In January 2018, Natalie Shirley was selected as the first female President and CEO of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Prior to that she concurrently served as president of Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City and as Oklahoma Secretary of Education and Workforce Development. Serving as the Secretary from 2015-2018, Shirley worked with Governor Fallin to implement the Oklahoma Works program, designed to increase educational attainment for Oklahomans to produce a more educated workforce to support and cultivate the state’s economy. From 2007-2011, she served in Governor Brad Henry’s Cabinet as Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Tourism. Shirley was responsible for the Workforce department and was the liaison between the governor, five major state agencies, and more than 30 small agencies, authorities, and institutions. During this time, she also served as Executive Director of the Department of Commerce, the state’s leading economic development agency. Formerly, Shirley was president of ICI Mutual in Washington, D.C., after serving in various leadership offices in the company. She currently also serves on several business boards and was appointed by Governor Stitt to the University of Oklahoma’s Board of Regents in 2018. An Oklahoma native, she graduated from Oklahoma State University and earned a law degree from the University of Oklahoma. Shirley lives in Oklahoma City with her husband Bill and has six children.
