“Update on the City”
The son of postal worker and school teacher, Mick Cornett was born and raised in Oklahoma City. From an early age, his parents taught him the value of public service and encouraged him to keep the faith, work hard and dream big.
Today, Mayor Mick Cornett, the first four-term mayor in Oklahoma City history, is leading a thriving community that reflects the same principles his parents instilled in him.
He has been honored by various organizations and publications as the top Mayor in the state and nation – and an international panel selected Mayor Cornett as the second-best mayor in the world. Newsweek magazine called him one of the “five most innovative Mayors in the United States.” Governing named him “Public Official of the Year” in 2010. Politico placed him on the publication’s Politico 50 list of “thinkers, doers and visionaries transforming American politics in 2015.”
He currently serves as the President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
He famously put the entire city on a diet to raise awareness on the national issue of obesity. During his time in office, Oklahoma City has invested nearly $2 billion in schools and quality-of-life infrastructure through its innovative MAPS program. That investment generated nearly $6 billion in private sector investment. His leadership was instrumental in bringing the NBA to OKC.
He’s a popular international speaker on the topics of health and wellness, urban design, placemaking and walkable cities. Nearly 1.5 million people worldwide have viewed his TED TALK on those topics.
He produced, wrote and directed the award-winning documentary, “Oklahoma City: The Boom, The Bust and The Bomb,” which was released to critical acclaim in 2015 and is currently available online.
He earned a degree in journalism at the University of Oklahoma and an MBA from New York University.
He is married to Terri (Walker) Cornett and has three sons.
Nathaniel Harding has an extensive background in petroleum engineering, management and statistical modeling. He oversees engineering, operations, geo-science, financial analysis, planning, and partner relations. Nathaniel’s experience in unconventional drilling & completions led to his bringing horizontal development to Antioch’s predecessor, H&S, in 2010, drilling 20 wells in 3 years, and exiting for $120mm.
Nathaniel’s previous experience includes Encana, Occidental, Burlington Resources, and Marathon in unconventional plays of California, Colorado, West Texas and Wyoming in reservoir, drilling, completions and production engineering. Nathaniel developed a stochastic prospect analysis program and trained corporate A&D at EnCana. His experience includes field-level operations in multi-well pad drilling & completions, and developing drilling prognoses for wildcat fields. He has managed field asset teams with $10mm+ LOE budgets, and successfully designed and implemented cost & performance optimizing protocols. For his work in horizontal drilling & completions, and in statistical analysis, he has been published in SPE, Oil & Gas Monitor, and China Petroleum Exploration.
Nathaniel is a licensed Professional Engineer, and a University of Oklahoma cum laude graduate in mechanical engineering (BS) and Russian (BA), and an MBA from Oklahoma City University. He is a decorated Air Force captain, having served at NATO HQ in Afghanistan. In 2015 the Journal Record recognized Nathaniel as one of Oklahoma’s most admired CEOs. He is a board director for the OK Independent Petroleum Assoc, the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center, and Oklahoma Contemporary, among other business and community organizations.