At its biannual meeting Wednesday, the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation’s Board of Directors welcomed four new members and honored another.
Joining the Board are:
- Anne Greenwood of Stillwater
- Gay Kirby of Nichols Hills
- LaRue Stoller of Nichols Hills
- Craig Willis of Colorado Springs, Colorado
After ending a 30-year corporate accounting career, Greenwood made philanthropy her vocation, with a focus on endowing scholarships and programs at Oklahoma State University. She is a member of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.
Kirby is a former special education teacher who now serves as a community volunteer, with a special interest in civic, cultural, philanthropic and youth education organizations.
Stoller specialized in acquisitions and divestitures at State Bank and now is a director of Great Plains Bank. She currently owns a vineyard and winery in Oregon and is co-owner and general partner of a large-scale cattle ranch.
Willis is program manager of Chapman Foundations Management and will become its trustee in January. He also has served as senior program officer of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.
Also during Wednesday’s meeting, the Board honored Sharon J. Bell, naming her as a life director. Bell is managing partner of the Rogers and Bell law firm in Tulsa. She joined OMRF’s Board in 1988 and has since served in numerous leadership capacities, including chairing the Executive Committee.
As the individual trustee of the J.A. and Leta Chapman Trusts for many years, Bell helped provide OMRF with funding for dozens of scientific and capital projects, one of which enabled construction of the foundation’s seven-story research tower. A lab in that tower is named for her.
“Sharon has been a dedicated leader and a key proponent of OMRF’s transformative growth,” said Board Chairman Len Cason. “We are indebted for her many years of loyal service and devotion to our mission.”
The Board also held a moment of silence to honor Distinguished Career Scientist Paul Kincade, Ph.D., who died in October at age 80. Kincade, a noted immunologist, spent more than three decades at the foundation, where he founded a research program and ultimately served as OMRF’s vice president of research.
