Nine Outstanding OU Alumni and Supporters Recognized with Regents’ Alumni Award

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NORMAN, OKLA. – The University of Oklahoma recognized the achievements and contributions of nine remarkable alumni at the Sept. 20, 2024 Regents’ Alumni Award ceremony on the OU Norman campus. Regents’ Alumni Awards celebrate OU graduates who have shown extraordinary dedication and service to the university.

Presented by the OU Board of Regents and OU Alumni Association, the award highlights the profound ways in which OU alumni and supporters are helping shape the university’s vibrant future. An Alumni Association committee reviews nominations submitted by alumni, friends and OU faculty and staff to select each year’s awardees. The recipients are awarded a commemorative plaque in recognition of their exceptional contributions, and their names are permanently inscribed on a plaque displayed in the historic Oklahoma Memorial Union.

This year’s recipients include Neva Hudiburgh Cochran, Marilyn Grass Culp, M.D., Adrianna Hicks, Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., Charles R. Jones, Carl M. Mayhall, Michael McCafferty, Reed Pigman and Jim R. Yates. 

NEVA HUDIBURGH COCHRAN 

Neva Hudiburgh Cochran has been a registered dietitian nutritionist in Dallas for 49 years. After earning her Bachelor of Science in nutrition and dietetics from OU, she completed a dietetic internship at Texas Health Resources Presbyterian Hospital Dallas and received a Master of Science in nutrition from Texas Woman’s University. 

Before starting her consulting business in 1989, Cochran worked as a clinical dietitian in two hospitals, an instructor in the Department of Nutrition & Food Sciences at Texas Woman’s University and program coordinator for the Associated Milk Producers Consumer Services Division. For the last 20 years, she has focused on nutrition communications, partnering with food, nutrition and agricultural organizations to promote science-based food and nutrition information. 

An active member of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, Cochran has served in leadership roles for numerous industry board and interest groups, works with several Dallas area nonprofits and is the recipient of a number of awards, including the Academy’s Medallion Award and the Texas Academy’s Distinguished Dietitian award. 

Cochran pledged Kappa Delta Sorority at OU and has been an active alumna on the local and national level, including as a member of the national Kappa Delta Foundation Board. For the last 10 years, she has also been actively engaged with OU’s Nutritional Sciences Department, serving as a preceptor for dietetic interns, presenting the 2014 nutrition lecture for Allied Health Week and, in 2018, creating an endowed scholarship for nutrition students. 

Cochran has also created an endowment with the Parkland Health Foundation to honor her late husband Don and fund communication training for healthcare providers in hospice and palliative medicine.

MARILYN GRASS CULP, M.D.

Dr. Marilyn Grass Culp completed her residency at the OU School of Community Medicine in Tulsa after earning her M.D. from UT Southwestern. She served 25 years as a board-certified family physician and has been recognized multiple times as one of Oklahoma's Top Family Doctors. 

After completing a 2022 fellowship in sleep medicine at UT Southwestern, Culp now specializes in sleep medicine at the Oklahoma Heart Institute. Culp is the author of multiple publications and runs a rural outreach clinic and sleep lab in Henryetta. 

Also a 1990 Gallogly College of Engineering graduate, Culp has significantly contributed to the Engineering Summer Bridge program and other college support programs. Culp, alongside her husband, Brian, is a passionate advocate for GCoE programming and student support initiatives. In addition to their advocacy, they generously contribute to ensure students have memorable social experiences and have even opened their home to host Summer Bridge students.

Culp’s commitment is further reflected in Brian’s advocacy at his employer Williams Companies, which has since become a corporate partner of the Engineering Summer Bridge Program. Additionally, Culp plays an active role in the Access and Opportunity Engineering program and has collaborated with the task force responsible for creating the new Dean’s Board on Access and Opportunity.

Culp and her husband have committed a generous donation to support the Access and Opportunity Engineering Program endowment fund. Culp’s unwavering support, leadership and generosity have made her an invaluable asset to the Gallogly College of Engineering. 

ADRIANNA HICKS

Grammy-winning singer and actress Adrianna Hicks most recently starred as Sugar in Broadway’s Tony-nominated musical, “Some Like it Hot.” Variety calls her “a star,” Deadline calls her “incandescent” in the role and The New York Times adds she has “a completely compelling aura of her own.” Hicks also originated the role of Catherine of Aragon in the Broadway musical “Six.” She previously appeared in “Aladdin” and “The Color Purple,” the latter of which marked her Broadway debut.

Hicks was raised in McKinney, Texas. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from the University of Oklahoma Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre, where she was awarded a scholarship by the Congressional Black Caucus. Hicks began her professional career in Germany with Stage Entertainment. While in Germany, she performed in “Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage” and the musical “Sister Act.” She also performed in the musical “Legally Blonde” in Austria.

An example of the excellence of the Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre, Hicks serves as an inspiration to current and aspiring OU musical theatre students. Her illustrious career demonstrates the heights they can achieve through hard work and dedication while reinforcing the school’s status as a launchpad for top talent.

PRINCIPAL CHIEF CHUCK HOSKIN JR. 

Chuck Hoskin Jr. serves as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, the largest tribe in the United States with more than 450,000 citizens. Prior to being elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2023, he was Cherokee Nation’s secretary of state and served as a member and deputy speaker of the Council of the Cherokee Nation. 

As principal chief, he increased minimum wage at Cherokee Nation and Cherokee Nation Businesses, secured the largest language investment in the tribe's history to expand Cherokee cultural preservation, and appointed the tribe's first delegate to the U.S. Congress. He prioritized health and wellness initiatives, including record investments in behavioral health and addiction treatment. 

Hoskin has also expanded tribal workforce training programs, sustainable housing, protections for natural resources and educational opportunities for Cherokees of all ages. He and First Lady January Hoskin have elevated the voices and safety of women and children within the Cherokee Nation Reservation. 

Hoskin and the Cherokee Nation have given over $1.5 million through OU-Tulsa, Children’s Hospital and Harold Hamm Diabetes Center/OU Foundation to support diabetes research and treatment. This year, Hoskin confirmed the Cherokee Nation's commitment of $8 million to support the expansion of the Stephenson Cancer Center at OU-Tulsa.

By supporting vital initiatives in diabetes research and treatment and in cancer care, the Cherokee Nation under Hoskin’s leadership has elevated OU's ability to serve all Oklahomans and enhanced the university's standing as a leader in public health and medical research. Hoskins earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and juris doctorate from OU.

CHARLES R. JONES 

Charles Jones has been a fierce advocate for data science in engineering at the Gallogly College of Engineering. He was a persistent collaborator with former dean Tom Landers and then-Director Randa Shehab on the creation of the Data Science and Analytics Program at OU. 

In 2020, following the tragic passing of his wife Madelaine Pfau and in the throes of the pandemic, Jones thoughtfully advanced his estate plans and made a sizable gift to the OU Foundation to support chair positions in Data Science and Analytics and in Industrial & Systems Engineering. 

Jones has opened his home to alumni and friends in the Dallas area and regularly connects with young alumni and faculty. After a lengthy career with McKinsey and Price Waterhouse, he now provides industry insight, initiatives and opportunities to others in service of his goal to make OU Industrial & Systems Engineering a top program nationwide.

CARL M. MAYHALL 

Carl M. Mayhall is a long-time partner at Ernst and Young and was responsible for getting the accounting firm involved at the Price College of Business. His influence and financial leadership have led to hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts to Price College. 

He is an OU alumnus who graduated in 1966 as an OU Distinguished Military Graduate with a BBA in accounting. Mayhall’s recommendations, mentorship and direct hiring have helped more than 1,000 Price students secure internships at Ernst and Young and hundreds more in jobs at the firm. Mayhall has decades of involvement on professional business boards in the DFW area as well as on the boards of other nonprofits. He has not only invested his time in recruitment and mentorship but has given prolifically toward Ernst and Young scholarships, President’s Associates and other areas of the university. 

Mayhall is a member of the Quarter Century Club and sits on the Price College of Business Board of Directors. He has been a President’s Associate since 1981 and was the very first Distinguished Accounting Alumnus at Price College, as well as a founding member of the Adams Society. He is married to Kathy Mayhall and has two daughters and four grandchildren all living in Dallas.

MICHAEL McCAFFERTY

After graduating from OU with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1960, Michael McCafferty moved to California to earn his MBA at Stanford University. In 1988, he joined Mattel as senior vice president and treasurer. When Mattel acquired Fisher Price in 1993, Michael was elevated to CFO. By the time he retired from Mattel in 1995, the company’s revenue had grown from $1 billion to over $5 billion. 

McCafferty has served as an honorary director of the Santa Fe Opera, supporter of the Palm Beach Dramaworks, supporter of the Maltz Jupiter Theater and founder of the Raymond F. Kravis Center. 

In his time at OU, McCafferty was active in student life, serving as vice president of PE-ET, president of Lambda Chi Alpha, chair of the Student Senate Leadership Training Council and member of many other campus and academic organizations. As a student, McCafferty received the Letzeiser Award, which recognizes community service, leadership and academic success. 

McCafferty and his partner Joe Horton have been major supporters of OU and belong to the George Lynn Cross Society. Their generosity spans campus and covers the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education’s loan forgiveness initiative, the Donald W. Reynolds Performing Arts Center in the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts, Sooner Heritage Scholarships and more.

REED PIGMAN 

As founder and president of Texas Jet, Inc., Reed Pigman has deep roots in the world of aviation. In 1939, his father established world-renowned flight school American Flyers and later American Flyers Airline Corp, a charter airline. 

In 1978, Pigman started Texas Jet, a fixed-base operator located at Fort Worth Meacham Airport. Since then, it has grown to 24 hangars and has been ranked in the Top 5 U.S. Independent FBOs by Professional Pilot Magazine for the last 18 years. 

The Pigman family is actively involved in their hometown of Fort Worth. Pigman has been a member of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce as well as the Fort Worth Country Day board.

Pigman is a proud Sooner graduate and Sooner dad. He and his wife, Pam Pigman, are enthusiastic supporters of the President’s Associates program, OU Club of Fort Worth, Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and the School of Aviation. In 2023, the Pigman Family Charitable Fund made a generous contribution to help construct a new aircraft hangar at the University of Oklahoma’s Max Westheimer Airport. He graduated from OU in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance.

JIM R. YATES

Jim R. Yates, who is now retired, served as president of Par Hawaii, Inc., the holding company for the Hawaii-based marketing and logistics operations of Par Petroleum, LLC. Yates also served as executive vice president of retail at Par Petroleum’s parent company, Par Pacific Holdings. Par Hawaii manages the marketing, storage and distribution of products from the Par Hawaii Refinery, including the operation of a large network of retail stations in Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest. 

Yates was previously president, chief executive officer and partial owner of Mid Pac Petroleum, LLC, which was acquired by Par in 2015. Before his role with Mid Pac, Yates served as president and CEO of Hawaii’s public gas utility, The Gas Company, LLC (now HawaiiGas). Yates has also held several oil and gas exploration and production related roles with BHP Petroleum in Oklahoma City and Houston before he relocated to Honolulu in 1993. 

Yates holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Oklahoma and a law degree from the University of Houston School of Law. He is on the board of trustees for the Queen’s Health System & Queen’s Medical Center, serves the boards of City Mill Co., Ltd. and the YMCA of Honolulu and is a trustee for the David C. Ai Charitable Trust. He has formerly served on a board at the Energy Institute at the University of Oklahoma’s Price College of Business along with boards at multiple Hawaii-based and petroleum field-related organizations. 

Yates and his wife Deanna, also an OU graduate, now split their time between Honolulu and southwest Michigan and are proud parents of two adult daughters and three grandchildren.

Jim and Deanna Yates have given multiple first-generation college students the chance to experience an OU education thanks to their establishment of the Douglas E. Nix “Pay-it-Forward” Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship honors a beloved mentor from Jim’s hometown of Duncan, Okla. who helped Jim, a first-generation college student himself, achieve his dream of earning an OU degree.