. Fisher is a former board member and proud graduate of Leadership Oklahoma Class XXIV. In addition, she was named Woodward Citizen of the Year in 2009.
Fisher has served on several boards of civic organizations and currently serves on the Citizens Advisory Board for William S. Key, the Hope Center Food Bank, Plains Indian and Pioneer Museum, and Friends of Fort Supply. She also proudly serves on the boards of the Oklahoma Educators Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma African American Educators Hall of Fame.
She is married to Tom, a retired educator and administrator. They have four children and five grandchildren.
Chair of the Day
Oklahoma Watch executive director Ted Streuli was the editor of The Journal Record for 15 years and worked previously for Southern Newspapers and Westward Communications in Texas, and Lesher Communications in California.
He has appeared regularly on OETA, KOSU and KGOU and served as president of the Oklahoma Press Association and Freedom of Information Oklahoma.
He was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 2022.
Streuli’s awards include the Will Rogers Award for Humanitarianism from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, the Voice Award from the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, the Pilot Award from the Oklahoma Business Ethics Consortium and numerous writing and editing awards.
Fine lineup!