Bill W. Burgess Jr. is the chairman emeritus of Techrizon; chairman of the board of Vortex; and the senior law partner of Burgess & Hightower Law Firm. As chairman, Burgess and his team developed Techrizon into the largest Oklahoma-owned software engineering company. Burgess was appointed to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education in 1993 and was reappointed for a second term in 2002. He is one of the youngest state regents to be appointed in the state's history. Burgess has served as chairman of the Oklahoma Business Roundtable; ambassador for the United States Army Reserve; and president of the Oklahoma Boy Scouts of America. He was awarded the Corporate Entrepreneur of the Year by the prestigious United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. The son of a career Army sergeant, he created the Soldiers' Children Scholarship Foundation to provide scholarships for the children of seriously wounded or killed soldiers.

Robert H. Henry has served in each branch of government during his distinguished career. Elected to the Oklahoma Legislature at 23, he chaired the Judiciary and Education Committees and the Majority Caucus. Elected Attorney General in 1986, he was re-elected in 1990, the first Attorney General in state history to run unopposed. In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed him to the six-state U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, of which he became chief judge. Henry serves on the advisory board for judicial outreach of the American Society of International Law, a position for which Justice Sandra Day O'Connor selected him. He is also chair of the Middle East/North Africa Council for the American Bar Association. In 2005, Chief Justice Rehnquist made Henry chair of the International Judicial Relations Committee. In March 2008, Henry chaired the United States Delegation to the United Arab Emirates World Judicial Forum.

Donna Nigh, who was a former first lady of Oklahoma, is highly acclaimed for her commitment to Oklahomans with special needs and to improving quality of life for those with developmental disabilities. As a result, the Donna Nigh Foundation was created and has the distinction of being the first statewide foundation for the developmentally disabled. In 1997, President Bill Clinton appointed Nigh to the President's Committee on Mental Retardation. Honoring the Nighs' services as president and first lady of the University of Central Oklahoma, the student union is named the George and Donna Nigh University Center, and UCO is also home to the Donna Nigh Art Gallery.

Ronald J. Norick, known as a dedicated public servant and strong civic leader, served as mayor of Oklahoma City from 1987 to 1998. He is often referred to as the "Father of MAPS" and credited with Oklahoma City's renaissance; his leadership inspired the passage of the Metropolitan Area Projects temporary 1-cent sales tax in 1993. Norick is currently controlling manager of Norick Investment Company, LLC. He is also vice chairman and on the executive committee for the State Fair of Oklahoma; chairman of the Oklahoma City Riverfront Redevelopment Authority; vice chairman of the Oklahoma Industries Authority; and chairman of Oklahoma City Downtown TIF Review Committee.

Carl R. Renfro, who is devoted to higher education, served as an Oklahoma State Regent for 12 years and was chairman in 2004. A visionary leader, Renfro co-founded the Standing Bear Native American Foundation in 1993. The Standing Bear project encompasses a 170-acre park with a 22-foot bronze statue of Chief Standing Bear; eight tribal courts; a permanent powwow arena; and a museum and education center. Renfro has made contributions to establish endowment funds for the operations of the Standing Bear Foundation; student scholarships through the University Center Foundation; restoration of Ponca City's Marland Mansion through its foundation; a lectureship series through the Northern Oklahoma College Foundation; and scholarships for patients with addictions through Cushing Valley Hope. 

Charles C. Stephenson co-founded Vintage Petroleum, Inc., where he served as president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board. The company grew from three employees to more than 750, with operations in four countries and reserves of approximately 500 million barrels. Today, he is co-founder and chairman of the board of Premier Natural Resources, an independent oil and gas company and partner of Regent Private Capital; co-founder and director of Growth Capital Partners; president of Stephenson Investments, Inc.; and a board member of AAON, Inc. In addition, Stephenson is a founder of the Sarkeys Energy Center and, through his foundation, has funded the construction of two research facilities at the Research Campus at the University of Oklahoma. He also serves on the board of trustees for the University of Tulsa.

Jordan J. N. Tang holds the J.G. Puterbaugh Chair in Medical Research at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), where he heads the protein studies research program. Tang came to Oklahoma from Taiwan in 1955 to attend Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma where he earned a master's degree and Ph.D. respectively. In 1957, he joined OMRF, where he became one of the world's leading experts on proteases, a group of proteins crucial to human health. Over the next 51 years at OMRF, his work has led to a deeper understanding of these vital proteins and to a new treatment for HIV/AIDS, hypertension and, most recently, an Alzheimer's drug that is undergoing human clinical tests. His research has been honored by the Guggenheim Foundation, National Institutes, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the United Nations.Tang is the only Oklahoman ever to receive the Alzheimer's Association of America's highest research prize, the $1 million Pioneer Award.