OKLAHOMA CITY – Gov. Kevin Stitt has appointed Aaron Harmon to the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) Board of Directors.
Harmon is executive vice president at Groendyke Transport, Inc., in Enid, where he oversees strategic planning and many departments, including fleet management, facilities, safety, quality, training, information technology and business intelligence/analytics.
“I want to thank Aaron for his willingness to serve his state in this capacity,” said Governor Stitt. “He’ll bring a top ten perspective to TSET and I’m looking forward to what he’ll accomplish in his time on the board.”
Before joining Groendyke in 2017, Harmon worked for GEFCO – the George E. Failing Company – for 22 years. He held various positions at the manufacturer of portable drilling rigs, culminating as the company’s president from 2005 to 2017.
Harmon serves on the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics Foundation Board and is active in the Enid community. He serves on the Integris Health Enid Hospital Governing Board of Directors and has previously volunteered with and served on the board of several non-profits.
“TSET is happy to welcome Aaron to the Board of Directors,” said Board Chairman Marshall Snipes. “His lengthy experience in business and management and deep Oklahoma roots will contribute to TSET’s commitment to improve the health and well-being of all Oklahomans.”
Harmon will replace Michelle Stephens on the TSET Board of Directors. Gov. Mary Fallin appointed Stephens to the board in November 2015 to complete a partial term before reappointing her to a full seven-year term that ended in June 2024.
Stephens, an attorney from Weatherford, had served as chair and vice chair of the board and was instrumental in launching the TSET Healthy Youth Initiative to reduce tobacco and vape use and obesity among teens.
“Michelle cares for the health of all Oklahomans, and she was especially mindful of our state’s youth,” said TSET Executive Director Julie Bisbee. “As a board member, she was devoted to preventing and lowering youth vaping and improving wellness outcomes for young ones so they could live long, healthy lives.”
TSET was created in 2000 by a statewide vote, and its mission and leadership were added to the Oklahoma Constitution. The agency has two boards: a Board of Investors with five members and a bipartisan Board of Directors with seven members.
The TSET Board of Investors is chaired by the state treasurer and responsible for endowment fund investments and management. The TSET Board of Directors, with members from all five Oklahoma congressional districts, allocates endowment earnings, budgeted each year from a three-year rolling average of earnings, to fund grants and programs.
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The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) serves as a partner and bridge builder for organizations shaping a healthier future for all Oklahomans. TSET provides leadership at the intersections of health by working with local coalitions and initiatives across the state, cultivating innovative and life-changing research and working across public and private sectors to develop, support, implement and evaluate creative strategies to take advantage of emerging opportunities to improve the public’s health. To learn more, go to Oklahoma.gov/TSET.
TSET – Better Lives Through Better Health