The new members are Paul Sechrist, president of Oklahoma City Community College; Kirk Humphreys, a commercial real estate investor and former mayor of Oklahoma City; and Oklahoma City attorney Mike Turpen.
"The diverse backgrounds and perspectives of these three individuals will be valuable to our board as we move forward on a bold path to transform the equine complex at State Fair Park into the finest facility of its kind in the country," said board Chairman Clayton I. Bennett.
Sechrist was named incoming president by the OCCC Board of Regents in November. His appointment became effective in March.
Sechrist came to OCCC in 1995 as the dean of the division of business and computer technology. Shortly after, he was appointed vice president for academic affairs.
Sechrist has served as the chairman of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Council on Instruction and as a member of the national Community College Advisory Panel for the College Board.
He also was elected to the board of trustees of the College Board and is a recipient of the Chair Academy's Outstanding Regional Leadership Award. He holds communication degrees from Southern Nazarene University and the University of Oklahoma.
Humphreys served as Oklahoma City mayor from April 1999 until November 2003. He was born and raised in Oklahoma City and is a graduate of Northwest Classen High School and the University of Oklahoma, where he received a business degree and was a University Scholar.
Humphreys serves as president of Gibraltar Investments Inc., a commercial real estate investment and development firm. Humphreys served as president of the Putnam City Board of Education from 1991-1992.
Turpen attended the University of Tulsa, where he was awarded a bachelor's degree in history. He received his law degree from the University of Tulsa.
Turpen served as Muskogee's police legal adviser, chief prosecutor and first assistant district attorney. He served as Muskogee County district attorney from 1977 to 1982. In 1982, Turpen was elected state attorney general, serving from 1983 to 1987. Since 1987 Turpen has been a partner in the law firm of Riggs, Abney, Neal, Turpen, Orbison & Lewis in Oklahoma City.
He appears weekly on the public affairs show, "Flashpoint with Hargis and Turpen" on NBC affiliate KFOR.
