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Boards & Committees

Oklahoma Science and Technology Research and Development Board of Directors

OCAST is governed by the Oklahoma Science and Technology Research and Development (OSTRaD) Board of Directors (Title 74, Section 5060.6). This 9-member board of directors consists of the State Secretary of Science and Innovation as the OSTRaD board chair with four members appointed by the governor and two each by the state senate and house.

Elizabeth Pollard, Cabinet Secretar and Chair

ELIZABETH POLLARD

Chair of OSTRaD

Elizabeth Pollard, is the CEO and President of The Innovation Foundation at Oklahoma State University and the President of Cowboy Enterprises. The Innovation Foundation is home to OSU’s applied research institutes – the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education (OAIRE), Human Performance & Nutrition Institute (HPNRI), Hamm Institute for American Energy (HIAE) – the Office of Technology Commercialization, and Cowboy Technologies, LLC. 

Pollard is a Silicon Valley C-suite veteran and has extensive global experience scaling businesses, establishing public and private partnerships, and building highly specialized technology, from concept to market, primarily to enable biotechnology. She is recognized as a strategy creator and implementor, advising companies and serving on corporate boards. She is active in YPO and serves as board director (2020-2024) and finance chair (2022-2024) for YPO, a global leadership community of more than 35,000 chief executives representing 150 countries. 

Prior to joining OSU, the Michigan native played a critical role in developing and leading Oklahoma's innovation economy as Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt's Secretary of Science and Innovation. Her cabinet included the award-winning Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST), for which she continues to serve as chair for the Oklahoma Science, Technology, Research and Development Board (OSTRAD). During her tenure, the agency has grown from $17M to $220 M in assets under management, utilized the State Small Business Credit Initiative to create the Oklahoma Venture Capital Investment Program - a fund of funds for in-state equity investment in early stage companies, established the Oklahoma Business Lending Partnership Program to provide low interest loans to Oklahoma businesses, and funded 3 of the world’s most prominent accelerator programs to serve Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and rural Oklahoma (Gener8tor, TechStars, Farm Bureau).  Pollard also served on the Governor’s Workforce Taskforce.

Blayne Arthur, Secretary of Agriculture

BLAYNE ARTHUR

Secretary of Agriculture

On January 14, 2019, Blayne Arthur was sworn in by Governor Kevin Stitt as the Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture—the state’s first female to hold the position. She acts as Governor Stitt’s chief advisor on policy development and implementation related to agriculture, food and forestry, and holds the titles of Oklahoma Commissioner of Agriculture and the President of the Oklahoma State Board of Agriculture.

Secretary Arthur grew up in Chickasha, Oklahoma, where her family raised horses, shorthorn cattle, wheat, alfalfa and soybeans. Arthur and her two sisters, Dr. Rosslyn Biggs and Chelsea Evans, were active in 4-H and FFA, focusing primarily on showing horses and shorthorn cattle — both statewide and nationally. Arthur’s mother, Dr. Peggy Clark, worked for the USDA as a veterinary medical officer. Her father, David Spencer, owns and operates Spencer Livestock, LLC., a family-oriented operation focusing on show horses and cattle, based out of Chickasha.

Upon graduating from Oklahoma State University in 2004, with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics, Sec. Arthur took a role in small-business financing for Rural Enterprises, Inc. In 2009, the then-Secretary of Agriculture, Terry Peach hired her as the department’s social media coordinator. When Secretary Jim Reese was elected in 2011, he offered her the position as the Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture, where she stayed from 2011 to 2016. In 2016, she served as the Executive Director for the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation until her appointment by Governor Stitt.

She is the 2016 Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association Distinguished Service Award Recipient; remains active in Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Diamond Hats, American Quarter Horse Association, Oklahoma Beef Council, and Ponies of the Americas; and selected for multiple honors including Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Program Class XV, a Journal Record 2011 Achievers Under 40 honoree, and the 2014 Oklahoma Agricultural Woman of the Year.

Secretary Arthur married Jerrod Arthur in 2006 and they have two children, Kelton and Kennedy, who both enjoy showing cattle and horses. The Arthur family lives east of Stillwater and raise show cattle for 4-H and FFA members.

Mita Bates

MITA BATES

Principal, MAB Advisory LLC

Mita Bates is the principal in MAB Advisory LLC, an organization committed to economic and community improvement, strategic planning, and board development. Ms. Bates served as the President and CEO of the Ardmore Development Authority, Ardmore Chamber of Commerce, Ardmore Tourism Authority and Chamber of Commerce Foundation. She served the four organizations for 18 years beginning as the Senior Vice President of Operations the first part of her tenure. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Mita continued her professional education obtaining designations from the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Organizational Management as well as Certified Chamber Executive. Under Mita’s leadership, economic development efforts in Southern Oklahoma resulted in major industrial projects choosing Ardmore, as well as significant capital investment by existing industry in Ardmore facilities, ensuring the continued success of the region.

A passionate advocate for the State, Mita has served on several statewide boards – The Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce Executives, Oklahoma Society of Association Executives, Select Oklahoma, the State Chamber as well as the Oklahoma Business Roundtable. In addition to her statewide activities, she is involved in numerous local activities with a passion for education. Mita is a native Oklahoman, member of the Chickasaw Nation and is married with three children and 5 grandchildren.

Sean Bauman, IMMY

SEAN BAUMAN**

IMMY, Norman

Sean Bauman, PhD is the President and CEO of IMMY, a diagnostic manufacturing company headquartered in Norman, Oklahoma. For more than 40 years, IMMY has specialized in the development, manufacturing, and global distribution of infectious disease diagnostic tests. These tests have been implemented in thousands of labs in more than 90 countries throughout the world. Dr. Bauman is passionate about improving the survival of patients with infectious diseases through accurate, early diagnosis and proper treatment. This passion has taken Dr. Bauman to many resource‐limited countries where he has seen, first‐hand, those affected by infectious diseases and the real challenges that come from getting each patient a timely, actionable diagnosis. His background is broad, with experience in management, infectious diseases, research and development, and product design. Through his leadership, IMMY continues to increase its impact on patients’ lives throughout the world.

In response to the growing need for more efficient and rapid test results during the early part of 2020, Dr. Bauman also became the President and CEO of IMMYLabs, a high complexity CLIA laboratory providing COVID‐19 diagnostic testing and vaccine administration. IMMYLabs is one of the largest COVID‐19 testing and vaccine providers in Oklahoma.

Dr. Bauman is a graduate of Norman High School, the University of Oklahoma with a BS degree in Chemistry, and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center with a PhD degree in Microbiology and Immunology. He resides in Norman with his wife, Renee, and their three children, Brynn, Brooke, and Luke.

Thomas Kupiec

THOMAS KUPIEC*

ARL / DNA Solutions / Kupiec Group, Oklahoma City

Dr. Thomas Kupiec is CEO of ARL Bio Pharma and DNA Solutions. Dr. Kupiec received his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center College of Pharmacy. He currently serves on the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) Board of Directors, the National Safety Council Alcohol, Drugs and Impairment Division Board, The Foundation Board of Trustees at the University of Central Oklahoma, Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory, and the National Advisory Board for the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy. He has served as a graduate faculty member at the OU Health Sciences Center and has held teaching appointments at several universities. He has published numerous articles and abstracts in a variety of fields including pharmaceutical sciences, forensic sciences, and pharmacogenomics. Dr. Kupiec is often requested as a guest lecturer and a speaker at national and regional pharmaceutical conferences.

Dr. Kupiec’s vision of entrepreneurial research is manifested by his responsibilities at ARL Bio Pharma and DNA Solutions as a technical and business development leader in the pharmaceutical and forensic fields. Additionally, he provides consultation and expert witness testimony in the fields of forensic toxicology and pharmaceutical sciences including litigation, patent infringement, and medication errors. He has testified in over 100 cases in state and federal courts involving both civil and criminal issues, for prosecution as well as defense.

Dan Marticello

DAN MARTICELLO*

CymSTAR, Broken Arrow

Colonel Daniel Marticello is the President and CEO of CymSTAR LLC.  CymSTAR, located in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) established in 2003 to build, upgrade and maintain military training systems including flight simulators and maintenance procedure trainers.  Col. Marticello joined the company in the role of President and CEO in September 2018.

Prior to joining CymSTAR, Col. Marticello served for over 26 years in the US Air Force and retired in the grade of Colonel.  Prior to his military retirement, Col. Marticello served as the Air Force’s Program Manager for the new Air Force One (VC-25B) procurement and modification program.  He also led Air Force Materiel Command’s Simulators Division for three years where he led a team of 430 personnel executing a $1.9 billion budget across 52 training system programs. As an electrical and flight test engineer, he managed and executed flight test programs supporting the F-117 Nighthawk and the F-15 Eagle weapon systems.

Col. Marticello is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy, the University of Colorado, the US Air Force Test Pilot School, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Col. Marticello served in Afghanistan as part of the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan (NTM-A).  His military decorations include the Legion of Merit (1st Oak Leaf Cluster) and the Bronze Star.

Brenda Rolls

BRENDA ROLLS**

Frontier Electronic Systems, Stillwater

Dr. Brenda Rolls is the President and CEO of Frontier Electronic Systems.  An Oklahoma native and member of the Chickasaw tribe, Brenda earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Administration from Oklahoma State University in 1984.  She began her career in the California office of the family business, Frontier Engineering, Inc., where she gained experience with government cost accounting and contract administration.  Brenda pursued graduate studies at Biola University in La Mirada, CA, and graduated with a Doctor of Psychology degree in 1996.  In 1998 Brenda and her family returned to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to support and facilitate organizational transitions occurring within Frontier Engineering, Inc.  The core business of engineering design, development, and manufacturing was renamed Frontier Electronic Systems (FES), and Brenda participated in many strategic initiatives focused on maturing the company into a world class, sophisticated, and highly successful business enterprise.  In January of 2008, Brenda was promoted to President and CEO of FES.  Under Brenda’s leadership, the company has experienced revenue growth of over 50%, and work force growth of 30% while enhancing its engineering and manufacturing capabilities and maintaining strong profitability.  In conjunction with the strong leadership team at FES, Brenda maintains a core focus on strategic technology advancement and product diversity initiatives designed to insure FES’ continued success in the Aerospace and Defense technology marketplace. Brenda has served on the Governor’s Science and Technology Council, is a member of the Oklahoma Business Roundtable Board, and has served the local community through volunteer activities with the Stillwater Interfaith Counseling Center, Stillwater Domestic Violence Services, the YMCA, and First United Methodist Church. 

Kenneth Sewell

KENNETH SEWELL

Oklahoma State University, Stillwater

Kenneth Sewell, PhD is Vice President for Research at Oklahoma State University and President of the OSU Research Foundation. As OSU’s chief research officer, he is responsible for strategic research leadership university-wide; he also oversees the policies, offices, and service units that support and promote OSU’s research, scholarship, and creative artistry. Since joining OSU, Dr. Sewell has led the university in articulating the public impact of OSU research, and its interdisciplinary research strengths. He has also focused his efforts on aligning OSU for closer collaboration with industrial and defense partners.

As President of the OSU Research Foundation, a 501(c)(3) entity wholly owned by OSU, Dr. Sewell leads the technology transfer and licensing enterprise, as well as Cowboy Technologies—a commercialization and investment subsidiary designed to strategically facilitate transforming OSU-owned intellectual properties into start-up companies. In addition to providing investment resources to select companies and inventions, Cowboy Technologies delivers business development services and entrepreneurship training via a partnership with OSU’s NSF-funded I-Corps program. In addition to his roles within OSU, Dr. Sewell is active in research leadership at the state and national levels. Within Oklahoma, he serves on the Governor’s Science and Innovation Council, and on the Oklahoma EPSCoR State Advisory Committee. He held similar positions in Louisiana during his tenure at the University of New Orleans. Nationally, Dr. Sewell serves on the Executive Committee of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ Council on Research. Dr. Sewell received his B.S. from Kansas State University. He then received his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. Following faculty service at the University of North Texas (UNT), he entered central research leadership full time. Before joining OSU as Vice President for Research in 2015, he served as Interim Vice President for Research at UNT and Vice President for Research and Economic Development at the University of New Orleans. He and his wife, Beth, now make their home in Stillwater. 

Bob Warwick

BOB WARWICK

Former President and CEO of Crossroads Counseling & Consultation, Tulsa

Robert "Bob" Warwick, formerly the President and CEO of Crossroads Counseling and Consultation, a large and influential mental health clinic, has transitioned his focus to various impactful ventures. Currently, he is deeply involved in several projects. Warwick played a pivotal role in the development of Better Day Farms, a hydroponic greenhouse initiative in North Tulsa, which produces high-quality produce for Oklahoma food banks. In addition, he leads Aqua-Eco Environmental Engineering in Tulsa, pioneering innovative aquaponics designs that yield nutrient-rich freshwater fish and vegetable produce. His expertise extends to developing patented technology aimed at transforming waste products from industrial facilities into clean, organic food using aquaponics.

 

Apart from his entrepreneurial endeavors, Warwick serves as a consultant and advisor, offering expertise to organizations like the Oklahoma Aquarium and aiding in the implementation of regenerative farming practices on farms. Recently, he has been engaged in international efforts, traveling to Kenya to execute aquacultural plans for schools and conduct seminars on regenerative farming and gardening.

Warwick's current work reflects his commitment to environmental sustainability, innovation in agriculture, and community engagement. With a background in zoology and botany from the University of Kansas, he continues to leverage his expertise to drive positive change in both local and global contexts.

* Board member serves on Investment and Grants Process Review Committee

** Board member serves on Executive Review Committee

OSTRaD Board Meeting Information

(Dates subject to change)

Tuesday, March 19, 2024, 10am (1st Quarter)

Tuesday, April 9, 2024, 12pm (Public Event: OCAST Oklahoma Innovation Conference & Expo)

Tuesday, April 9, 2024, 5:30pm (Public Event: OCAST Oklahoma Innovation Conference & Expo)

Tuesday, April 10, 2024, 5:30pm (Public Event: OCAST Oklahoma Innovation Conference & Expo)

Tuesday, June 18, 2024, 10am (2nd Quarter)

Tuesday, October  22,  2024, 1pm (3rd Quarter)

Tuesday, December 3, 2024, 10am (4th Quarter)      

OSTRaD Board Meeting Agendas

Contact a Board member

You may reach an OSTRaD Board member via email at board@ocast.ok.gov


Standing Advisory Committees

OCAST receives support and assistance from the Oklahoma Health Research, Oklahoma Plant Science Research, Oklahoma Applied Research and Small Business Research Assistance advisory committees for research-related programs. Research-related standing committees must consist of representatives of the “business, higher education and research communities” (74 O.S., Section 5060.9[a]) and at least one-third of the members of each committee must be researchers. Committees are approved annually by the board. The Seed Capital Investment advisory committee is created to assist OCAST in evaluating potential investments with the Seed Capital Revolving Fund (74 O.S., Section 5060.21).

Oklahoma Applied Research Advisory Committee

Kenneth E. Bartels, D.V.M., M.S., Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
Cornell Cross, Apprentice Information Systems, Tulsa
David Humphrey, Industry Consultant, Broken Arrow
E. Ann Nalley, Ph.D., Cameron University, Lawton
Martha Ogilvie, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City
Monte Tull, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma (ret.), Norman

Oklahoma Health Research Committee

Tyrrell Conway, Ph.D., Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
Anna Csiszar, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City
Mary Beth Humphrey, M.D., Ph.D. University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City (Chair)
Eric Laverentz, First Presbyterian Church, Edmond
Jerry Malayer, Ph.D., Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
Gabriel Pardo, M.D., Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City
H. Anne Pereira, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City
Jamie Rhudy, Ph.D., University of Tulsa, Tulsa

Oklahoma Plant Science Research Advisory Committee

Gloria Caddell, Ph.D., University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond Kelly D. Chamberlin, Ph.D., USDA-Agricultural Research Service Richard S. Nelson, Ph.D., Oklahoma State University, Ardmore

Seed Capital Investment Committee

James Dickson, BancFirst
Jeff Moen, J.D., Noble Research Institute
James Wheeler, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma, Norman
Sherri Wise, Osteopathic Founders Foundation, Tulsa

Last Modified on Aug 23, 2024
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