Who We Are

Who We
Are

Our History

Read about our organization’s journey since its foundation in 1984.

Board of Directors

  • Chair

    R. Brent Hensley
    KOCO
  • Vice Chair

    Cristina F. McQuistion
    OGE Energy Corp.
  • Treasurer

    Charles K. Holland
    BancFirst
  • Secretary, PRESIDENT & CEO

    Mary Mélon-Tully
  • Chair-Elect

    Tana Cashion
    Devon Energy Corp.
  • BOARD OF
    DIRECTORS
  • ADVISORY
    BOARD
  • EX-officio
    Members
  • Foundation
    Staff
  • Christine Berney

    OKC Thunder
  • Stephen Butler

    Fund for Teachers
  • Bryan Coleman

    PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP
  • Jason Constable

    AT&T
  • Wayland Cubit

    Oklahoma City Public Schools
  • Rafael Garcia

    American Fidelity
  • Kevin Gordon

    Crowe & Dunlevy
  • AJ Griffin

    Potts Family Foundation
  • Brenda Hernandez

    Tango Public Relations
  • Mark McCoy

    Bank of Oklahoma Financial
  • Cathy O’Connor

    Coalign Group
  • Todd Pauley

    Boeing
  • Claudia San Pedro

    Sonic Drive-In
  • Ashley Perkins

    Cox Business
  • Sarah J. Roberts

    Inasmuch Foundation
  • Jabar Shumate

    Urban League of Greater OKC, Inc.
  • Jeremiah Buettner

    McAfee Taft
  • Tom Cassidy

    INTEGRIS Health
  • Valerie K. Couch

    Oklahoma City University School of Law
  • Frank Franzese

    Frank Franzese & Company
  • McKenzie Hodge

    Wheeler Middle School
  • Marlon James

    Tinker Air Force Base
  • Brook Johnson

    BOK Financial
  • James Johnson

    Retired
  • David Kimmel

    Pratt & Whitney
  • Justin Lawrence

    Oklahoma Shirt Company
  • Tim McLaughlin

    Fields and Futures; Square Deal Capital
  • Jenny Love Meyer

    Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores
  • Tony N. Shinn

    Bank of America
  • Nathan Shirley

    Compellier
  • Samuel Kent Sparks

    PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
  • Glenna Tanenbaum

    Gardner Tanenbaum Holdings
  • Tommy Thompson

    4 Feathers Consulting Inc.
  • Valerie Thompson

    Urban League of Greater OKC Inc.
  • C. Miles Tolbert

    Project Canary
  • Brooke Townsend

    Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma
  • Gary E. Tredway

    American Fidelity
  • Dr. Subha Varahan

    The Oklahoma Heart Hospital
  • Johnny Whitfield Jr.

    OGE Energy Corp.
  • Drew Dugan

    Oklahoma City Chamber
  • Mayor David F. Holt

    City of OKC Mayor; Hall Capital Investments
  • Paula Lewis

    Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education
  • Dr. Sean McDaniel

    Oklahoma City Public Schools

Meet Our Team

  • Mary Mélon-Tully
    PRESIDENT & CEO

    Mary Mélon-Tully

    PRESIDENT & CEO

    Mary Mélon-Tully was named president and CEO of the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation in Sept. 2014 after a 20+ year career leading a business publication, with local and national responsibilities. She, along with board members, district leaders and partners, spearheaded the development and implementation of the Teacher Pipeline Programs. Under her leadership, both the Bilingual and Diversity Teacher Pipeline programs have also joined New America’s national Grow Your Own Network which looks at ways to support community development efforts to improve and diversify the educator workforce. She received a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and serves on the board of directors of the National Schools Foundation and received their Certified Leader designation. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for Oklahoma City/County Health Department where she serves as vice-chair, and the Regional Transit Authority where she serves as secretary and chair of the Outreach Committee. 

  • Newt Brown
    DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND OPERATIONS

    Newt Brown

    DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND OPERATIONS

    Newt Brown currently serves as the Director of Finance & Operations for the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation and has been with The Foundation since 2011 when he was hired as Accounting Manager.  In this role at The Foundation Newt performs, coordinates or oversees all duties related to HR, payroll, accounting and IT.  Newt is a native of Norman, OK where he graduated from Norman High School and attended the University of Oklahoma obtaining a B.M.E in Vocal Music Education, magna cum laude.

    He began his career in the private sector working in restaurant management, customer service, accounting & HR and after approximately 10 years transitioned to the non-profit sector in 2010.  When not at The Foundation, Newt enjoys singing, travel, cooking/entertaining and spending time with family and friends.  He shares his home with two ornery cats, Erwin & Cody, which adopted him and mostly keep him out of trouble. 

  • Abbie Vaughan
    DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH

    Abbie Vaughan

    DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH

    Abbie Vaughan serves on the team at the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation as the Director of Community Outreach. In this role, she coordinates efforts to plan all Foundation events, manages the ReadOKC initiative, and works to foster new and existing community partnerships to support OKCPS. Abbie is a native Oklahoman and a product of Oklahoma City Public Schools, a graduate of the International Baccalaureate program at Classen School of Advanced Studies.

    She has worked in the non-profit sector since graduating from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2014. She graduated from UCO with dual degrees in Outdoor and Community Recreation and Exercise/Fitness Management. Outside of work, you’ll find her cooking and hosting parties for friends and family, practicing yoga, and spending time with her husband Clay and their Bernese Mountain Dog, Norah.

  • Alison Taylor
    ReadOKC On the Go! Program Coordinator

    Alison Taylor

    ReadOKC On the Go! Program Coordinator

    Alison serves as the Program Manager for ReadOKC On the Go! – Our rolling library is an ADA compliant school bus and carries over 3,000 books for students ages Pre-K to High School. Following a 40 year career in the financial services industry, Alison retired and became the first volunteer for the ReadOKC program helping it grow from a vision to a reality! Her initial involvement in ReadOKC was driven by her passion for literacy and her desire to bring the wonder and excitement of books to every child. In 2020, the opportunity to develop and manage the ReadOKC On the Go! Book Bus program was the natural next step. This role includes overseeing the bus retrofitting, grant writing, management of the book center, and effective teaming with the OKCPS schools. Her past leadership positions in both her professional career and the Oklahoma City non-profit sector were critical. A past recipient of the Journal Record Woman of the Year, Alison has previously served on the boards of Integris Baptist Medical Center, Allied Arts,  Leadership Oklahoma City (Class V), Westminster Presbyterian Church Foundation, and as president of the Center for Non-Profits. Her fall calendar is dedicated to following her alma mater – OU football – home and away! The rest of year she enjoys travel, three book clubs, and sharing time with her two grandchildren.

  • Mia Rojo
    Pipeline Programs Manager

    Mia Rojo

    Pipeline Programs Manager

    Mia Rojo serves on the team at the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation as the Pipelines Program Manager. In this role, she serves as manager/liaison/coordinator of all faces of the Bilingual and Diversity Teacher Pipeline programs, High School to Teacher Pipeline Program and the Bilingual and Diversity Aspiring Administrator Pipeline Programs.  Mia is a native of Mexico City but has been living in the United States since high school and a graduate of the University of Oklahoma.

    Upon completing her Master’s degree in Adult and Higher Education she found that her passion is education and wants to help first generation students and adults achieve their educational goals. Outside of work, you will find her reading, crafting and organizing her schedule based on the activities of her teenager, and spending time with family and their Pomeranian dog, Becker. 

  • Karrie Reiswig
    Finance and Operations Specialist

    Karrie Reiswig

    Finance and Operations Specialist

    Karrie Reiswig serves as the Finance and Operations Specialist for the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation. She joined the team in August of 2022. In this role at the Foundation, Karrie supports the Director of Finance and Operations with bookkeeping and other projects. Karrie is a native of Oklahoma where she raised two awesome children.

    She comes to the Foundation after 20 years spent in quick service restaurant management roles, with the last 11 served at Chick-fil-A as the Director of Drive-Thru Operations. There, she polished her skills in systems creation, customer service, and creative problem-solving, which she looks forward to using in new ways to support the Foundation’s mission. Outside of work, Karrie can be found trying out new recipes with her son, Face-timing with her daughter at school, or reading the kind of mystery/thriller book that you just have to finish in one night.

  • Rachel Davis
    Community Outreach and Communications Manager

    Rachel Davis

    Community Outreach and Communications Manager

    Rachel Davis serves as the Community Outreach and Communications Manager for the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation. In this role, she provides administrative support to the Director of Community Outreach and ReadOKC On the Go! Program Coordinator in their efforts to plan Foundation Events, develop community partnerships, and make reading materials readily accessible to children in Oklahoma City Public Schools. She is also responsible for overseeing communications material for the organization.

    Rachel was born and raised in Oklahoma, graduating from Duncan High School, then earning her bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Oklahoma State University in 2014, and a bachelor’s in Fine Art from the University of Oklahoma in 2020. Rachel has experience working in the non-profit sector since 2020, and is proud to be returning to Oklahoma to serve the Oklahoma City community.  Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, going on walks, and starting new art projects.

YP4Kids Board

Board Chair
Tom Cassidy, INTEGRIS
Board Chair-Elect
Brooke Johnson, BOK Financial
Membership Chair
Lauren Doyle, Greater OKC Chamber
Finance Chair
Perrin Duncan, Arnall Family Foundation
Golf Tournament Chair
Katy Saint, American Fidelity
Golf Tournament Chair
Maggie Shaffer, Alzheimer’s Association Oklahoma Chapter

Join Us

Be a part of creating success
in OKCPS by giving to the Foundation today.

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2023 Stars of Education Announced

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