OKLAHOMA CITY – The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) Board of Directors recently announced its officers for the 2025 calendar year.
Ken Rowe is the board’s new chair and Jennifer Needham is the vice chair. Their terms began Jan. 1.
Rowe, of Norman, was appointed to the TSET Board in 2004 by the state Senate President Pro Tempore and is the board’s longest-serving member. Rowe served as board chair from 2006 through 2008 and was re-elected chair in November 2010.
“Serving on the TSET Board of Directors has been an honor, and I look forward to serving as chair this year,” Rowe said. “I’ve had the privilege of seeing TSET effect change over the years to improve the health of Oklahomans, and we as a board will continue those efforts in 2025.”
TSET has the constitutional mission of decreasing cardiovascular disease and cancer in Oklahoma by reducing tobacco use and obesity, the state’s leading causes of death. The seven-member Board of Directors oversees and approves the funding of TSET grants and programs that improve health.
Rowe was vice president for administration and finance at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and retired in January. His career includes 13 years in internal auditing and fraud investigations in the banking sector, as well as senior leadership roles at the University of Oklahoma. Rowe is a native of Ardmore.
Needham, of Oklahoma City, was appointed to the TSET board in 2023 by State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd. She is the dean of student engagement at the OU College of Law and has previously worked as coordinating counsel of regulatory matters across all OU campuses and as senior counsel at the OU Health Sciences Center. Needham is a native of Antlers.
In addition to her professional work, Needham has volunteered with nonprofit organizations such as City Rescue Mission and Big Brothers, Big Sisters, showcasing her commitment to community service.
Much of the board’s work is done at the committee level. The following board members are serving as chair this year in these committees: Jack Allen, Program; Needham, Governance; Bruce Benjamin, Public Information and Outreach, and Marshall Snipes, Agency Operations.
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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