The Flash Point Duo, through their unique form of “Info-tainment,” will inform, entertain and inspire (political involvement). Don’t miss this election year Rotary Town Hall Meeting. Listen, learn and lead!
Michael C. Turpen was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, educated in Tulsa Public Schools, and graduated from the University of Tulsa earning a Bachelor of Science degree in History and a Juris Doctor degree. In 1982 Mr. Turpen was elected Attorney General for the state of Oklahoma. He served as Muskogee County District Attorney from 1977 to 1982. Since 1987, Mr. Turpen has been a partner in the law firm of Riggs, Abney, Neal, Turpen, Orbison & Lewis in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
While no longer serving in public office, Mr. Turpen remains politically active. He appears weekly on Oklahoma City NBC affiliate KFOR’s award-winning public affairs show, “Flashpoint with Turpen & Humphreys.” He appeared twice on ABC’s “Politically Incorrect” with Bill Maher and was featured on PBS’s national documentary, “Vote for Me: Politics in America.” He had a long-running monthly column, “Turpen Time,” for the OPEA monthly newspaper and was a featured columnist for Microsoft’s internet magazine, Slate. Mr. Turpen is a nationally sought after public speaker, having keynoted conferences of the National Association of Attorneys General, the Fourth Federal Judicial Circuit, and the National Family and Juvenile Judges’ Association.
Mr. Turpen has received numerous awards, honors and appointments. In 2012, Mike received the Louise Bennett Distinguished Service Award. In 2010, Mike was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, the state’s highest honor. In 2008, Mike received the Oklahoma Arts Council Governor’s Award for Community Service; Treasures for Tomorrow Award from the Oklahoma Health Center Foundation; and the Urban Pioneer Award from the Plaza District Association. In 2007, Mike received the Oklahoma Bar Association’s William Paul Distinguished Service Award; recognition from the Clinton Global Initiative for his work with Burns Hargis for Legal Aid of Oklahoma; the Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Oklahoma Chapter; and the John F. Kennedy Award for Community Service, given by the Oklahoma City Knights of Columbus. In 2006, Mike received the John Kirkpatrick Award from Lyric Theatre for his leadership in chairing their successful $10 million capital campaign. In 2004, the courtroom at the University of Tulsa College of Law was named the Price-Turpen Courtroom to honor Mike’s service to his alma mater. In 2004, Mike also received the National Association of Attorneys General Francis X. Bellotti Award for outstanding service to the association. In 2003 Mike served as Honorary Chairman of the Urban League of Oklahoma City. In 2002, he established the Melvin C. Hall Leadership Scholarship at Langston University. In 2000, he was named Outstanding Alumnus for the University of Tulsa. He was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the President’s Advisory Council on the Arts at the Kennedy Center in 1992. In 1986, Mike was the recipient of the National Foundation for the Improvement of Justice Award and was honored by the National Organization for Victim Assistance as one of Ten Outstanding National Leaders in the Field of Victim Rights over the past decade. Mr. Turpen was listed in Esquire Magazine’s 1985 Register: Men and Women Under Forty Who are Changing the Nation. In 1980, he was the winner of the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Maurice Merrill Golden Quill Award for outstanding contributions to the Oklahoma Bar Journal. In 1979, Mr. Turpen was named Outstanding Young Man by the Muskogee Jaycees and Outstanding Young Oklahoman by the Oklahoma Jaycees. In 1975, he was selected by the Oklahoma Bar Association as Oklahoma’s Outstanding Young Lawyer.
Mike’s interests are many and varied. He is President of the Lyric Theatre Board of Directors, and on the boards of The Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, Oklahoma State Fair Board, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and Allied Arts. He is a member of the Oklahoma Academy of State Goals, Rotary Club, Oklahoma Business Roundtable, The Economic Club of Oklahoma, Advisory Board for The University of Tulsa College of Law, and The Creativity Project. Mike has served as President and board member of the CARE Center, OKC. He is the founder of The Young Men’s Poetry Club. Mike argued before the United States Supreme Court in 1985. He served as President of the Oklahoma District Attorneys Association, Vice President of the National Organization of Victim Assistance (NOVA), and Vice Chairman of Oklahoma’s Crime Commission. Mr. Turpen is a member of the American, Oklahoma, Tulsa County and Oklahoma County Bar Associations, as well as being a Founding Fellow of the Oklahoma Bar Foundation and a faculty member of the National College of District Attorneys. Mr. Turpen is married to wife, Susan, and has three children, Sean, Patrick and Sarah. He is a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City where he is currently active as a teacher for the confirmation class and on the WPC Foundation Board of Directors.
Kirk Humphreys is chairman of The Humphreys Company, a real estate development and investment firm based in Oklahoma City.
Kirk served as Mayor of Oklahoma City from 1998 through 2003. He is a director of OGE Energy Corp., a member of the Board of Regents of The University of Oklahoma and board chair of John Rex Charter Elementary School. He is co-host of Flash Point, a weekly televised commentary and debate on issues of local and national interest.
Kirk and his wife, Danna, have been married for 44 years and have 3 children and 11 grandchildren.