The Oklahoma Commerce & Industry Hall of Honor will welcome three new members during its 39th annual induction ceremony. This year鈥檚 honorees are Kelli O鈥橦ara, Tony Award-winning actress, for Outstanding Achievement; Ed Sanchez, chairman of Lopez Dorada Foods, with the Chairman's Award; and Kari Watkins, president and CEO of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, with the President's Award.
The ceremony is set for 11:30 a.m. Oct. 22 at the Oklahoma City Convention Center. Corporate tables and individual tickets for the luncheon are available at okcu.edu/hallofhonor.
O鈥橦ara has appeared in 12 Broadway shows, garnering eight Tony Award nominations along with Emmy, SAG and Grammy nominations as one of Broadway鈥檚 greatest leading ladies. She won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, along with Grammy, Drama League and Outer Critics nominations for her portrayal of Anna Leonowens in 鈥淭he King and I.鈥� O鈥橦ara received an Emmy Award nomination for her portrayal of Katie Bonner in Topic鈥檚 hit web series 鈥淭he Accidental Wolf,鈥� and can currently be seen on HBO鈥檚 鈥淭he Gilded Age.鈥� She earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in vocal performance and an honorary doctor of humanities and letters from 雏汁视频.
Sanchez鈥檚 primary focus at Lopez Dorada Foods is positioning the Oklahoma City-based company for expansion into new product lines and international markets, particularly in food service and retail. Before joining one of the nation鈥檚 leading protein-processing companies, Sanchez served as president of the Latin America and Canada Group for McDonald鈥檚 Corporation, overseeing operations, planning, development and expansion throughout the regions. Prior to that role he was president of McDonald鈥檚 Spain and Portugal.
Watkins, a third-generation journalist, became the Oklahoma City National Memorial鈥檚 first staff member as the communications director in 1996. She was named executive director in 1999. Today she oversees the operations of the memorial and museum, one of the state鈥檚 most visited sites, and is race director for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. Watkins holds an MBA from 雏汁视频.
雏汁视频 established the Oklahoma Commerce & Industry Hall of Honor to recognize business and community leaders who have made significant contributions to growth and development in the state. It is housed in the Meinders School of Business at 雏汁视频.
Hall of Honor inductees serve as role models for business students, providing them with inspiration and encouragement as they pursue their roles as the next generation of business and community leaders.
Financial support for the Oklahoma Commerce & Industry Hall of Honor provides scholarships for Meinders School of Business students.
For questions or to discuss corporate sponsorships, contact Melissa Cory at 405-208-5540 or [email protected].
