NEWS
NORMAN, Okla. – During its March meeting, the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents elected Rick Nagel of Norman, Oklahoma, as chair and Bob Ross of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, as vice chair for the 2026-2027 term.
Rick Nagel was appointed to the board by Gov. Stitt in 2021. He is a current member of the Board of Governors for the Aerospace Industries Association, is a member of the U.S. Army Association, the U.S. Air Force Association and the National Defense Industrial Association.
With more than two decades of extensive leadership experience in private equity and strategic investment, Nagel also serves as the managing partner for Acorn Capital Management, where he oversees the firm’s current geographic footprint, fund operations, fundraising activity and performance initiatives.
Along with his professional endeavors, Nagel is deeply engaged in industry and civic leadership. He is the chair of the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce, as well as state president of the Oklahoma Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs and a national trustee for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Additionally, he is the treasurer for U.S. Congressman Tom Cole (R-OK).
Nagel is a Phillips 66 Scholar and a graduate of the Gallogly College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma.
Bob Ross was appointed to the board by Gov. Stitt in 2022. He currently serves as Chairman and CEO of Inasmuch Foundation. Founded by Edith Kinney Gaylord in 1982, the Foundation focuses on community and civic engagement, journalism, education and human services. Ross was previously employed as an attorney with McAfee & Taft.
Ross is a member of several boards of directors including Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, Oklahoma City Airport Trust, and Oklahoma State Fair. He is a member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO).
He has received numerous awards, including: 2011 Plaza District Association’s Urban Pioneer Award, 2012 OKC Beautiful Mayor’s Award for Distinguished Service, 2013 Oklahoma Center for Non-Profits’ Visionary Impact Award, 2015 United Way of Central Oklahoma’s John Rex Community Builder Award, 2018 YMCA Service to the Youth Award, 2019 OKC Friday’s OKCityan of the Year, 2023 Boys and Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County Aubrey K. McClendon Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 2023 E.C. Joullian Distinguished Citizen award.
Ross is a graduate of Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School in Oklahoma City and Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virigina, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He received his Juris Doctorate from the OU College of Law in 1999.
Mackenzie Wilfong, J.D., was re-elected to serve as the board’s executive director and secretary. Wilfong joined OU in this role in June 2024 after serving as vice president of legal affairs and general counsel for Tulsa Community College for seven years.
Along with her position as executive secretary, Wilfong also serves on the AGB Board Professionals Council, Audit Committee for the National Association of College and University Attorneys and was the recipient of the 2021 Madame President award by the Tulsa League of Women Voters. Wilfong earned a Bachelor of Aarts degree in Public Affairs from OU and a Juris Doctorate from Southern Methodist University.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
The University of Oklahoma Honors College hosted its 38th annual Undergraduate Research Day on April 16 in the Thurman J. White Forum Building. Over 300 people attended, and 175 students presented their posters and projects to visitors, faculty members, judges and peers.
The Collaborative Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership offers emerging leaders across Oklahoma’s PK–12 public education system a doctoral experience designed to be as relevant as it is rigorous.
A study published today in PLOS Medicine has identified two new genetic pathways that contribute to cardiometabolic disease, which includes heart disease, obesity and diabetes. The research, led by Dharambir Sanghera, Ph.D., of the University of Oklahoma, represents a step toward targeting the diseases more precisely.
