Feature
Terri Angier, Interagency
Liaison and Chief of
Media & Public Relations,
ODOT
By Karina Romero
Terri Angier began her career at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) in 1990. She was named the department’s chief of media and public relations in 1995, and in May she was named interagency liaison and a direct report to Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation Tim Gatz. Terri received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Oklahoma. She is the first Iranian-born student to receive a master’s degree in journalism from OU.
Q: What is your favorite memory from your time at Gaylord College?
There are so many memories but perhaps being able to come to Copeland Hall (at the time) and being able to use a typewriter, a computer or editing equipment to do homework. Also being able to find a professor to help you at any time, during or after hours, was something I cherished as a student. Also memorable were the many all-nighters I would spend working on group projects at Copeland Hall or the Union, drinking tasteless coffee.
Q: Did you have a favorite faculty/staff member at Gaylord?
There are so many worthy of mentioning, but the professor who is responsible for encouraging me to switch majors to public relations and continue on with my master’s was Paul Dannelley. I will never forget professor Dannelley’s comment, “First rate,” on one of my first papers. He actually insisted on seeing me in person to give the paper to me and encourage me when I was expecting the opposite. That comment may have been the linchpin for my staying focused on public relations and working hard to succeed. I am grateful to the Oklahoma City Public Relations Society of America for naming an award after him: the Paul E. Dannelley Harmony Award.
Ned Hockman is the other professor who invested a lot of time in me and helped nurture my love of writing for theatre and film. They were both most encouraging to students and always available to help and were mentors to all of us.
Other professors who had a great impact on me were Jim Richstad, Bob Carroll and Bruce Hinson, to name a few.
Q: Describe your work at ODOT.
With this recent promotion as the interagency liaison to the secretary of transportation, I am also starting to coordinate a lot of special projects for the secretary, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and also the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission in addition to ODOT. These are projects all over the state and with the office of the governor, lieutenant governor and many other agencies. I also continue to lead ODOT’s media relations team.
Q: What led you from Iran to India to England and then to Norman?
I have now lived in Oklahoma for 40 years -- since I moved here in August of 1979 -- with a brief stay in California. I am a member of the Baha’i Faith, which is the world’s newest major religion and we believe in all other religions of the world and in the unity of mankind, so growing up in Iran was challenging as a minority religion. When I was 11 years old, my parents sent me to a Baha’i school in India called the New Era School. At the time, the principal was an American by the name of Dr. Ray Johnson. Years later, after moving to Oklahoma, I learned that he is actually an Oklahoman and attended OU for his bachelor’s degree and was in the wrestling program. It is a small world, indeed! I still stay in touch with him and his family who live in the United States.
I went to England to go to school, because my sister lived there. After the Iranian revolution of 1978 and the establishment of the Islamic Republic, the Baha’is were being persecuted, which continues to this day in many different ways. Some were killed, tortured or imprisoned, and many lost jobs, access to education and other rights because of their religious beliefs.
Later, I decided to move to the U.S. along with my brother and sister-in-law because one of my closest cousins had just moved here, and he was able to get me a visa to study at OU. He is a graduate of the OU petroleum engineering college. Also, both of my children attended OU, and both have master’s degrees. My daughter has a BA in education from OU and was very active on campus, and my son has an MA in structural engineering and was also active on campus.
Q: What do you consider to be the most significant moment of your career so far?
There are many milestones in my career that helped shape me, but perhaps the one I am most proud of in relation to my journalism degree and training at OU is the credibility I have tried very hard to bring to ODOT. I have worked on developing good relationships with the media, organizational partners and the public, and it has been very rewarding to see those relationships grow stronger each year. Transparency and accessibility for all those partners was a key issue for me, and I believe I have succeeded in bringing more credibility to the department. I have also been very grateful for all the cooperation and support I have received over the years from now-Secretary Gatz, other directors and my fellow ODOTers in achieving these significant goals.
Q: What advice would you give to current students aspiring to a career in media and public relations?
Honesty, clarity and hard work are the top elements to success in any media or public relations career. People who get into these fields have a special blend of justice and wanting to help their fellow human beings, and I can’t think of a more noble career when based on ethics and the good of the community. Counsel your organization, bosses and coworkers to always do the right thing, and public relations will follow as a result and not the other way around. Persevere and it will pay off.
Q: What do you do for fun outside of work?
I have many hobbies. I played badminton all through college and until a few years ago when I had a few knee surgeries. As a matter of fact, I worked with a few others to establish the availability of badminton courts at the Huston Huffman Center at OU in the 1980s and that schedule, I believe, still exists for certain nights of the week. I like to travel, dance, exercise, be involved in the community and interfaith or race relations activities, host international family, friends or students and show off Oklahoma to them, spend time with family and the list goes on. I have lots of wonderful friends here and am always busy with the many events and activities in the metro area.